1. I believe the correct answer is B) false. Buck was indeed a very strong dog, but it wasn't easy for him to save his master from drowning. This is a very dynamic scene in the novel, which depicts the dog's loyalty and resolution to risk his life to save his master's. He jumps into the stream, which is "a stretch of wild water in which no swimmer could live", according to the speaker.
2. The correct answer is B) Buck won a bet for John Thornton. Buck manages to pull a sled that weighed one thousand pounds, in spite of all the odds. Nobody believes John when he says that, so they make a contest, and Buck wins. All the present people want to buy Buck, but John wouldn't accept any amount of money for him. Not only he wins $1,600, but he is also very proud.
3. I believe the correct answer is C) The crowd thought it seemed like magic. Nobody believed that Buck would really be able to pull such a heavy sled. It also means that the crowd just can't believe that such a love between a man and an animal is possible, so there must be something else to it.
4. I believe it means commanding. I don't know which context you are referring to, but one of the ways to use this word is to signify that something is done before somebody else does it. It can also mean that an action is done immediately, to forestall another person's action.
5. I believe the correct answers are social context and physical traits. As for physical traits, it's an obvious way to create a character, as our physical nature is very much linked to our mental traits. But social context is also very important, as it depicts all the different circumstances that have influenced the development of a character's personality traits.
6. The correct answer is C) a wounded moose. In Chapter 7, Buck indulges in his wild nature, and hunts for different animals. He spots a herd of moose, and decides to go after the largest one. An arrow in its flank only makes it more aggressive. Buck tracks and hunts him with enormous patience.
7. The correct answer is C) a universal idea communicated in a story. Theme is a subject that is above particular, specific details such as time, place, characters, plot. Universality of a theme accounts for the fact that many different works of art can share the same theme. For example, the senselessness of war is a recurring theme - countless works are written about it.
8. The correct answer is B) a wild wolf. At first, the wolf is suspicious and even afraid of Buck, who is bigger and stronger than the starved beast, but then they become friendly to each other and even play. This foreshadows the fact that Buck is soon going to finally face his own wilderness, as that's where he belongs.
9. The correct answer is A) He became the leader of a pack of wild wolves. John was the strongest (and the last) bond that connected Buck to civilization and the traditional roles that people have assigned to canines. After John's death, Buck is free to become what he really is - an alpha male who leads a pack of wolves.
10. I believe the correct answer is B) a meat-eating devil. The Yeehats talk about the Ghost Dog and the Evil Spirit. Their people and their dogs can expect only death if they come anywhere near him. But the reader gets to see another picture, of Buck coming back to the valley, alone and thoughtful.
