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That Spot
by Jack London

I don’t think much of Stephen Mackaye any more, though I used to swear by him. I know that in those days I loved him more than my own brother. If ever I meet Stephen Mackaye again, I shall not be responsible for my actions. It passes beyond me that a man with whom I shared food and blanket, and with whom I mushed over the Chilcoot Trail, should turn out the way he did. I always sized Steve up as a square man, a kindly comrade, without an iota of anything vindictive or malicious in his nature. I shall never trust my judgment in men again. Why, I nursed that man through typhoid fever; we starved together on the headwaters of the Stewart; and he saved my life on the Little Salmon. And now, after the years we were together, all I can say of Stephen Mackaye is that he is the meanest man I ever knew.

We started for the Klondike in the fall rush of 1897, and we started too late to get over Chilcoot Pass before the freeze-up. We packed our outfit on our backs part way over, when the snow began to fly, and then we had to buy dogs in order to sled it the rest of the way. That was how we came to get that Spot. Dogs were high, and we paid one hundred and ten dollars for him. He looked worth it. I say looked, because he was one of the finest-appearing dogs I ever saw. He weighed sixty pounds, and he had all the lines of a good sled animal. We never could make out his breed. He wasn’t husky, nor Malemute, nor Hudson Bay; he looked like all of them and he didn’t look like any of them; and on top of it all he had some of the white man’s dog in him, for on one side, in the thick of the mixed yellow-brown-red-and-dirty-white that was his prevailing color, there was a spot of coal-black as big as a water bucket. That was why we called him Spot.

"That Spot" by Jack London

Question
Use the excerpt from the story “That Spot” to answer the question.

Which of these details would be most important to include in a summary of the story? Drag four items to the box of details to include and drag three items to the box of details not to include.

(2 points)
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Details to Include Details Not to Include
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1 answer

Details to Include

  1. The narrator's change in feelings toward Stephen Mackaye, whom he once trusted and admired.
  2. The challenging journey to the Klondike and the circumstances leading to the purchase of the dog.
  3. The description of the dog called "Spot," including its appearance and why it was given that name.
  4. The backstory of the narrator's relationship with Stephen Mackaye, including experiences they shared.

Details Not to Include

  1. The specifics of the narrator's emotional turmoil about his relationship with Mackaye.
  2. The exact details of the narrator's nursing experience with Mackaye during typhoid fever.
  3. The financial cost of the dogs and the narrator's feelings about the prices they had to pay.