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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. What is portrayed as the antagonist in To Build a Fire?

2. The following sentence is an example of which literary technique: “It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death”?

3. What are the shoes called that the protagonist wears in the narrative?

4. 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?

5. How many matches go up in flame at once in Part V?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. How does the protagonist respond when the fear of death begins to overtake him in Part VI?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the actions of the dog at the end of the story. What is the dog’s reaction to the protagonist’s death? Where does the dog go? Why? What is symbolized in this ending?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the Klondike Gold Rush. When did the gold rush take place? How many people were involved? What environment did these people encounter? How is this period related in the story?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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