Read the excerpt from Part 2 of “To Build a Fire.” He began threshing his arms back and forth, beating the mittened hands agains
t his sides. He did this for five minutes, violently, and his heart pumped enough blood up to the surface to put a stop to his shivering. Which words from the excerpt provide context clues that help define the underlined word? mittened; pumped
blood; shivering
heart; surface
beating; violently
Read the excerpt from Jack London's "To Build a Fire," a naturalist short story about a man traveling in the frozen Arctic Circle with only his dog for company. Which sentence in the excerpt demonstrates a blunt portrayal of natural life?
He unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and drew forth his lunch. The action consumed no more than a quarter of a minute, yet in that brief moment the numbness laid hold of the exposed fingers. He did not put the mitten on, but, instead, struck the fingers a dozen sharp smashes against his leg. Then he sat down on a snow-covered log to eat. The sting that followed upon the striking of his fingers against his leg ceased so quickly that he was startled. He had had no chance to take a bite of biscuit. He struck the fingers repeatedly and returned them to the mitten, baring the other hand for the purpose of eating. He tried to take a mouthful, but the ice-muzzle prevented. He had forgotten to build a fire and thaw out. He chuckled at his foolishness, and as he chuckled he noted the numbness creeping into the exposed fingers.
If you have to choose from the entire paragraph-The answer is the sentence <u>The sting that followed upon the striking of his fingers against his leg ceased so quickly that he was startled</u>
