Vocabulary
What does the word "lucifer match" mean in the context of line 12, and why is this detail significant to the traveler's survival?
What is a match that ignites through friction; it's significant because it represents a simple, practical solution when modern technology fails, showing resourcefulness and self-reliance?
Troy complains about this unfair practice at work involving who gets to drive the garbage truck.
What is racial discrimination??
In lines 1-2, the phrase "his first breath turned to iron in his throat" is an example of what literary device, and what does it suggest about the temperature?
What is Metaphor comparing the extreme cold that is so intense it feels painful like suffocating?
What skill is question 1 asking (Author's Word Choice, Characterization, Tone, Vocabulary, Writing Strategy, Recall) and how do you know?
What is figurative language and tone because the question is asking how the use of figurative language creates a feeling (sense of) and the answer choices are feelings?
Which line helps you to answer question 2?
What is "there was always the lucifer match" (line 12) because it shows that he is determined to survive by whatever means necessary?
The traveler is described as "gloating" over his fire (line 15). What does this word choice reveal about his emotional state?
What is is taking pleasure and satisfaction in his accomplishment; it shows pride in his ability to survive and a momentary sense of triumph over the harsh conditions?
This character’s weekend ritual includes storytelling, drinking, and reflecting on shared work experiences with Troy.
Who is Jim Bono?
Identify the literary device used in the phrase "everything beyond a few yards away swam deceptive and without depth" (lines 3-4) and explain what it reveals about the traveler's perception.
What is Personification (people "swim") showing how the harsh conditions distort his vision and create a sense of disorientation and danger?
Which line helps you to answer question 1?
What is "his first breath turned to iron in his throat" which is a metaphor comparing the feeling of being in the cold to pain in his throat showing discomfort?
What skill is question 9 asking (Author's Word Choice, Characterization, Tone, Vocabulary, Writing Strategy, Recall) and how do you know?
What is central idea because it is asking how a paragraph about the traveler contributes to the central idea?
What is the connotation of the word "bewitched" in line 80, and how does it differ from simply saying the traveler was "surprised"?
What is he is under a spell or enchanted, implying a loss of control and a dreamlike state; it's more mysterious and profound than "surprised," suggesting internal conflict and hesitation about his decision?
Troy’s bitterness stems partly from his failed career in this professional sport.
What is baseball?
Explain the metaphor in lines 82-85 where the traveler "looked back once, to fix forever the picture of himself standing silently watching himself go." What does this self-observation suggest about his character development?
What is the metaphor of watching himself suggests the traveler is experiencing a moment of self-awareness and transformation; he is literally and figuratively seeing himself from an outside perspective, recognizing his own growth and change?
What skill is question 2 asking (Author's Word Choice, Characterization, Tone, Vocabulary, Writing Strategy, Recall) and how do you know?
What is characterization because it is asking how lines 7-12 tell the reader something about the traveler?
Which line helps you to answer question 9?
What is "to some wise law part of the burden of the boy's emergency and his own" (line 87-88) because it shows that he has helped himself by helping the boy?
The traveler is described as "Rebelliously, victimized by circumstances" (line 52-53). Explain what these word choices reveal about his internal conflict.
What is "rebelliously" shows his resistance and resentment, while "victimized" reveals his sense of helplessness; together, they show he feels trapped between his own needs and the demands of the situation, creating internal tension?
This character’s request for paternal approval is tied not just to sports, but to escaping a future of manual labor.
Who is Cory Maxson?
In the final paragraph, the phrase "bright as moonlight over snow" functions as what literary device when describing the traveler's wonder? How does this language connect to the story's themes?
What is Simile connecting the traveler's internal enlightenment to the external winter landscape, suggesting that his moment of self-recognition is as clear and illuminating as the natural world around him, linking personal identity to the environment.
What skill is question 3 asking (Author's Word Choice, Characterization, Tone, Vocabulary, Writing Strategy, Recall) and how do you know?
What is characterization because it is asking about what lines 18-22 tell the reader bout the traveler?
What skill is question 8 asking (Author's Word Choice, Characterization, Tone, Vocabulary, Writing Strategy, Recall) and how do you know?
What is tone because it is asking how lines 80-82 create a sense of (feeling)?
What is the significance of the phrase "that most chronic and incurable of ills, identity" (line 89)? What does calling identity an "ill" suggest about the story's deeper meaning?
What is it suggests that struggling with one's identity and sense of self is a lifelong human condition; calling it an "ill" implies it's something that cannot be cured but must be confronted, and the traveler's moment of self-recognition represents a breakthrough in understanding his place in the world?
This character represents a generational contrast to Troy, pursuing art over stability and highlighting Troy’s rigid worldview.
Who is Lyons Maxson?
The description of cold and ice throughout the passage creates what literary device?
What is repetition to emphasize danger, isolation, and the harsh environment?
Which line helps you to answer question 3?
What is "he did not want to wait in that lonely ditch any longer." (line 18) or "he would walk ahead t the nearest help...another fire." (line 20-21) or "the thought of action cheered him." (line 21)?
Which line helps you to answer question 8?
What is "abruptly he slapped the reins across the backs of the horses" shows that he has decided to move and keep going on his way?