Chapters 1-2
Who is Manuel?
Kidnapped Buck to pay off a gambling debt.
How did Buck keep warm at night?
Buck dug a hole in the snow to sleep in.
How did Buck save John Thornton's life?
Buck rescued Thornton from the river.
What happened to John Thornton?
He died after being attacked by the Yeehat Indians.
This is the protagonist (main character). He is a powerful dog, half St. Bernard and half Scotch shepherd, who is stolen from a California estate and sold as a sled dog in the Arctic. He gradually evolves from a pampered pet into a fierce, masterful animal, able to hold his own in the cruel, kill-or-be-killed world of the North. Though he loves his final master, John Thornton, he feels the wild calling him away from civilization and longs to reconnect with the primitive roots of his species.
Buck.
What was Buck's introduction to primitive law?
Being beaten by the man in the red sweater.
Why was it so difficult for the pack to cross the Thirty Mile River the first time?
The river was not frozen solid (the ice kept breaking).
What did Matthewson bet John Thornton?
He bet that Buck could not pull a 1000 pound sled 100 yards from a standing start.
What did Buck do to the bull moose?
He followed and killed it.
Who is Buck’s archrival and the original leader of Francois’s dog team. This dog is a fierce animal—a “devil-dog,” one man calls him—who is used to fighting with other dogs and winning. He meets his match in Buck, however, who is as strong as this character and possesses more cunning. Buck kills him shortly following a rabbit chase.
Spitz.
Describe where Buck lived before he was kidnapped.
Judge Miller's estate. There, the house had a pool, an orchard, a berry patch, long driveways, beautiful landscaping, and an array of outhouses.
What did Buck do after Spitz died?
Buck tried to take the lead position, even though Francois wanted Sol-leks to take it.
How did Hal try to fix the problem, after he realized he had miscalculated how much food he was giving the dogs?
He underfed them by cutting the rations in half from what he originally planned.
What does Buck do in his dream when he sees the hairy man?
He follows the hairy man (he answers the call of the wild)?
Which character is a dog on Buck’s team that becomes ill on one of the team’s journeys but refuses to leave the harness, preferring to die pulling the sled? Eventually he becomes too weak, and Francois must shoot him, to end his suffering.
Dave.
This is how Buck and Curly got to Alaska after they left Seattle.
The Narwhal (by boat)?
Who is the hairy man in the other world?
He is a cave man (Neanderthal). Buck dreams of him because he is a distant ancestor of his masters.
What happened to Charles, Hal, and Mercedes?
Their sled crashed through the ice and they died.
How did John Thornton spend the $1,600?
He went searching for a lost mine.
Which character is a friend of Buck’s, met on the journey to the North? This dog’s death, when she naively tries to be friendly to a husky, acts as a warning to Buck of the harshness and cruelty of his new home.
Curly.
What does the quote "He was beaten, but not broken" really mean? (Hint: This quote appears after Buck's first introduction to primitive law.)
Buck may have been hurt physically, but his spirit was not destroyed, after being beaten by the man in the red sweater.
What is the rule by which Buck learned to live his life, whereby dogs are punished when they misbehave? (Hint: it was the name of a chapter.)
The Law of Club and Fang
Why did Buck follow Thornton everywhere?
He feared losing him because he loved him.
The "call of the wild" is a metaphor (it is not literal). What does "the call of the wild" really mean?
The call of the wild is the instinct that calls Buck to leave civilized life and join his distant relatives (wolves) in the forest.
Who is the husky added at Dyea that is attacked during the wild dog fight, having her throat torn? She goes mad and Francois kills her with an axe.
Dolly.