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 many children does the narrator's girlfriend have?

2. Where do J.P. and his wife go on their first date?

3. What is the proprietor wearing when he speaks to J.P. and the narrator on the porch?

4. What animal noise does Tiny make when he comes downstairs one morning?

5. What happens to Tiny one day at breakfast?

Short Essay Questions

1. What economic class do you think the narrator is from and why?

2. In the section about the landlord, what does the narrator's nakedness represent?

3. What is the significance of New Year's Eve in the story?

4. What does the narrator's appetite represent?

5. Discuss how J.P.'s experience as a child in the well mirrors his experience as an adult alcoholic.

6. Describe the character Frank Martin.

7. Give an example of hopelessness in the story.

8. What does Roxy's name suggest?

9. What is the plot of "To Build a Fire," the story the narrator remembers reading?

10. How does J.P. treat his wife?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Will J.P. and the narrator recover from alcoholism? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator describes J.P. as "first and foremost a drunk. But he's also a chimney sweep." Why does the narrator include both aspects of J.P.'s identity? How does this reflect one of the story's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Compare how humility and arrogance are used in the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 860 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample