51 pages 1 hour read

Jack London

To Build a Fire

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1902

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Exam Questions

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.