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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. The narrator states in Part V that the dog looks to the protagonist as what?
(a) The water-maker
(b) The navigator
(c) The belly-rubber
(d) The fire-provider

2. Which word used to describe the protagonist in Part V means having or showing little or no emotion?
(a) Appreciate
(b) Ancestry
(c) Apathetic
(d) Flounder

3. The man is described as speaking in what way to the dog in Part V, meaning leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal?
(a) Angrily
(b) Peremptorily
(c) Pleadingly
(d) Lovingly

4. How far away does the dog run before halting and surveying the protagonist after he releases it in Part V?
(a) 85 feet
(b) 40 feet
(c) 150 feet
(d) 15 feet

5. The narrator states in Part IV, “When it is seventy-five below zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to” do what?
(a) Gather water
(b) Save himself
(c) Build a fire
(d) Strike a match

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which of the following is a central theme in To Build a Fire?

3. The narrator states in Part V of the protagonist, “It struck him as curious that one should have to use his eyes in order to find out where” what were?

4. Which word from Part IV means inanimate or dead?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the protagonist resume running after he has fallen down in Part VI?

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

3. What does the protagonist hope to do as a last resort in Part VI? What happens?

4. 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?

5. How does the narrator describe the protagonist’s journey when he departs from lunch in Part IV?

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

7. What does fire symbolize in the story? What message does the author convey through this symbol?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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