Chapter 9 Practice Quiz — White Fang
by Jack London — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 9
What is White Fang doing when he first encounters humans?
He has left the cave and gone down to the stream to drink, carelessly following a familiar trail, when he stumbles upon five men sitting on their haunches.
How many men does White Fang encounter at first?
He encounters five men sitting silently on their haunches.
What happens when the first Indian tries to pick up the cub?
White Fang bites the man's hand, and in response receives a clout alongside the head that knocks him over on his side.
What words does the Indian speak when he first sees the cub?
He says "Wabam wabisca ip pit tah," which means "Look! The white fangs!"
How does Kiche react when she hears her cub's cries?
She comes running and snarling, bounding in amongst the men with anxious and militant motherhood, causing the men to step back hastily.
Why does Kiche suddenly submit to the men?
One of the men recognizes her and calls out her name "Kiche!" with authority. She crouches down, whimpers, and wags her tail because she was once a domesticated dog that ran away during a famine.
What happens when the camp dogs discover White Fang?
They rush at him in a wave, slashing with their teeth. White Fang goes down under them before the man-animals drive the dogs back with clubs and stones.
How does White Fang's first fight with Lip-lip end?
Lip-lip defeats White Fang by scoring on him multiple times with his sharp teeth, causing White Fang to flee yelping back to his mother for protection.
Who is Grey Beaver and what is his relationship to White Fang?
Grey Beaver is a Native American who claims ownership of White Fang because Kiche belonged to his now-deceased brother. He names the cub White Fang.
Who is Kiche?
Kiche is White Fang's mother, a half-wolf, half-dog who ran away from the Indian camp during a famine and lived with wolves. Her father was a wolf and her mother was a dog.
Who is Lip-lip?
Lip-lip is a part-grown puppy at the camp who is larger and older than White Fang, experienced in fighting, and already a bully. He becomes White Fang's first enemy.
Who is Salmon Tongue?
Salmon Tongue is one of the Indians in the group who notes that Kiche has been gone for a year since she ran away.
Who is Three Eagles?
Three Eagles is one of the Indians who observes that Kiche has been living with the wolves.
What theme does the title "The Makers of Fire" highlight?
It highlights the theme of human mastery and godlike power over nature, as White Fang comes to see humans as gods because they can create fire from dead materials.
How does the chapter explore the theme of hereditary instinct?
White Fang feels an ancestral awe of humans despite never having seen one before, suggesting that fear and respect for man are encoded through centuries of accumulated experience passed down through generations.
What theme does Kiche's submission to Grey Beaver illustrate?
It illustrates the theme of domestication and the power of prior conditioning. Despite living wild, Kiche's former domestic life reasserts itself when she hears her name called with authority.
What literary device does London use when comparing humans to gods?
London uses an extended metaphor and analogy, comparing the awe White Fang feels toward humans to the wonder and awe humans feel toward celestial or divine beings.
What narrative technique does London use to show White Fang's perception of fire?
London uses defamiliarization, describing fire from White Fang's perspective as "a live thing, twisting and turning, of a colour like the colour of the sun in the sky" rather than naming it directly.
How does London use foreshadowing in this chapter?
London foreshadows White Fang's eventual domestication by noting that the pleasurable sensation of being petted was "a token of the fearless companionship with man that was ultimately to be his."
What does the word "primacy" mean as used in this chapter?
Primacy means the state of being first in rank or importance. London uses it to describe how man fought itself to dominance over other animals.
What does "ostentatious" mean in the context of Lip-lip's approach?
Ostentatious means showy and intended to attract attention. Lip-lip approaches White Fang with a deliberately exaggerated display of importance and aggression.
What does "indomitable" mean when describing Kiche?
Indomitable means impossible to subdue or defeat. White Fang thinks of his mother as a fierce, unconquerable protector who is never afraid.
What is the significance of the quote "They were fire-makers! They were gods"?
This quote captures White Fang's final conclusion about humans, establishing the central religious metaphor of the novel: that animals perceive humans as divine beings because of their power over nature.
What does London mean by "Not alone out of his own eyes, but out of the eyes of all his ancestors was the cub now looking upon man"?
London means that White Fang's reaction to humans is not just his own but is shaped by the inherited instincts and accumulated fear of countless generations of wolves who encountered humans before him.