COTW Section 6 Quiz

Think about the text “To Build a Fire” by Jack London to answer this question.

What are two details from the text that reveal that the man is a chechaquo, or a newcomer?

• A.  The man does not create or pack a nose-strap, so his face becomes frozen.

• B.  The man does not pack enough food for himself and the dog.

• C.  The man uses the dog to test out dangerous situations instead of trying them himself.

• D.  The man listens to the warnings of the dog rather than trusting what he was taught.

Think about the text “To Build a Fire” by Jack London to answer this question.

What are two details from the text that reveal that the man is a chechaquo, or a newcomer?

• A.  The man listens to the warnings of the dog rather than trusting what he was taught.

• B.  The man does not build a fire to thaw out before trying to eat.

• C.  The man focuses on his own frailty too often and gets distracted on the trail.

• D.  The man does not pack enough food for himself and the dog.

Empty as the man's mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and bends and timber- jams, and always he sharply noted where he placed his feet. 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 paces back along the trail. The creek he knew was frozen clear to the bottom--no creek could contain water in that arctic winter--but he knew also that there were springs that bubbled out from the hillsides and ran along under the snow and on top the ice of the creek. He knew that the coldest snaps never froze these springs, and he knew likewise their danger. They were traps. They hid pools of water under the snow that might be three inches deep, or three feet. Sometimes a skin of ice half an inch thick covered them, and in turn was covered by the snow. Sometimes there were alternate layers of water and ice-skin, so that when one broke through he kept on breaking through for a while, sometimes wetting himself to the waist.

Consider the words and phrases the author uses in this excerpt. How do these words help to establish the dangerousness of the setting?

• A.  The words help create a picture in the reader’s mind of a vast, never-ending terrain.

• B.  The words reveal the man’s ignorance about the dangerous landscape.

• C.  The words show how difficult it is to follow the trail due to shifting winds and snow.

• D.  The words emphasize how the man must face hidden dangers.

What motivates the dog in “To Build a Fire”?

• A.  completing the journey

• B.  proving its ancestors wrong

• C.  keeping itself alive

• D.  protecting the man

"But before he could cut the strings, it happened. It was his own fault or, rather, his mistake. He should not have built the fire under the spruce tree. He should have built it in the open."

-To Build a Fire

How does this excerpt build suspense in the text?

• A.  The author’s word choice is nonspecific when describing the event in the excerpt, which creates suspense as the reader tries to understand what happened.

• B.  The author does not specify who is to blame for this event, which creates suspense because the reader must question every character’s motives.

• C.  The author questions the man’s decision, which creates suspense because readers have to wonder what else he could have done.

• D.  The author shows the dog’s reaction to the man’s decision, which creates suspense because the man does not realize his mistake until later.

How does the man respond in "To Build a Fire"?

• hangs back and does not walk

• ignores bodily signs of frostbite

• listens to instincts

• tries to hide

How does the man respond in "To Build a Fire"?

• hangs back and does not walk

• listens to instinct

• focuses on the temperature

• tries to hide

How does the dog respond in "To Build a Fire"?

• hangs back and does not walk

• ignores signs of frostbite

• focuses on the temperature

• continues to walk

How does the dog respond in "To Build a Fire"?

• focuses on the temperature

• ignores signs of frostbite

• listens to instincts

• continues to walk