Which author wrote the Alaska-set tale 'To Build A Fire'?

Which author wrote the Alaska-set tale 'To Build A Fire'?

• A. Steinbeck
• B. Twain
• C. Melville
• D. London

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is identifying the author known for Alaska and Yukon frontier stories, especially survival tales. This Alaska-set short piece is by Jack London, whose work is defined by stark, naturalistic depictions of the harsh cold and the way wilderness tests human judgment. In this story, a lone traveler misreads the danger of the freezing environment, underestimates its power, and faces the ultimate consequences of that miscalculation, illustrating how nature dominates human plans. London’s reputation rests on such experiences in the Klondike and the broader frontier, as seen in other works about survival and the brutal beauty of the North. The other authors are associated with very different settings and themes—one with California social realism, another with humor and American frontier life, and another with sea adventure—so none of them aligns as closely with an Alaska-based survival tale as London does.

The main idea here is identifying the author known for Alaska and Yukon frontier stories, especially survival tales. This Alaska-set short piece is by Jack London, whose work is defined by stark, naturalistic depictions of the harsh cold and the way wilderness tests human judgment. In this story, a lone traveler misreads the danger of the freezing environment, underestimates its power, and faces the ultimate consequences of that miscalculation, illustrating how nature dominates human plans. London’s reputation rests on such experiences in the Klondike and the broader frontier, as seen in other works about survival and the brutal beauty of the North. The other authors are associated with very different settings and themes—one with California social realism, another with humor and American frontier life, and another with sea adventure—so none of them aligns as closely with an Alaska-based survival tale as London does.