Call of the Wild Section 1

Old longings nomadic leap,

Chafing at custom’s chain;

Again from its brumal sleep

Wakens the ferine strain.

What does the epigraph reveal about The Call of the Wild?

• The epigraph suggests that The Call of the Wild will be about how one animal works hard in order to fully realize its hopes and dreams.

• The epigraph hints at the fact that The Call of the Wild will be about how an animal learns to tame its wild instincts and live in peace with mankind.

• The epigraph suggests that The Call of the Wild will be about an animal’s longing for physical activity after a long period of hibernation.

• The epigraph hints at the fact that The Call of the Wild will be about how an animal’s wild instincts come to life again after being domesticated for a while.

How is Buck affected by the incident with Manuel?

• Buck learns that having a strong family cannot protect one from danger.

• Buck learns that the humans he trusts can deceive him.

• Buck learns that humans are unaware of a dog’s daily life experiences.

• Buck learns that nobility and leadership are prized characteristics in dogs.

Which two quotations from Chapter 1 best support the answer to Part A?

• "His father, Elmo, a huge St. Bernard, had been the Judge’s inseparable companion and Buck did fair to follow in the way of his father."

• "During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat . . ."

• "No one saw him and Buck go off through the orchard . . . and no one saw them arrive at the little flag station known as College Park."

• "Buck had accepted the rope with quiet dignity . . . he had learned to trust in men he knew, and to give them credit for a wisdom that outreached his own."

• Never in all his life had he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry."

How is The Call of the Wild an example of anthropomorphism?

• The main character, Buck, is an animal.

• The main character, Buck, undergoes a serious change in behavior at the beginning of the book.

• Jack London gives the narrator an ability to reveal the thoughts and feelings of every character in the book.

• Jack London attributes human characteristics to an animal.

Which quotation from Chapter 1 best supports the answer to Part A?

• “But when the ends of the rope were placed in the stranger’s hands, he growled menacingly.”

• “When the man brought him water, he drank eagerly, and later bolted a generous meal of raw meat, chunk by chunk, from the man’s hand.”

• “Buck wondered where they went, for they never came back; but the fear of the future was strong upon him, and he was glad each time when we was not selected.”

• “Perrault knew dogs, and when he looked at Buck he knew that he was one in a thousand - ‘One in ten thousand,’ he commented mentally.”

Why is Buck unable to trust Spitz?

• Spitz steals Buck’s food on the first night.

• Spitz beats Buck with a club.

• Spitz cracks his whip after food is stolen.

• Spitz takes interest in nothing and sleeps all the time.