The Call of the Wild – Chapter Questions 2013
Chapter 1 Reading Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What is Buck’s life like at the judge’s home?
What breed of dog is Buck?
What did Manuel do that got him into debt?
Why does Buck go willingly with Manuel?
Why does the stranger lie to the baggage man on the train and say that to dog “has fits”?
Where (city) does the train take Buck?
How does the man in the red sweater train Buck?
What does Buck learn from this man?
How does Buck react to snow when he is taken to Alaska?
Chapter 2 Reading Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What happened to Curly that later gave Buck nightmares?
What did Buck learn from Curly’s tragedy?
Why couldn’t Buck find the other dogs from his team that first night in the snow?
Why did Perrault need the best sled dogs for his job?
What purpose did Francois have in putting Buck between the other sled dogs, Dave and
Sol-leks?
What does the author mean when he says, “Francois’ whip snapped less frequently”?
Why did Buck quickly forget his fastidiousness in his eating habits and eat his food as
quickly as possible?
Why did Buck begin to hate Spitz?
What trick did Buck learn from Pike which he would never have done at the judge’s
household?
Chapter 3
1. Discuss the meaning of the title of the chapter.
2. What is similar about the first and last lines of the chapter?
3. What type of relationship do Buck and Spitz have? Explain.
4. Why is Buck jealous of Spitz being leader of the dogsled team?
5. What happened when the starving huskies invaded the camp?
6. How does Buck feel after he sinks his teeth into one of the wild dogs?
7. What does Spitz do, instead of fighting against a common enemy, the starving huskies?
8. What is so dangerous about the “Thirty Mile River” trip?
9. What did the driver do for Buck to help solve the problem of Buck’s sore feet?
10. What happens to Dolly? What does she do?
11. What does Spitz do after this incident? How does this make Buck feel?
12. Why is Buck the superior animal on the dog team?
13. Why are the other dogs rebelling?
14. Describe the scene involving the snowshoe rabbit.
15. How does Buck beat Spitz?
Chapter 4
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What is revealed in the beginning of Chapter 4 about Buck? (what did he remember
and become wise to?)
Why is Francois pleased that Spitz is gone?
Who is first chosen as the new lead dog?
How did Buck react to this?
What type of lead dog is Buck?
Who is Buck’s owner after Perrault & Francois?
Was Buck homesick? Explain.
Why is Dave removed from the dog team? What happens to him?
Explain the title of the chapter.
Chapter 5
1. Why does the journey take twice as long on the trip from Dawson to Skagway?
2. Describe the condition of the dogs as they enter Skagway?
3. How many days of rest do the dogs get in their last 1,800 miles?
4. What does Buck’s first impression of his new owners’ camp tell about the new owners?
5. The dogs need about two weeks rest before another run to Dawson, but how much time do
they actually get?
6. How do the new owners pack the sled and what is the result?
7. What advice do the seasoned citizens of Skagway give the new sled owners?
8. What kind of outlook does the team have when the new dogs arrive, and why is that?
9. At the end of Chapter 5, this statement is made: “The bottom dropped out of the trail.” What
does this mean?
Chapter 6
1. Why does Buck love John Thornton more than any of his masters?
2. What is the “lesson” that Buck teaches Black Burton?
3. How does Buck receive three cracked ribs while saving John Thornton’s life?
4. Why do the men from the Eldorado Saloon throw their hats and mittens in the air and bubble
over in “incoherent babel?”
5. How does John Thornton react to the event at the end of Chapter 6?
6. How does Buck show affection to John Thornton at the end of Chapter 6?
Chapter 7
1. What prompts John Thornton and his partners to travel east and leave Dawson? What are
they looking for?
2. What made Buck go into the woods for the first time? Why did he return?
3. What was the wolf’s reaction to Buck?
4. What was the “call of the forest?”
5. How did Buck kill the bull moose? (a male moose)
6. What happened to the other dogs and John Thornton while Buck was away? What did Buck
do?
7. Why does Buck have such a sense of pride after what he does to the Yeehats?
8. Why did Buck attack the wolves?
9. Who was the “Ghost Dog” and why was he named that?
VOCABULARY FOR CHAPTERS – If the word is in bold, you will need to know the word for
The Call of the Wild Vocabulary Test.
Chapter 1:
Imperiously (adv): urgently
Progeny (n): children, offspring
Revelation (n): something revealed or learned
Unkempt (adj): messy/sloppy
Dispatch (n): an official notice
Uncouth (adj): without manners
Demesne (n): lands of an estate
Genial (adj): friendly
Prowess (n): superior ability
Wizened (adj): shriveled, withered
Tidewater (n): seacoast
Chapter 2
Disconsolate (adj): hopelessly sade
Appeasement (n): trying to please
Forlorn (adj): lonely and sad
Courier (n): messenger
Primeval (adj): relating to the beginning of time
Primordial (adj): primitive
Fastidiousness (n): carefulness in details; extreme tidiness
Gaunt (adj): exceptionally thin
Chapters 3 & 4 Vocabulary
Abjectly (adv): miserably
Adversary (n): enemy; opponent
Apex (n): the highest point of something
Brute (n): of or like an animal – brutal, cruel
Cadence (n): a rhythmic flow of sound
Climes (n): poetic term for climate
Covert (adj): concealed; hidden
Daunted (adj): discouraged
Dubiously (adv): doubtfully
Grievously (adv): severely; deplorably
Inexorable (adj): unwilling to give in
Insidious (adj): sly; crafty
Insubordination (n): disobedience
Lugubriously (adv): very sadly or mournfully
Malingerer (n): someone who fakes illness or injury
Obdurate (adj): stubborn
Paradox (n): a situation with contradictory qualities
Precipitate (v): to throw downward
Pre-eminently (adv): dominantly
Primordial (adj): existing from the beginning; primitive
Resiliency (n): having the ability to bounce back or recover
Shirked (v): evaded; neglecting work
Slavered (v): drooled
Wraith (n): ghostlike
Chapter 5:
Convulsive (adj): violent, frantic shaking
Pandemonium (n): wild uproar
Potent (adj): strong; intense
Dwindle (v): to lessen the amount or supply of
Shorn (v): past tense of shear – to cut
Cajole (v): to persuade (by tempting or with flattery)
Mongrel (n): of unknown ancestry (like a mutt)
Slovenly (adv): sloppily
Chronic (adj): frequent recurrence of a disease or symptom
Feigned (v): faked
Chapter 6:
Superfluous (adj): extra; over the amount
Melancholy (adj): felt with sadness
Quest (n): a journey to find something
Demonstrative (adj): an open display of affection
Exploit (n): an adventure
Pompous (adj): conceited; self-centered
Dismay (n): disbelief
Contagion (n): a disease causing agent
Romp (v): to run around playfully
Mandate (n): an official rule
Indiscreet (adj): not showing good judgement
Chapter 7
Vigil (n): a careful watch
Entice (v): to attract or tempt
Manifested (v): made evident
Stately (adv): regal ; imposing
Impede (v): to stop or hinder progress
Plethoric (adj): a great abundance
Wile (n): a trick or skill
Pertinacity (n): unyielding; adherence to an opinion