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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 does the dog do when it has ice formed between its toes from falling into the water in Part II?

2. What is a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that will come later in the story?

3. Where did Jack London’s family settle in 1886?

4. What type of dog travels with the protagonist?

5. St. Michael is described as being located by what body of water in Part I?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does the protagonist do after eating his lunch in Part III? How does the dog respond?

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

5. When did Jack London drop out of school? Where did he go to work at that time?

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

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

8. What danger does the protagonist encounter at Henderson Creek in Part II?

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

10. What does the protagonist do to warm up as he eats his lunch in Part III?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of the old-timer in the story. Where is the old-timer from? What do you think he represents in the narrative? How does the protagonist feel about this character? How do his feelings evolve through the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

In what ways does the protagonist in the story represent American individualism? What actions does the character take and how can these be seen to represent the American mindset of the 1880s? What do you think the author is saying about American values of his time?

Essay Topic 3

Define the literary term “character foil,” and discuss how this term applies to the dog in To Build A Fire. How does the dog compare with the man? In what ways does the author juxtapose the two characters? Is the dog an ally or enemy to the man?

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