He swiftly lost the fastidiousness which had characterized his old life. A dainty eater, he found that his mates, finishing firs
t, robbed him of his unfinished ration. There was no defending it. While he was fighting off two or three, it was disappearing down the throats of the others. To remedy this, he ate as fast as they; and, so greatly did hunger compel him, he was not above taking what did not belong to him. He watched and learned. When he saw Pike, one of the new dogs, a clever malingerer and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the performance the following day, getting away with the whole chunk. A great uproar was raised, but he was unsuspected; while Dub, an awkward blunderer who was always getting caught, was punished for Buck's misdeed.
This first theft marked Buck as fit to survive in the hostile Northland environment. It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death.
—The Call of the Wild,
Jack London
What is the most important change that Buck goes through in this passage?
A. He learns to eat more quickly
B. He learns to blame other dogs
C. He learns survival skills
Why does Buck change in this way?
A. He sees Pike steal food
B. He is desperately hungry
C. Dub is blamed for his theft
