To Build a Fire

1. Which inference about the man is best supported by the events in the text?

• The man is trying to meet up with others where he will be safe.

• The man is involved in some kind of race across the wild forestland.

• The man is out on a hike enjoying the elements of nature around him.

• The man is searching for a missing person whom he needs to find soon.

Which sentence from the excerpt supports “the man trying to meet up with others where he will be safe”?

• “Yet the sun was too far south on its winter journey to clear the horizon.”

• “He was pleased at the speed he had made.”

• “If he kept it up, he would certainly be with the boys by six.”

• /“He reflected awhile, rubbing his nose and cheeks, then skirted to the left, stepping gingerly and testing the footing of each step.”

Which two sentences from the text best support the inference that the man is cautious and alert?

• “Once, coming around a bend, he shied abruptly, like a startled horse, curved away from the place where he had been walking, and retreated several places back along the trail.”

• “He knew that the coldest snaps never froze these springs, and he knew likewise their danger.”

• “As he walked along he rubbed his cheek-bones and nose with the back of his mittened hand.”

• “He was sure to frost his cheeks; he knew that, and experienced a pang of regret that he had not devised a nose-strap of the sort Bud wore in cold snaps.”

• “Also, he noted that the stinging which had first come to his toes when he sat down was already passing away.”

Which statement best expresses a theme of the text?

• One should not travel the woods in winter.

• Any careless behavior can result in disaster.

• Those who are prepared will always survive the wild.

• Animals are better equipped for danger than humans.

Which sentence from the text best supports the theme that “Any careless behavior can result in disaster”?

• "Once in a while the though reiterated itself that it was very cold and that he had never experienced such cold."

• "He stood and studied the creek-bed and its banks, and decided that the flow of water came from the right."

• "The bulge of the earth intervened between it and Henderson Creek, where the man walked under a clear sky at noon and cast no shadow."

• "He chuckled at his foolishness, and as he chuckled he noted the numbness creeping into the exposed fingers."

Which sentence from the text best supports the idea that dangers are often disguised by seemingly harmless elements?

• "But rub as he would, the instant he stopped his cheekbones went numb, and the following instant the end of his nose went numb.”

• “Sometimes a skin of ice half an inch thick covered them, and in turn was covered by the snow.”

• “Once again, however, he had a close call; and once, suspecting danger, he compelled the dog to go on in front.”

• “He struck the fingers repeatedly and returned them to the mitten, baring the other hand for the purpose of eating.”

The man has a companion on the trail. Who is it?

• His friend, Bud

• The old man at Sulphur Creek

• A wolf dog

What is the man's name?

• Jack

• We don't know

• The old man

• Wolf dog

What genre is this short story?

• Fantasy

• Memoir

• Realistic Fiction

• Expository Nonfiction

The man's character is best described as:

• Wise and caring

• Foolish and impulsive

• Experienced and athletic