Chapter 23 Practice Quiz — White Fang
by Jack London — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 23
What is the name of Judge Scott's estate where White Fang lives?
Sierra Vista, located in the Santa Clara Valley, California.
How many white Leghorn hens does White Fang kill in his nighttime raid?
Fifty white Leghorn hens, all laid out in a row by the groom the next morning.
What bet does Weedon Scott make with Judge Scott about White Fang and the chickens?
Weedon bets he can lock White Fang in the chicken yard all afternoon without a single chicken being harmed. If White Fang kills any, Weedon pays one dollar gold coin per chicken. If White Fang succeeds, the Judge must say "White Fang, you are smarter than I thought" for every ten minutes.
What does White Fang do when locked in the chicken yard for the bet?
He lies down and goes to sleep, gets up once for water, calmly ignores the chickens, then jumps over the fence at four o'clock and saunters to the house.
How many times must Judge Scott say "White Fang, you are smarter than I thought"?
Sixteen times, corresponding to the number of ten-minute intervals White Fang spent in the chicken yard.
What happens when White Fang attacks the groom who whips him?
White Fang ignores the whip cuts, leaps for the groom's throat, and rips open his forearm to the bone. Collie arrives and saves the groom by driving White Fang away.
What does the master do about the boys who throw stones at White Fang?
The master springs from the carriage with a whip and thrashes the stone-throwers. They never throw stones again.
What happens in the fight at the crossroads saloon?
Weedon Scott tells White Fang "Go to it" and "Eat them up." White Fang kills two of the three dogs in the road and chases down the third, killing it in a field.
How does Dick respond to White Fang's presence at Sierra Vista?
Dick tries to be friendly, but White Fang snarls him away, preferring privacy. Dick eventually gives up and ignores White Fang as much as the hitching-post.
Why does Collie continually harass White Fang?
Collie carries an ancestral memory of wolves ravaging sheepfolds. She sees White Fang as an ancient marauder and feels compelled to make his life miserable as retaliation for crimes against her ancestry.
How does White Fang's attitude toward the children Weedon and Maud change?
Initially he growls and looks malignant, then tolerates their caresses after the master commands it, and eventually grows to like them—waiting for them to come to him and showing curious regret when they leave.
Why does White Fang develop particular regard for Judge Scott?
Two reasons: Judge Scott is evidently a valuable possession of the master's, and he is undemonstrative—quietly reading his newspaper and occasionally giving White Fang a look or word, which suits White Fang's temperament.
Who are the members of the Scott family that White Fang must learn about?
Judge Scott and his wife; the master's two sisters Beth and Mary; the master's wife Alice; and the master's children Weedon and Maud, toddlers of four and six.
How does the chapter illustrate the theme of nature versus civilization?
White Fang must suppress natural predatory instincts—hunting chickens, attacking dogs, retaliating against threats—to conform to civilized laws. London describes this as requiring control "as delicate as the fluttering of gossamer wings and at the same time as rigid as steel."
How does love function differently from fear as a motivator for White Fang?
Previous owners hurt only his flesh while his spirit remained defiant. The master's cuffs are too light to hurt physically but wound White Fang's spirit because they represent disapproval from someone he loves, making love a deeper and more effective motivator than violence.
What is the "social contract" White Fang enters with the gods?
White Fang surrenders his wildness and obeys civilized laws; in return, the gods are pledged to care for and defend him. This is fulfilled when the master thrashes the stone-throwers and permits the fight with the saloon dogs.
How does White Fang "work out the complete law" regarding animals?
He learns that all domestic animals—chickens, cats, rabbits, turkeys—are protected by the gods and must not be harmed. Wild animals—squirrels, quail, cottontails, jackrabbits—never yielded allegiance to man and are lawful prey for any dog.
How does London use the word "gods" as an extended metaphor in this chapter?
London consistently refers to humans as "gods" from White Fang's perspective, framing civilized laws as divine commandments and the master's voice as an instrument of supreme authority. This maintains the novel's animal-centric worldview.
What dramatic irony is present in the chicken slaughter scene?
White Fang carries himself "with pride, as though, forsooth, he had achieved a deed praiseworthy and meritorious" while fifty dead hens greet the appalled master. The reader understands the transgression that White Fang cannot.
How does London use parallelism between the Northland and Southland in this chapter?
The same word "law" is used for both the wild's survival code and civilization's social rules. White Fang applies the same adaptive process—trial, error, learning—but now motivated by love rather than fear, showing parallel structures with opposite driving forces.
What does "appurtenances" mean in the context of White Fang's view of the household servants?
Accessories or supplementary items belonging to something larger. White Fang views the servants as appurtenances—functional attachments to the household, not independent beings worthy of affection or hostility.
What does "metes and bounds" mean in "The land itself had its metes and bounds"?
Legal terms for the boundaries or limits of a piece of land. White Fang learns the physical and social boundaries of the master's domain.
What does "forsooth" mean in the phrase "as though, forsooth, he had achieved a deed praiseworthy"?
An archaic word meaning "in truth" or "indeed," used here ironically to emphasize White Fang's misplaced pride in killing fifty chickens.
Who says "Go to it" and "Eat them up" and in what context?
Weedon Scott says this to White Fang at the crossroads saloon, finally giving permission to fight the three dogs that have been harassing him on every carriage trip.
What is the significance of Judge Scott's statement, "You can never cure a chicken-killer"?
It represents a deterministic worldview that behavior is fixed once habits form. Weedon Scott's bet disproves this, showing that love and proper training can override even deeply ingrained predatory instincts—a key argument of the novel.