Question

Read the passage from Part 1 of “To Build a Fire.”

The dog dropped in again at his heels, with a tail drooping discouragement, as the man swung along the creek bed. The furrow of the old sled trail was plainly visible, but a dozen inches of snow covered the marks of the last runners. In a month no man had come up or down that silent creek. The man held steadily on.

This description allows readers to visualize

the dog’s physical appearance.
the desolation of the trail.
the appearance of a dogsled.
the man’s facial expressions.

Answer 1

the desolation of the trail.

The lines about a foot of snow covering the old sled marks and that no one had traveled the silent creek for a month convey the trail’s abandonment and isolation.