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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The trek that the protagonist takes is expected to last how long?

2. According to the narrator in Part II, no man had come up or down the silent creek that the protagonist travels on in how long?

3. In literature, what refers to the struggle occurring within a character's mind?

4. What does the protagonist do to help the dog after it falls through the ice in Part II?

5. The “dark hair-line” of trail visible in Part I is said to be the main trail that leads south how many miles to the Chilcoot Pass?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the dog do after falling through the ice in Part II? How does the protagonist help?

2. What symbolism is tied to the character of the dog in the story?

3. When and where was Jack London born? Who were his parents?

4. What is symbolized by the lack of a shadow cast by the protagonist in To Build a Fire?

5. What were Jack London’s experiences like during the Klondike Gold Rush?

6. Where does the protagonist decide to eat lunch in the narrative? Why?

7. Where is the protagonist traveling in the story? What supplies does he carry?

8. How does the narrator describe the protagonist’s experience of the cold in Part III?

9. What role does the old-timer play in the narrative?

10. How is the advice of the old-timer perceived by the protagonist in To Build a Fire?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the effects of hypothermia. What causes hypothermia? How is it treated? Where are the effects most often felt first? How do they progress? How are these effects illustrated in To Build A Fire?

Essay Topic 2

Define and discuss literary conflict. What are the differences between internal, external, and relational conflict? What are examples of each in To Build A Fire? What type of conflict is the most prominent in the narrative? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the setting of To Build A Fire.What are the outstanding elements of the setting? How does the setting play a part in the plot of the narrative? What clues in the text reveal the setting?

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