Read the excerpt from part 3 of the call of the wild.

but it was in giving the law and making his mates live up to it, that buck excelled. dave and sol-leks did not mind the change in leadership. it was none of their business. their business was to toil, and toil mightily, in the traces. so long as that were not interfered with, they did not care what happened. billee, the good-natured, could lead for all they cared, so long as he kept order. the rest of the team, however, had grown unruly during the last days of spitz, and their surprise was great now that buck proceeded to lick them into shape.

what theme is most supported by the ideas in this excerpt?

a. good leaders are strong and intelligent.

b. loyalty can be a very powerful force.

c. only the strong survive in the wilderness.

d. we are all ruled by our natural instincts.

A. Good leaders are strong and intelligent.

Explanation:

Jack London's short novel "The Call Of The Wild" that details the adventure of a dog named Buck from being a domestic pet to becoming the leader of a pack in the wilderness. Buck's transition from a pet to the highest leader shows that his persistence and hard work plus sacrifice led to him being the leader of the pack.

The given passage in the question is from Chapter IV of the text, right after the defeat and death of Spitz. Buck had wanted and expected to be made leader of the group but he was still assigned his usual place. But with stern opposition to his human masters, he won and was made the lead in the group. This was no surprise for the other dogs who care little for who leads them for as long as the order was in place.

Thus, the main theme that is supported in the excerpt will be that good leaders are strong and intelligent. For, we can see from the passage that Buck is not only powerful and strong, defeating Spitz and opposing vehemently the planned placement of Sol-leks in the lead spot. Also, he stubbornly refused to give in until the men had to replace Sol-leks and instead give the place to him. This shows his intelligence, his courage and even his will to be the leader.

b is the correct answer