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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSBuck is a big, confident, 140-pound dog living a comfortable life on Judge Miller's estate in California's Santa Clara Valley when a gardener's helper named Manuel secretly sells him to fund his gambling debts. Suddenly ripped from everything he knows, Buck is shipped north to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, where exhausted and desperate men need strong sled dogs to haul supplies across the frozen wilderness. Beaten into submission by a man with a club, forced to learn the brutal rules of the trail, and surrounded by wild huskies who fight by entirely different laws than anything he has known, Buck must figure out fast how to survive in a world where the weak simply don't last.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Call of the Wild
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Call of the Wild. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a sled dog discover his teammates have buried themselves in the snow to sleep?
✓ Answer
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Buck shivers in the cold his first night at Dyea, unable to find shelter. When he finally stumbles over Billee buried snug under the snow, he learns to dig a hole and sleep in his own body heat. The next morning he wakes completely buried.
- First half
In what book does a sled dog kill a rival to take over leadership of the team?
✓ Answer
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
After killing Spitz, Buck demands the lead position the next morning. He drives Sol-leks back from the spot in front of the sled. Eventually François throws down the club and Buck trots in laughing triumphantly to take his place at the head.
- First half
In what book does a dog dream by the campfire of a hairy man with a stick and stone weapon?
✓ Answer
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Buck has visions of an ancient hairy man squatting beside another fire, holding a stick with a heavy stone tied to the end. The man is short-legged, long-armed, and barely clothed. These visions come from Buck's memories of his ancient ancestors.
- Second half
In what book does a stranger laugh at a sled so loaded with blankets it could outfit a hotel?
✓ Answer
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
When the load is dumped out, an experienced traveler scoffs at the pile of dishes, blankets, and tents and asks if they think they're traveling on a Pullman. The remark sets up Mercedes's tearful tantrum as her belongings are tossed.
- Second half
In what book does a man leap on a brutal sled driver and threaten to kill him over a dog?
✓ Answer
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
John Thornton springs at Hal with an inarticulate cry and warns, "If you strike that dog again, I'll kill you." The moment ends Buck's slavery and begins his deepest bond with a master.
- Near the end
In what book does a master bet a thousand dollars that his dog can drag a sled a hundred yards?
✓ Answer
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
In the Eldorado Saloon, Thornton boasts Buck can start a thousand pounds, and Matthewson slaps down a thousand dollars in gold dust to call the bluff. The famous test sets up Buck's signature feat of strength.
