Question
story is Up the Slide
by Jack London
Activity
In this activity, you will use the first five steps of the ACTIVE reading strategy to analyze the text of the short story "Up the Slide" by Jack London. Remember that ACTIVE stands for these steps:
A = Ask questions.
C = Create connections.
T = Track down important information.
I = Make inferences.
V = Visualize.
E = Eureka! Combine information.
Part A
What questions did you have while reading the story? List at least three.
Space used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000
Part B
Did you feel connected to Clay's character in the story? Explain in about 100 words why you did or did not feel connected to Clay's character.
Space used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000
Part C
As you read the story, what words or ideas seemed unclear? Note at least six that you would like to better understand.
Space used(includes formatting): 36 / 30000
Submitted!
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Part D
After reading the first few paragraphs, what inferences did you make about the story? Remember that inferences are conclusions that are not clearly stated in the text but that you make based on the text’s facts and details. Describe the inferences you made in about 100 words.
Space used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000
Part E
Choose one scene from the story that you could easily visualize. In 100 to 150 words, explain the scene and provide details from the story that helped you visualize it
by Jack London
Activity
In this activity, you will use the first five steps of the ACTIVE reading strategy to analyze the text of the short story "Up the Slide" by Jack London. Remember that ACTIVE stands for these steps:
A = Ask questions.
C = Create connections.
T = Track down important information.
I = Make inferences.
V = Visualize.
E = Eureka! Combine information.
Part A
What questions did you have while reading the story? List at least three.
Space used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000
Part B
Did you feel connected to Clay's character in the story? Explain in about 100 words why you did or did not feel connected to Clay's character.
Space used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000
Part C
As you read the story, what words or ideas seemed unclear? Note at least six that you would like to better understand.
Space used(includes formatting): 36 / 30000
Submitted!
Show Sample Answer
Part D
After reading the first few paragraphs, what inferences did you make about the story? Remember that inferences are conclusions that are not clearly stated in the text but that you make based on the text’s facts and details. Describe the inferences you made in about 100 words.
Space used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000
Part E
Choose one scene from the story that you could easily visualize. In 100 to 150 words, explain the scene and provide details from the story that helped you visualize it
Answers
GPT-5 mini
Part A — Questions I had while reading (at least three)
1. What exactly motivated Clay to take such a dangerous risk — pride, desperation, or something from his past?
2. Is “the slide” a purely physical obstacle, or does it also symbolize a moral or emotional turning point for Clay?
3. How well prepared was Clay for the terrain and weather — did he underestimate the danger, or was he forced into a choice with no good options?
4. What is the nature of Clay’s relationship with any companions or people he left behind?
5. Will Clay’s decision lead to redemption, tragedy, or a lesson learned?
Part B — Connection to Clay (about 100 words)
I felt connected to Clay because London shows him as a complex, believable person rather than a flat adventurer. Clay’s courage mixed with doubt, the flash of stubborn pride, and the realistic fear he feels in dangerous situations make him relatable. His inner thoughts — worrying about his chances, remembering past choices, wanting to prove something to himself — mirror conflicts many readers recognize. Even if I disagreed with his choices, the story makes his motives understandable: survival, honor, and personal testing. That human complexity created empathy; I wanted to know how his choices would turn out and why he made them.
Part C — Words or ideas that seemed unclear (at least six)
1. “The slide” — literal glacier/rock slope vs. metaphorical meaning
2. Clay’s deeper backstory and past regrets
3. The exact timeline of events leading up to the climb
4. Whether Clay had outside help or was entirely alone in his decision
5. Any specialized climbing or survival terms used briefly in the description
6. The long-term consequences of Clay’s actions for himself and others
7. The narrator’s perspective and whether it’s fully reliable
Part D — Inferences after the first few paragraphs (about 100 words)
From the opening paragraphs I inferred that the setting is harsh and remote, and that Clay is a man accustomed to physical risk. The tone suggests an imminent confrontation with nature — not a leisurely outing but a high-stakes climb or escape. Clay’s attitude comes across as proud and determined, maybe stubborn; he seems driven by more than simple adventure, perhaps to prove himself or to atone for something. The early details also hinted that the slide will be a turning point: the landscape acts almost like a character testing Clay’s limits, so I expected the story to focus on survival and on what the ordeal reveals about Clay’s character.
Part E — A scene I could easily visualize (100–150 words)
The scene I most vividly visualized was Clay’s climb up the steep slide: a narrow, glittering slope of ice and rock, sunlight flashing off crystalline snow while wind bit at his face. I could see him leaning into the rope, muscles tensing, boots scrunching on shifting scree, each step sounding small in the vast silence. The creak of taut rope and the sudden, distant crack of ice made the air feel tense, and his breath came in white puffs. London’s concrete sensory details — the glint of sun, the feel of cold, the sounds of shifting earth — created a cinematic picture of peril and effort, so I could almost feel the cold in my hands and the strain in his arms.
1. What exactly motivated Clay to take such a dangerous risk — pride, desperation, or something from his past?
2. Is “the slide” a purely physical obstacle, or does it also symbolize a moral or emotional turning point for Clay?
3. How well prepared was Clay for the terrain and weather — did he underestimate the danger, or was he forced into a choice with no good options?
4. What is the nature of Clay’s relationship with any companions or people he left behind?
5. Will Clay’s decision lead to redemption, tragedy, or a lesson learned?
Part B — Connection to Clay (about 100 words)
I felt connected to Clay because London shows him as a complex, believable person rather than a flat adventurer. Clay’s courage mixed with doubt, the flash of stubborn pride, and the realistic fear he feels in dangerous situations make him relatable. His inner thoughts — worrying about his chances, remembering past choices, wanting to prove something to himself — mirror conflicts many readers recognize. Even if I disagreed with his choices, the story makes his motives understandable: survival, honor, and personal testing. That human complexity created empathy; I wanted to know how his choices would turn out and why he made them.
Part C — Words or ideas that seemed unclear (at least six)
1. “The slide” — literal glacier/rock slope vs. metaphorical meaning
2. Clay’s deeper backstory and past regrets
3. The exact timeline of events leading up to the climb
4. Whether Clay had outside help or was entirely alone in his decision
5. Any specialized climbing or survival terms used briefly in the description
6. The long-term consequences of Clay’s actions for himself and others
7. The narrator’s perspective and whether it’s fully reliable
Part D — Inferences after the first few paragraphs (about 100 words)
From the opening paragraphs I inferred that the setting is harsh and remote, and that Clay is a man accustomed to physical risk. The tone suggests an imminent confrontation with nature — not a leisurely outing but a high-stakes climb or escape. Clay’s attitude comes across as proud and determined, maybe stubborn; he seems driven by more than simple adventure, perhaps to prove himself or to atone for something. The early details also hinted that the slide will be a turning point: the landscape acts almost like a character testing Clay’s limits, so I expected the story to focus on survival and on what the ordeal reveals about Clay’s character.
Part E — A scene I could easily visualize (100–150 words)
The scene I most vividly visualized was Clay’s climb up the steep slide: a narrow, glittering slope of ice and rock, sunlight flashing off crystalline snow while wind bit at his face. I could see him leaning into the rope, muscles tensing, boots scrunching on shifting scree, each step sounding small in the vast silence. The creak of taut rope and the sudden, distant crack of ice made the air feel tense, and his breath came in white puffs. London’s concrete sensory details — the glint of sun, the feel of cold, the sounds of shifting earth — created a cinematic picture of peril and effort, so I could almost feel the cold in my hands and the strain in his arms.