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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 do the crew members do as soon as the Town-Ho reaches port?

2. How is the narrator punished for sneaking into the church?

3. Who are Pedro and Sebastian in The Town-Ho's Story?

4. What good qualities does Bartleby have as an employee?

5. How does the narrator accommodate the weakness of his oldest scrivener?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the first seven of Steelkilt's men come out of their imprisonment?

2. How is the accuracy of copy verified by scriveners?

3. Why does the narrator say that pity turns into repulsion?

4. What is Nippers's shortcoming as a scrivener?

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

6. Why is the direct route for an ocean voyage not always the fastest or best, according to Melville in "The Encantadas"?

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

8. Why does Melville refer to Oberlus as "a creature whom it is religion to detest?"

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

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

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

Melville's work is full of allusions to mythic characters and settings with which he expects his reader to be familiar. Select a story such as "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo" or "The Two Temples" to find the references to mythology. Look up the characters or locations and explain in your essay how these references strengthen the story.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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