Answer the following questions with reference to Jack London’s, ‘The Call of the Wild’.

• Men were boasting in the Saloon about their favourite dogs – one stated that his dog could draw a sled loaded with five hundred pounds; a second bragged six hundred and a third seven hundred.
• Buck had a reputation for strength and leadership so these men were targeting Buck and baiting Thornton.
• Thornton listened to these men brag about their dogs and declared that Buck could start a thousand pounds.
• One of the men (Mathewson) ask if Buck could break out such a heavy sled and walk off with it for a hundred yards and Thornton replied that he could. Mathewson bet Thornton a thousand dollars that Buck could not do it.

(ii) How did Thornton feel after he had committed Buck to the wager?

• Thornton could feel a flush of warm blood creeping up his face.
• He realised he had been tricked into the wager.
• He was appalled by the enormity of the burden his boast had placed on Buck.
• He had great faith in Buck’s strength but he had never had to face the possibility of having to test it – Thornton was anxious – wondered if Buck could indeed live up to his boast.

(iii) Give a brief description of how Buck managed to win the wager for Thornton.

• All the men gathered on the street. Mathewson’s sled loaded with a thousand pounds of flour was standing in the street. Its runners had frozen fast to the hard packed snow.
• The team of ten dogs was unhitched and Buck with his own harness was put into the sled – Buck could sense the excitement in the air.
• Thornton was asked to stand far away from Buck and give the command. He knelt beside Buck and whispered something in the dog’s ear. Buck gently nipped Thornton’s hand to show he understood.
• Thornton gave the command – Buck swung first to the right, then to the left – to break out the sled.
• Thornton called out ‘Mush’ – Buck threw his body forwarded – straining at every muscle and sinew in his body – chest low to the ground – head down – claws cutting grooves into the ice with his effort.
• The sled slowly swayed – Buck’s foot slipped – then the sled began to move forward in the series of jerks.
• Slowly the sled gained momentum and began to move along steadily – Thornton ran behind encouraging Buck with his words.
• The crowd began to cheer as Buck approached the end of the hundred yards – and burst into a loud roar when he crossed the line.
• Buck had won the wager for Thornton – a wager that earned him sixteen hundred dollars.

We hope this information on “ICSE Class 10 English Literature Question Papers Solutions 2019” helped students in their exam preparation. To get the year-wise ICSE Class 10 Previous Years Question papers along with solutions for other subjects, click here. Keep learning and download BYJU’S App to access interactive study videos.