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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 thought puts the protagonist in a panic as he tries to light his second fire in Part V?

2. Which word from Part V means adequate for the purpose?

3. Which word used to describe the protagonist in Part V means having or showing little or no emotion?

4. According to the narrator in Part V, there had been no what for weeks?

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

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

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

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

5. How does the narrator describe the protagonist’s journey when he departs from lunch in Part IV?

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

7. What obstacle does the protagonist face with gathering twigs for his fire in Part IV?

8. What does the protagonist do after his fire is extinguished in Part V? What danger does he face?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

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?

(see the answer keys)

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