Reread this excerpt from The Call of the Wild.

Question

It was no task for him to learn to fight with cut and slash and the quick wolf snap. In this manner had fought forgotten ancestors. They quickened the old life within him, and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks. They came to him without effort or discovery, as though they had been his always. And when, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolflike, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him.

What is the meaning of this excerpt?

Buck considers wild dogs his family, and they visit his campsite.
As Buck lives in the wild, he summons his natural instincts for survival.
As Buck becomes accustomed to trail life, he howls contentedly.
Buck is learning how to fight and howl from the dogs on his team.

Answer 1

The correct interpretation of this excerpt is: As Buck lives in the wild, he summons his natural instincts for survival.

In this passage, Buck is experiencing a deep connection to his ancestral instincts and heritage as a wild creature, revealing how living in the wild awakens those instinctual behaviors within him. The reference to how he learns to fight and howls like a wolf highlights his return to a primal state, emphasizing the transformation he undergoes as he adapts to his environment and taps into his innate survival instincts.