The Cremation of Sam Mcgee

Why most likely is it important to Sam McGee that he be cremated?

• Sam McGee was a criminal in Tennessee and he wants to leave no trace

• Sam McGee wants to go to heaven.

• Sam McGee deeply suffers from the cold, and so he wants to die in warmth and fire.

• Sam McGee hopes that the fire from his cremation will help keep the others wa

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

Which passage from the poem most strongly supports the answer to Question 1?

• “In the days to come, though my lips were numb, in my heart how I cursed that load. / In the long, long night, by the lone firelight...”

• “On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail

• “...it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains; / So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”

• “A pal’s last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail; / And we started on at the streak of dawn...”

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.5

Which of the following reveals why Sam McGee was in Alaska?

• "God only knows."

• "the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell"

• "the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe"

• "you'll cremate my last remains"

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

What is "the thing" and "the hateful thing" that Cap refers to in stanzas 8-9?

• Sam's corpse

• the dogs

• himself

• the weather

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.4

What conflict does the narrator face in “The Cremation of Sam McGee”?

• He has to conquer the challenges of nature in order to save his friend’s life.

• He has to perform a gruesome task in order to fulfill his friend’s wish.

• He has to race against time in order to reach his destination.

• He has to give up his dream in order to return to his home.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.3

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A:

In “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” how does the narrator feel about his promise to his friend?

• He is angry at his friend for asking a favor of him.

• He is grateful to his friend for trusting him.

• He feels burdened by the responsibility.

• He feels honored to have been chosen.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.6

Part B:

Which excerpt from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• so I swore I would not fail

• a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid

• the trail has its own stern code

• in my heart how I cursed that load

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

At the end of “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” what does the narrator see when he opens the furnace door?

• a living Sam McGee

• a fire that has gone out

• the ashes of Sam McGee

• the unburned coal and wood

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1