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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. Whose cause does the Marquis de Grandvin champion?

2. What does Benito Cereno say has happened to his partner, Alexandro Aranda?

3. In "I and My Chimney," what is the narrator's wife's maxim?

4. How was John Marr wounded?

5. How does the narrator of "The Apple-Tree Table" feel as his wife and daughters become more frightened?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the deposition in "Benito Cereno," what would have happened to Captain Delano if he had suspected a mutiny aboard the San Dominick?

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

3. How have the Knights Templar changed, according to Melville's observations, in "The Paradise of Bachelors"?

4. Why do the peacocks on the wallpaper in the parlor seem to the narrator to represent Jimmy Rose?

5. 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?

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

7. What seems odd about Benito Cereno's ship when Captain Delano first sees it?

8. Why is the narrator despondent at the beginning of "The Fiddler"?

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

10. Why does the narrator of "I and My Chimney" believe his chimney is good for invalids?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Melville uses brief sketches to address large issues of social justice. Select two of the stories that work together, such as "The Paradise of Bachelors" and "The Tartarus of Maids," or "The Two Temples," to analyze the social issues addressed in those comparisons.

Essay Topic 2

Melville often leaves critical parts of a story unsaid. In "The Town-Ho's Story," for instance, the reader never knows what threat Steelkilt mutters to the captain that causes him to decide not to flog Steelkilt. Likewise, in Hunilla's story in "The Encantadas," he says that " . . . the unnamed events which befell Hunilla on this isle, let them abide between her and her God. In nature, as in law, it may be libelous to speak some truths." Analyze the effectiveness of withholding key information from the reader in this way.

Essay Topic 3

Several of the stories in this collection deal with relationships between men and women. Using at least two stories as a basis, evaluate Melville's understanding of the status of women in his society and culture. Did he agree with, condemn, or remain neutral about the rights of women?

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