10th Grade Answer Key to "To Build a Fire"

1. What does the dog have that the man does not?

The dog has instinct which allows it to understand the danger it is facing in the brutally cold weather.

2. Why was it difficult for the man to eat?

It was difficult for the man to eat because ice and frost had frozen onto his jaw, and this made it difficult for him to open his mouth completely. In addition to that, the weather was so cold that his food froze quickly when it was not tucked against his body.

3. What huge mistake does the man make when building his fire?

The man makes two big mistakes. First, he builds his fire beneath a tree, so as the heat of the fire rises, the snow on the branches of the tree starts to melt and falls onto the fire, extinguishing it. Second, in his desperation to build a fire, he burns all of his matches at the same time, thus removing any possiblity that he can start another fire when those matches burn up.

4. What was the man's last attempt to survive?

After the man tries to lure the dog to him in order to kill it and use its body for warmth, the man then tries to run in order to stay warm. However, at that point, his body is so frostbitten that he is not really capable of running any longer.

5. How is the man's death described?

The man's death is described as slowly drifting off to sleep. London compares it to taking an anesthetic and slowly falling into a vision filled state of sleep.