Final Exam Study Guide 

There are 4 parts to the final exam: 

• Vocabulary (Read the sentences and fill-in-the-blank with appropriate word)

• Character Matching (Match the character’s descriptions/details to his/her name.)

• Quote Identification (Identify the speaker of that quote.)

• Reading Comprehension (Read the questions and choose the answer that best fits.)

Vocabulary Words for Into the Wild (Chapters 1-6)

1. congenial (adj.) - friendly

2. escarpments (n.) - a steep slope

3. antimony (n.) - a metallic element

4. anomaly (n.) - glitch, inconsistency

5. contumacious (adj.) - rebellious

6. visage (n.) - face

7. amiable (adj.) - good-natured

8. convivial (adj.) - sociable

9. plebeian (adj.) - crude, common

10. mien (n.) - appearance

11. onerous (adj.) - troublesome

Vocabulary Words for Into the Wild (Chapters 6-10).

1. hegira (n.) - flight

2. creosote (n.) – an oily liquid

3. desiccated (adj.) – dried

4. phantasmal (adj.) - ghostly

5. destitute (adj.) - poor

6. serape (n.) – poncho

7. harangues (n.) – sermon

8. fulminate (v.) – to verbally attack

9. endemic (adj.) – widespread

10. unalloyed (adj.) - pure

11. unbidden (adj.) – not asked

Vocabulary Words for Into the Wild (Chapters 11-15).

1. idiosyncratic (adj.) - distinctive, individual

2. reverie (n.) - dream

3. sanctimonious (adj.) - self-righteous

4. sullen (adj.) - brooding, angry

5. incorrigible (adj.) -uncontrollable, incapable of being reformed

6. wanderlust (n.) -a strong impulse to travel

7. monomania (n.) - obsessed with one idea

8. castigated (v.) - punish

9. obliquely (adv.) - indirectly

10. extemporaneous (adj.) - impromptu

Vocabulary Words for Into the Wild (Chapters 16-18 & epilogue).

1. malevolent (adj.) – mean

2. modicum (n.) – small amount

3. posited (v.) – put forward as truth

4. ruminations (n.) – reflection

5. feckless (adj.) – incompetent

6. munificence (n.) - bounty

7. precipitous (adj.) - abrupt

8. insidiously (adv.) - causing harm in a sneaky way

9. moniker (n.) - name

10. beatific (adj.) - saintly

List of Characters: 

Samuel Walter McCandless, Jr. (Chapter 11 and 12) – He is Chris’s father and is fifty-six years old. Walt was a very intelligent man and he used to have a tight relationship with Chris but during Chris’s college years, the father-and-son relationship became resentments. Walt was known as a strict and quick-tempered man but after Chris’s long hiatus, he slowly became more soft and emotional. The most probable reason Chris showed great resentment towards Walt was the secret affair his father had when he was already married to his second wife.

Wilhelmina Johnson (Billie) (Chapter 11 and 12) – She was a secretary at Hughes and was twenty-two the time she dated Walt. Billie and Walt made their own project in which they became incredibly successful. The mother-and-son relationship between Billie and Chris also began to deteriorate after Chris discovered that his father was still seeing his first wife even though he was already married to Billie. Since Chris believed in Tolstoy’s beliefs, he also believed that the living the luxurious life was evil and corrupt. 

Loren Johnson (Chapter 11) – He is Billie’s father who got along really well with Chris when the entire family used to visit him. In some ways, they have similar traits; like example, both Chris and his grandfather love to be surrounded by nature and its beauty. 

Carine McCandless (Chapter 13) – Out of all the family members, Carine is the considered as the closest person to Chris. He got a long really well with her and always kept her updated with his journey through the states. In one of the letters, he mentioned how only Carine understands how he feels, especially the resentment he has towards their parents. When she heard of his death, Carine was overwhelmed and shocked and it took her a long time to return to a normal state. 

Jim Gallien (Chapter 1) - As Gallien was driving out of the Fairbanks, he met McCandless on the street as McCandless was hitchhiking for a ride. Gallien was a bit judgmental of Chris at first because he thought the boy was one of those people who seek adventure in Alaska because of the magazines’ illusion of the beautiful “wilderness”. Although he was judgmental in the beginning, Gallien slowly became empathetic for Chris since he was a well-educated person and seemed to know what he was doing. In the end, he dropped off McCandless at the Stampede Trail and gave him boots and food for the journey. 

Wayne Westerberg (Chapter 3) – Chris first met Westerberg at a bar called the Cabaret and the two had a great time talking to each other. Westerberg own a grain elevator in Carthage, South Dakota, which Chris decided to work for a couple of times. Later on, Westerberg was caught by the officials for making illegal black boxes for TVs. Near the end, before Chris departed for Alaska, he made a last visit to Carthage to talk to his close friend. Westerberg was the last person Chris sent a postcard to before he walked “into the wild”. 

Jan Burres (Chapter 4) – She was forty-one years old who traveled on the road and sell knick-knacks at the flea markets with her boyfriend, Bob.  Burres met Chris on the road as he was hitch-hiking for a ride. Besides Westerberg, Chris also considered Burres as one of his close friends because he enjoyed her company. Over a year later, Chris came back to visit Burres in Bull City and helped her sell books at the flea market. She was also one of the few people whom Chris wrote to. 

George Dreeszen (Chapter 5) – He was the first assistant manager at McDonald’s in Bullhead City, Arizona who hired Chris. The man did not talk much to Chris but he noticed that the boy was a nice kid and really dependable. 

Lori Zarza (Chapter 5) – She was the second assistant manager at McDonald’s in Bullhead City, Arizona. Zarza assumed that Chris quit because of her since she made him clean himself first before he could work at McDonald’s. 

Charlie (Chapter 5) – He is an old man who helped Chris out by letting him sleep in another little trailer for free. Charlie recalls that Chris is a really nice guy and how he is trying to get to Alaska. 

Ronald Franz (Chapter 6) – Franz was an old man who helped give Chris a lift to his destination. As the two spent a long time talking to each other, Franz became very fond of Chris’s company that he was emotionally attached to the young boy. Franz taught Chris how to create pictorial records of his adventure on a belt and by the time Chris had to leave, the man was broken-hearted because he might not be able to see Chris again. When Franz gave Chris a ride to San Diego, the old man asked if he could adopt Chris as his son but in response, Chris indirectly said no. A couple of months later, Chris called and sent a postcard to Franz. After Chris’s departure, Franz’s life changed significantly. He sold all of his stuff and lived the life Chris hope he would and became an atheist after hearing about Chris’s death. 

Gail Borah (Chapter 7) – She’s thirty-five years old and was the love interest of Wayne Westerberg. She quickly became close with McCandless and they had a lot of serious conversations. 

Mary Westerberg (Chapter 7) – She is Wayne Westerberg’s mother and normally, she does not like to associate with hitch-hikers but when she began to talk to Chris, she realized that he was actually very enjoyable. She recalled how he is very fascinating and looked forward to seeing him again in the future. 

Gaylord Stuckey (Chapter 16) – McCandless met Stuckey along the Alaskan Highway, where he asked for a ride. Although Stuckey’s company’s policy was strict about giving hitchhikers rides, he had a liking for McCandless and offered him a half-way drive. However, after a long conversation, Stuckey realized that McCandless was educated and drove him all the way to Fairbanks. Later on, he bought McCandless a bag of rice at the grocery store and then dropped him off at the University of Alaska campus, where McCandless wanted to learn about berries. Stuckey was the last person to see Chris. 

Ken Thompson (Chapter 2) - He is an owner of an auto-shop in Anchorage who set out for a moose hunt and happen to discover McCandless’s body in the bus. 

Gordon Samel (Chapter 2) – He is an employee of Ken Thompson, who also went on a moose hunt and discovered the body.

Ferdie Swanson (Chapter 2) – He is a construction work and a friend of both Samel and Thompson. He also found McCandless’s body.

Butch Killian (Chapter 2) – The sixth person to appear at the bus, who is a hunter from Healy, and people suggest that he should put Chris’s body into his ATV and drive it to the Alaskan Storm Troopers. He’s also a coal miner and worked as an emergency medical technician for the Healy Volunteer Fire Department.

Peter Kalitka (Chapter 4) – He is a private investigator who works for both the CIA and DIA. The director of the U.S. DIA, who is a neighbor of Walt McCandless, orders Kalitka to find Chris upon Walt and Billie’s request. Although Kalitka is very skillful, ironically, he is not able to find the boy at all.

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Gene Rosellini (Chapter 8) – He was the son of a very wealthy man and as a young adult, Rosellini was athletic and brilliant. Later on, he began to believe that humans had “devolved” into inferior beings and by returning to the natural state, he experimented with different civilizations. In the end, he was found dead, probably a suicide.

John Mallon Waterman (Chapter 8) – Waterman was raised in the Washington suburbs like Chris and he loved to climb mountains. He also had family issues which was the probable cause for him to be a bit off. Later on, Waterman decided to go on an expedition to Mt. Hunter alone. He was then never seen again.

Carl McCunn (Chapter 8) – He was a thirty-five year old amateur photographer. McCunn’s objective to venture into the wilderness was to capture its beauty. The reason he died in the mountains was because he did not know how to make the correct signals to the airplane that flew by him. In the end, he froze to death. McCandless also died in the mountains, which is a bit similar to McCunn.

Everett Ruess (Chapter 9) – He was a legend who also set out on an expedition to explore the beauty of nature within Utah. He was then never heard again and even up till this day, his remains is still a mystery to the world. Ruess and McCandless had a lot of similarities, which Krakauer pointed out in the novel.

John Krakauer (Chapter 14 and 15) – The author of the novel also includes his personal reflection to present a strong connection he has between Chris McCandless and himself. Krakauer shared an experience he had as a young and adventurous person, which was similar to McCandless. However, the outcome of Krakauer’s was a success unlike McCandless’s. The reason the author shared his story is because he wanted readers to know that he too did have wild dreams, and so does everyone else. He finds the story and journey of McCandless is relatable to his past experiences.