Into the Wild

Read this definition: Refute: verb 1. to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge. 2. to prove (a person) to be in error. Which statement or example best refutes the notion that McCandless was “mentally disturbed?”

• The example Krakauer gives of a similar male named McCunn who “neglected to arrange for the pilot to fly him back to civilization at summer’s end” (81).

• The examples Krakauer gives of a similar male named Waterman who “committed himself to the Anchorage Psychiatric Institute but left after two weeks, convinced there was a conspiracy….then…he launched yet another solo attempt on Denali” (79).

• “Like Rosellini and Waterman, McCandless was a seeker and had an impractical fascination with the harsh side of nature” (Krakauer 85).

• “But unlike Waterman, McCandless wasn’t mentally ill. And unlike McCunn, he didn’t go into the bush assuming someone would automatically appear to save [him] (Krakauer 85).

After writing about a similar story regarding a young male named Ruess, Krakauer writes, “Ruess was just as romantic as McCandless, if not more so, and equally heedless of personal safety (Krakauer 92).

The word romantic as it is used in the sentence, can best be described as:

• Loving

• Impractical

• Tender

• Fancy

Remarkably, almost everyone who came in contact with McCandless during his travels

• Tried to persuade him to give up his dream and get a real job

• Reported his whereabouts to his parents

• Felt he was being selfish and hurtful to his parents

• Described him as very likeable and made an instant and memorable connection with him

The emotional state of McCandless’s life changed when he learned that

• His parents were getting a divorce

• He was adopted

• His sister was not really his sister

• His dad lived a separate life from what Chris has known

The narrator is

• Chris McCandless

• Wayne Westerburg

• Jon Krakauer

• Carine Westerburg

How does Krakauer answer Chris's critics?

• He cites several examples of marginal individuals who have died in the Alaskan wilderness, presenting the details of their cases to show that McCandless was not the typical foolish individual.

• He maintains that Chris knew what he was doing and almost made it.

• He challenges anyone to do better than Chris did.

• He shows how Chris would have survived had it not been for an accident.

How do Waterman and McCandless differ?

• Chris was able to make friends, Waterman was socially awkward.

• Chris was afraid of the water and Waterman feared heights.

• Chris burned his money, but Waterman always had money with him.

• Chris was short and Waterman was very tall.

According to the author, what did Chris have in common with other unsuccessful adventurers?

• They all left society to live off the land for a while.

• They were all fascinated with  nature.

• They were over-confident and under prepared, and that led to their demise.

• All of the above.

What is the primary theme explored in Jon Krakauer's 'Into the Wild'?

• The dangers of isolation

• The pursuit of happiness

• The conflict between society and nature

• The importance of family

Which literary device is predominantly used in 'Into the Wild' to provide background information about Chris McCandless?

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Metaphor

• Personification