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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Merrymusk convince the narrator that he is a rich man?
(a) He has a large family.
(b) He has a rooster worth five hundred dollars.
(c) He has a barn full of hay.
(d) He has a large tract of land.

2. How does the narrator accommodate the weakness of his oldest scrivener?
(a) By giving him unimportant papers in the afternoon.
(b) By allowing him to work only half a day.
(c) By giving him unimportant papers in the morning.
(d) By hiring an assistant for him.

3. Who are Pedro and Sebastian in The Town-Ho's Story?
(a) Sailors on the Town-Ho.
(b) Sailors on the Pequod.
(c) Writers.
(d) Friends of the narrator.

4. Why does the narrator of "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo?" believe he should not be sued?
(a) His creditor is a grumpy person.
(b) His debt was unfairly imposed.
(c) He is a hospitable, generous man.
(d) His interest payments are exorbitant.

5. Where do both the captain and Steelkilt go after they separate?
(a) France.
(b) Hawaii.
(c) England.
(d) Tahiti.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is the narrator of "The Two Temples" not allowed to enter the church?

2. What previous employment had shaped Bartleby?

3. What emotion does the narrator of "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo?" say he has never felt since the rooster died?

4. What animal from the islands supplies sailors with food and utensils?

5. What age is the narrator of Bartleby?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was disrespectful about Radney asking Steelkilt to sweep the deck?

2. How does the narrator respond the first time Bartleby answers a request with, "I would prefer not to"?

3. What stylistic devices does Melville use to give the reader the feeling of the rooster's crow in "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo"?

4. How does the creditor in "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo" torment the narrator?

5. Why does Melville call Redondo the "aviary of the ocean"?

6. What do the sailors in "The Encantadas" do with tortoises?

7. In "The Happy Failure," what is the uncle's great invention?

8. What did Steelkilt's followers decide to do upon their release?

9. In "Rich Man's Crumbs," why is the narrator called a "graceless ragamuffin"?

10. What superstition do sailors have about the tortoises in "The Encantadas"?

(see the answer keys)

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