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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. What refers to the decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a literary plot?
(a) Foreshadowing
(b) Metaphor
(c) Climax
(d) Symbol

2. The protagonist begins by feeding the fire with twigs the size of what in Part IV?
(a) A sewing needle
(b) His arm
(c) A pencil
(d) His finger

3. What does the protagonist do once the fire is a success and he remembers the advice of the old-timer in Part IV?
(a) He cries
(b) He scowls
(c) He laughs
(d) He smiles

4. What element of the story is omitted in the earlier version of To Build a Fire?
(a) The cold
(b) The dog
(c) The old-timer
(d) The knife

5. At what age did Jack London quit school to work in a cannery and as a longshoreman?
(a) 16
(b) 14
(c) 17
(d) 12

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the protagonist drop in the snow as he attempts to build his second fire in Part V?

2. 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?

3. Where does the dog go in the end of the story?

4. The protagonist thinks to himself in Part IV, “Any man who was a man could” do what?

5. The narrator states in Part V that the dog looks to the protagonist as what?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does the protagonist’s emotional state evolve as he works on building his second fire in Part V?

4. How does the protagonist respond after falling through the ice in Part IV? What happens when he falls?

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 building a fire after his fall in Part IV?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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