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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which word from Part V means adequate for the purpose?
(a) Sufficient
(b) Apathetic
(c) Success
(d) Wistful

2. The protagonist recalls the tale of a man who was caught in a blizzard and killed what before climbing into the carcass in Part V?
(a) A musk ox
(b) A caribou
(c) A steer
(d) A horse

3. According to the narrator in Part IV, the “wires were pretty well down between him and his” what?
(a) Palms
(b) Elbows
(c) Finger-ends
(d) Knees

4. Where does the dog go in the end of the story?
(a) Into the mountains
(b) Toward the springs
(c) Toward the camp
(d) Down the river

5. The protagonist moves on to feed the fire with branches the size of what in Part IV?
(a) His wrist
(b) His neck
(c) His foot
(d) His finger

Short Answer Questions

1. What in literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation?

2. The protagonist pictures the boys doing what the next day as he drifts into death in Part VI?

3. The protagonist’s socks are described as being like what “halfway to the knees” in Part IV?

4. The man is described as speaking in what way to the dog in Part V, meaning leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal?

5. The protagonist’s mistake is having built his fire under what, in Part V?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does the protagonist envision of his family in Part VI? How does he envision the old-timer?

5. How does the protagonist react when the fire is extinguished in Part V?

6. What is the mental state of the protagonist as he builds his fire after falling through the ice in Part IV?

7. What is the first mental image that overtakes the protagonist as he dies in Part VI?

8. What does the dog do as the protagonist attempts to build his second fire in Part V? What obstacle does the protagonist face in getting the tinder going?

9. What is symbolized by the ending of the story and the dog’s actions?

10. What causes the fire to be extinguished in Part V of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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