Into The Wild

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Author’s Note-Chapter 3

Reading Check

1. What year did Chris McCandless journey into the Alaskan wilderness?

2. With whom does “Alex” hitchhike to Denali National Park?

3. According to the autopsy report, how did Chris die?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does the couple standing outside the bus look afraid when the hunters arrive?

2. What does Wayne Westerberg discover while reviewing Alex’s tax forms? Why is this discovery significant?

Paired Resource

“Believe It or Not, There are Challenges to Growing Up Wealthy”

• This article from CNN addresses specific challenges children of the wealthy face, including pressure to succeed. Additionally, the research shows that these children are more likely to suffer drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and anxiety than the national average.
• This connects to the theme of Travel As a Mode of Spiritual Pilgrimage.
• In what ways did Chris’s experiences as a child of wealthy parents impact his decision to make a pilgrimage into the wild?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. What does Chris do with his last $123?

2. Where does Chris work in Bullhead City, Arizona?

3. What work does Chris do for Jan Burres?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Chris’s boss, Lori Zarza, believe Chris quit?

2. What draws Chris to “The Slabs”?

3. How does Ron Franz feel about Chris?

Paired Resource

“A Day in the Life of a Tramp”

• This 1928 essay by George Orwell describes the distinguishing characteristics of a “tramp” of that era.
• This resource connects to the themes of Travel As a Mode of Spiritual Pilgrimage and The Joys of Solitude Versus the Joys of Society.
• In what ways is McCandless similar to Orwell’s description of a tramp? In what ways is he different?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Who is Gail?

2. How long did it take John Waterman to climb Mount Hunter?

3. What did Ruess carve into the canyon walls?

4. Who is Gene Rosellini?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How did many Alaskans respond to Krakauer’s article in Outside magazine?

2. How are Chris and Everett Ruess similar?

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Who identified McCandless’s body for the Alaska State Troopers?

2. Where did the McCandless family move when Chris was six years old?

3. What topics did Chris write about in the Emory school newspaper?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What significant event occurred in Walt McCandless’s life in 1965?

2. What was Chris like in high school?

3. What family secret does Chris learn that increases his anger at his father? Why does this anger Chris?

Paired Resource

“Is Into the Wild’s Chris McCandless a Hero?”

• This article is composed of responses from Blue Ridge Outdoors readers regarding the question: Is Into the Wild’s Chris McCandless a Hero? The responses represent a diversity of viewpoints on the topic.
• This resource connects to the themes of Travel As a Mode of Spiritual Pilgrimage and The Joys of Solitude Versus the Joys of Society.
• After reading a variety of opinions on the question, do you consider McCandless a hero? Why or why not?

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. What does the family do with Chris’s remains after they are discovered?

2. What is the name of the mountain Krakauer climbed in 1977?

3. How does Krakauer damage his tent?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How is Carine’s relationship with their parents different from Chris’s?

2. Why was Krakauer forced to end his attempt to summit the north wall?

3. How does Krakauer respond to the theory that McCandless was suicidal?

Paired Resource

“Devils Thumb, Alaska—Exploring The Unclimbable Mountain”

• This article from Pacific Upper Left provides background information about Devils Thumb, including statistics, local history, why it is (in)famous, and why the northwest face, which Krakauer was unable to climb, is so difficult.
• This resource connects to the theme of Travel As a Mode of Spiritual Pilgrimage.
• After reading this article, why do you think Krakauer attempted to climb the northwest face of Devil’s Thumb? In what ways was this a spiritual pilgrimage for him?

Chapter 16-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. At which trail does McCandless begin his trek into the wild?

2. Why cannot Chris cross over the Teklanika River in July?

3. Where does Krakauer’s friend, Roman, teach?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does McCandless regret killing the moose?

2. What is the prevalent theory regarding the cause of McCandless’s death?

3. What do Chris’s parents leave at the bus? Why is this significant?

Recommended Next Reads

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

• Interweaving the story of the hike with flashbacks of Cheryl’s earlier life, the book addresses the physical and emotional challenges of long-distance hiking and Cheryl’s personal growth on the trail.
• Shared themes include Travel As a Mode of Spiritual Pilgrimage and The Joys of Solitude Versus the Joys of Society.
• Shared topics include nature, journeys, and self-discovery.    
• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail on SuperSummary

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a personal account of attempting to ascend Mount Everest, prompted by an assignment from Outside magazine to cover the commercial development of the communities at the mountain’s base. Krakauer’s climbing attempt, which was fatal for several, became the deadliest expedition ever on the mountain. In the book, he reflects on his experience, reporting it as truthfully as possible.
• Shared themes include Travel As a Mode of Spiritual Pilgrimage.
• Shared topics include nature, human ambition, and self-discovery.
• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster on SuperSummary