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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. What has the uncle in "The Happy Failure" invented?

2. How does the narrator get into the London theater presentation?

3. What makes Moby Dick an unusual whale?

4. What prevents Steelkilt from taking revenge on Radney?

5. What two characteristics does Melville attribute to the islands of the Encantadas?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator say happens to one in command who discovers a subordinate who is "significantly his superior"?

2. Why did the two remaining followers of Steelkilt each hope to be the first out of the hold?

3. What skills are necessary for a scrivener?

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

5. What purpose does the circle of listeners serve in "The Town-Ho's Story"?

6. Why does Melville come to believe that some buccaneers on the isle of Albermarle must have been gentlemen?

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

8. How does the poet Blandmour feel about poverty in "Poor Man's Pudding"?

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

10. What does Steelkilt demand to prevent a mutiny?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Melville frequently reveals the character of a narrator through the narrator's observations and reactions to another character. "Bartleby the Scrivener" and "Benito Cereno" are examples of this technique. Select one of the stories in which the narrator reveals himself. Discuss how the character is revealed and the effectiveness of this technique for you as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

Melville's use of time, switching back and forth between present and past tenses in the same story, is an unusual method to bring the reader a sense of immediacy. Select a story such as "The Two Temples" to analyze the effectiveness of this technique.

Essay Topic 3

A recurring theme in Melville's stories is the difference between appearance and reality. Choose a character such as Claggart, who appears to have only sterling qualities but is evil in his heart or a setting such as the mountain home in "The Piazza," which seems at first to be like a fairyland, to analyze the point Melville is making.

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