View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How is death described in the protagonist’s thoughts and fears in Part V?

2. How far away does the dog run before halting and surveying the protagonist after he releases it in Part V?

3. In order to build a fire, the protagonist must do what in Part IV?

4. 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?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does the protagonist regain the feeling of his fingers in Part V?What happens when he goes to light a match?

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

6. How does the protagonist go about starting his second fire in Part V? What obstacles does he face in the process?

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

8. How are the protagonist’s socks and shoes described as he tries to remove them in Part IV by the fire?

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

10. How does the protagonist eventually re-gather the matches in Part V?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the motifs of fire and ice in the story. How do these motifs relate to the story’s themes? What does fire represent to the protagonist? What does ice represent in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of the color white in the narrative. What does white signify symbolically to you? What does it signify to the protagonist? How many times does the author repeat the word “white” in the story? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the imagery that the author uses in depicting the setting of To Build A Fire. Consider lines such as: “the spittle crackled…in the air.” How does this imagery develop the tone and mood of the story? What colors does the author focus on? Why are these significant?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 923 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample