How did McCandless's parents learn where he was, and what did they do with the information?

• A. He was ticketed for hitchhiking and gave cops his parents' address; they then hired a private investigator named Peter.
• B. They located him by chance at a bookstore.
• C. They received a call from a friend.
• D. They never learned his location.

Answer: (A)

The situation tests understanding of how information about a missing loved one can lead to active parental action. In this story, after McCandless was ticketed for hitchhiking, he gave the police his parents’ address. The police contacted his parents, and they took steps to find him by hiring a private investigator named Peter. This sequence shows why they learned his location and what they did with that information—they pursued him further rather than relying on chance or hearsay. The other possibilities—finding him by chance in a bookstore, hearing from a friend, or never learning his location—don’t align with how the story depicts the actual discovery and subsequent action.