View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The following sentence is an example of which literary technique: “It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death”?
(a) Assonance
(b) Allusion
(c) Simile
(d) Extrapolation

2. How is death described in the protagonist’s thoughts and fears in Part V?
(a) Dull and oppressive
(b) Sharp and fateful
(c) Painful and final
(d) Powerful and liberating

3. Which word from Part IV means situated at some distance away?
(a) Remote
(b) Latitude
(c) Proximity
(d) Urban

4. What thought puts the protagonist in a panic as he tries to light his second fire in Part V?
(a) The dog will eat him
(b) He is hearing voices
(c) He is losing his vision
(d) His feet are freezing

5. What simile occurs to the protagonist regarding his behavior in panicking in Part VI?
(a) Running around like a chicken with its head cut off
(b) Burning like a meteor
(c) Going dark like a grand eclipse
(d) Like shooting fish in a barrel

Short Answer Questions

1. Which word from Part V means skillful or artful management?

2. What color is a central motif in To Build a Fire?

3. The story, although not directly stated, is suggested to take place during what time period?

4. The protagonist lights his second fire by touching a match to a small shred of what that he takes from his pocket in Part IV?

5. The protagonist begins by feeding the fire with twigs the size of what in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the protagonist go about building a fire after his fall in Part IV?

2. Is the protagonist aware of the danger he is in after falling through the ice? What is the danger?

3. How does the protagonist’s body respond when he begins to build a fire after falling through the ice in Part IV?

4. What does the protagonist do after his fire is extinguished in Part V? What danger does he face?

5. How does the theme of “survival” apply to Part IV of To Build a Fire?

6. What idea comes to the protagonist after his second fire is a failure in Part V?

7. What conclusion does the protagonist come to when his fate appears sealed in Part VI?

8. How is the protagonist able to separate the matches in Part V? How does he attempt to light a match once he does?

9. How does the protagonist’s emotional state evolve as he works on building his second fire in Part V?

10. What obstacle does the protagonist face with gathering twigs for his fire in Part IV?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 872 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample