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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why had Jimmy Rose never married?

2. What does the narrator in "The Fiddler" do with his manuscripts?

3. What does John Gentian say are caused by stirring deeds?

4. What rumor pursues Daniel Orme into his life on shore?

5. Why was Bannadonna excused for the homicide he committed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jimmy Rose retain after he has lost his fortune?

2. In "The Lightning Rod Man," why does the narrator pretend to mistake the salesman for the god Jupiter Tonans?

3. What does the narrator claim shows Jack Gentian's natural gentility?

4. What does the narrator of "The Piazza" think when he first sees a single bright spot in the northwestern hills?

5. What is Captain Delano's intention in boarding Benito Cereno's ship?

6. Why doesn't the narrator in "The Piazza" grant Marianna's wish and tell her that he is the resident of the house that she believes contains happiness?

7. What does the chimney in "I and My Chimney" provide for the narrator on the second landing?

8. Why does the narrator of "The Lightning Rod Man" compare the salesman to a worm?

9. What does the bug in the apple-tree table teach the narrator's daughter, Julia?

10. What does Melville say is the difference between boarding a strange ship and entering a strange house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Melville's purposes in writing are both artistic and moralistic. Select a story in which you see his purpose as basically one or the other, and give examples from the story in your essay that support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Setting is particularly important in Melville's stories. Select a story in which the setting is critical, such as the confinement of shipboard or the home as a center for domestic disputes. Analyze the use and power of the setting in the story you chose.

Essay Topic 3

One recurring theme in Melville's stories is the fate of an innocent man in the grip of malice he does not comprehend. Compare two such protagonists, such as Steelkilt and Billy Budd.

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