Q1.

This is an extract from ‘White Fang’, a novel by Jack London,

written in 1906. It is set in the wild regions of Canada and is about a
young wolf cub who comes across a group of men.

White Fang
The cub came upon them suddenly. It was his own fault. He had been careless. He
had left the cave and run down to the stream to drink. It might have been that he
took no notice because he was heavy with sleep. And his carelessness might have
been due to the familiarity of the trail to the pool. He had travelled it often, and
nothing had ever happened before.

He went down past the blasted pine, crossed the open space, and trotted in amongst
the trees. Then, at the same instant, he saw and smelt. Before him, sitting silently on
their haunches, were five live things, the like of which he had never seen before.
But at the sight of him the five men did not spring to their feet, nor show their teeth,
nor snarl. They did not move, but sat there, silent and ominous.

Nor did the cub move. Every instinct of his nature would have impelled him to dash
wildly away, had there not suddenly arisen in him another instinct. A great awe
descended upon him. He was overwhelmed by his own sense of weakness and
littleness. Here was mastery and power, something far and away beyond him.

The cub had never seen man, yet deep within him was the knowledge of his
ancestors, the eyes that had circled in the darkness around countless winter
camp-fires, and peered from safe distances at the strange, two-legged animal that
was lord over living things. Had he been full-grown, he would have run away. As it
was, he cowered down in a paralysis of fear, already half offering the surrender that
his kind had made from the first time a wolf came in to sit by man’s fire and be
made warm.

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One of the men arose and walked over to him and stooped above him. The cub
cowered closer to the ground. It was the unknown, revealed at last, in flesh and
blood, bending over him and reaching down to seize hold of him. His hair bristled
involuntarily; his lips writhed back and his little fangs were bared. The hand, poised
like doom above him, hesitated, and the man spoke laughing, “WABAM
WABISCA IP PIT TAH.” (“Look! The white fangs!”)

The other men laughed loudly, and urged the man on to pick up the cub. As the
hand descended closer and closer he experienced two great impulsions - to yield and
to fight. The resulting action was a compromise. He did both. He yielded till the
hand almost touched him. Then he fought, his teeth flashing in a snap that sank
them into the hand. The next moment he received a clout alongside the head that
knocked him over on his side. Then all fight fled out of him. His puppyhood and the
instinct of submission took charge of him. He sat up on his haunches and howled.

The four men laughed more loudly, while even the man who had been bitten began
to laugh. They surrounded the cub and laughed at him, while he wailed out his

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terror and his hurt. In the midst of it, he heard something. The men heard it too. But
the cub knew what it was, and with a last, long wail that had in it more of triumph
than grief, he ceased his noise and waited for the coming of his mother, of his
ferocious mother who fought all things and was never afraid. She was snarling as
she ran. She had heard the cry of her cub and was dashing to save him.

Q2.

1. Who does the word them in the first sentence refer to?

Tick one.
the men

the trails

the trees

the wolves

1 mark

2. Circle the correct option to complete each sentence below.

(a) The cub had gone down to the stream for

1 mark

(b) The cub was careless because

1 mark

(c) When the men first saw the cub they were

1 mark

3. Find and copy one word or group of words that show the cub was used to that
particular trail.

Page 3 of 5
______________________________________________________________
1 mark

4. Look at the paragraph beginning: He went down past the blasted pine…

Give the two ways the cub first notices the men.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________
1 mark

5. But at the sight of him the five men did not spring to their feet, nor show their teeth,
nor snarl. (paragraph 2).

What does this show about the cub’s experience of men?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
2 marks

6. Look at the paragraphs beginning: Nor did the cub move… and The cub had never
seen…

Find and copy two groups of words that show that humans have total control over
animals.

1. ____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
2 marks

7. Use the text below to answer these questions.

Had he been full-grown, he would have run away. As it was, he

cowered down in a paralysis of fear, already half offering the surrender
that his kind had made from the first time a wolf came in to sit by man’s
fire and be made warm.

1. Underline the group of words that show that the cub is too frightened to move.
1 mark

2. Find and copy the word that suggests the cub is giving up to the humans.

_________________________________________________________
1 mark

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8. In the final paragraph the cub’s last wail is described as having more of triumph than
grief in it.

Explain why there is a sense of triumph in the cub’s last wail.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
2 marks

9. Look at the final paragraph.

Find and copy the sentence which is the turning point in this paragraph.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
1 mark

10. Look at the last paragraph.

Find and copy one word that means fierce.

___________________________________
1 mark

11. Number the sentences below from 1 to 5 to show the order in which they happen in
the story.

The first one has been done for you.

The cub knew his mother was coming to

the rescue.

The cub bit the man.

The men sat there quite still.

The cub moved freely through the trees.

The cub felt small and helpless.

1 mark

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