"The Law of Life" (Jack London)

Why is the pile of sticks important to Koskoosh?

• He can use them to build a shelter.

• He can use them to keep the fire going.

• He can use them to build a sled.

• He can use them to hunt for food.

Why does Koskoosh think that individuals in the tribe are unimportant?

• They will all die at some point.

• They have done nothing important.

• They are all very poor and sick.

• Other people are more important.

What did Koskoosh do when his own father grew old?

• He took him to a hospital.

• He left him alone by a river.

• He carried him in his sled.

• He brought him supplies.

Why is Koskoosh surprised that his son comes back to talk to him?

• He hears the lodge come down.

• His son is in a hurry to leave.

• Not all old men's sons came back.

• He hears the sleds leave.

Koskoosh extinguishes the burning stick in the snow because he

• thinks it will bring wolves

• feels safer without it

• is ready to accept death

• is too tired to hold it

How does Koskoosh's fire symbolize the theme of an individual's fight against nature?

• The wolf pack is attracted by the fire.

• Koskoosh uses the fire to see.

• Koskoosh grows old near the fire.

• The fire goes out at the end.

What did Koskoosh witness with Zing-ha as a young man?

• A young moose successfully fighting off a pack of wolves.

• An old moose fighting a pack of wolves to his last breath.

• A young pack of wolves being trampled under a herd of moose.

• An old moose outrunning a pack of wolves, only to fall into some hunter's range.

What does Koskoosh hear and how does he respond?

• Koskoosh hears the sound of his tribe in his last moments, coming back to rescue him.

• Koskoosh hears the howl of a wolf; unlike the moose, he manages to fight them off successfully.

• Koskoosh hears the sound of an animal being killed and is grateful that it is not him.

• Koskoosh hears the howl of a wolf; unlike the moose, he accepts his death from the wolves.

How were times of plenty different compared to the famine years?

• "The shaman would see signs and wonders in this when they told him."

• "...his sight had long since faded, his hearing was still acute,..."

• "...the meat spoiled on their hands, and the dogs were fat and worthless with overeating."

• "The long trail waited while the short day refused to linger."

What marked the tragic times of famine?

• "...she was too busy to waster a thought upon her broken grandfather,..."

• "Old Koskoosh strained his ears. It was the last time he would hear that voice."

• "He remembered other old men whose sons had not waited after the tribe."

• "In the summer the salmon run had failed, ... and there were no caribou."