To Build a Fire

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-story review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. "The man was shocked. It was like hearing his own judgment of death" is an example of what kind of figurative language? (Paragraph 35)

A) Personification

B) Hyperbole

C) Simile

D) Imagery

2. In Paragraph 13, the man chooses not to use a nose guard and says, "What was a little frost?" What literary device is exemplified here?

A) Simile

B) Epiphany

C) Situational irony

D) Foreshadowing

3. Which quote best demonstrates the man's lack of imaginative thinking?

A) “Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not lead him to consider his weaknesses as a creature affected by temperature.” (Paragraph 4)

B) “As he thought of lunch, he pressed his hand against the package under his jacket. It was also under his shirt, wrapped in a handkerchief, and lying for warmth against the naked skin. Otherwise, the bread would freeze.” (Paragraph 6)

C) “He knew that even in the coldest weather these streams were never frozen, and he also knew their danger.” (Paragraph 14)

D) “While they dried, he could keep his naked feet warm by the fire, rubbing them first with snow. The fire was a success. He was safe.” (Paragraph 30)

4. “Then the man dropped into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known” (Paragraph 61). This sentence is an example of what?

A) Euphemism

B) Dramatic irony

C) Humor

D) Symbolism

5. Which of the following actions best embodies the theme of The Value of Natural Instincts?

A) “As he [the man] walked along he rubbed his face and nose with the back of his mittened hand.” (Paragraph 13)

B) “He [the man] noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and the bends. And always he noted where he placed his feet.” (Paragraph 14)

C) “And it [the dog] knew that it was not good to walk outside in such fearful cold. It was the time to lie in a hole in the snow and to wait for this awful cold to stop.” (Paragraph 24)

D) “It [the dog] was not concerned with the well-being of the man.” (Paragraph 24)

6. Which best describes the effect of the repetition of how cold the setting is?

A) It makes the audience understand how cold it is.

B) It makes the cold seem ever-present and inescapable.

C) It characterizes the man as a person who is unprepared.

D) It shows how the dog is more equipped for the Yukon than the man.

7. Which of the following best illustrates naturalism’s objectivist perspective?

A) “Nor did he think about man’s general weakness, able to live only within narrow limits of heat and cold.” (Paragraph 4)

B) “All a man must do was to keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone.” (Paragraph 31)

C) “The animal was worried by the great cold.” (Paragraph 8)

D) “When he had recovered his breath and his control, he sat and thought about meeting death with dignity.” (Paragraph 57)

8. Which best describes how the man treats the dog?

A) Indifferently and like a burden

B) Lovingly and like family

C) Angrily and like an enemy

D) Strictly and like a servant

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Describe the relationship between the man and the dog.

2. Why do you think the audience never learns the names of the man or the dog?