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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How much water is each man given per day as the crew attempts to make it to land in Chapter 7?
(a) A pint.
(b) A quarter pint.
(c) A half pint.
(d) Three-quarters of a pint.

2. As described in Chapter 1, what does the sighting of a comet indicate?
(a) There will be good weather for the next month.
(b) Something unusual is going to happen.
(c) There will be good weather for the next year.
(d) Something horrible is going to happen.

3. What happens when Chase's boat attempts to approach a whale on November 16?
(a) The whale drags the boat for several miles.
(b) The whale emerges underneath the boat.
(c) The whale is wounded, but not killed.
(d) The whale outruns the boat.

4. What shape are the sails of the Essex?
(a) Circular.
(b) Rectangular.
(c) Triangular.
(d) Square shaped.

5. After being damaged in the storm, who encourages Pollard to continue with the trip instead of returning to Nantucket?
(a) Nickerson and Joy.
(b) Only Chase.
(c) Only Joy.
(d) Chase and Joy.

6. In what direction does the wind shift, allowing the boats to sail towards Peru?
(a) West.
(b) North.
(c) South.
(d) East.

7. When the men are close enough to attack the whale, what is used in order to pierce its vital organs?
(a) A knife.
(b) An oar.
(c) A lance.
(d) A harpoon.

8. What month is it when the island of St. Mary's is sighted off the coast of Chile in Chapter 4?
(a) January.
(b) February.
(c) March.
(d) April.

9. How old is Captain George Pollard, Jr. when he boards the Essex in Chapter 2?
(a) Thirty- four years old.
(b) Twenty- eight years old.
(c) Thirty- eight years old.
(d) Twenty- four years old.

10. If the Essex returns with sufficient product, how much money is Thomas Nickerson expecting to make from the trip?
(a) One hundred and fifty dollars.
(b) One hundred dollars.
(c) Two hundred dollars.
(d) Two hundred and fifty dollars.

11. What type of whale attacks Pollard's boat in Chapter 7?
(a) Sperm whale.
(b) Killer whale.
(c) Humpback whale.
(d) Blue whale.

12. What is the first thing that the captain and crew of the Dauphin notice when they see the smaller boat?
(a) A flag.
(b) A fire.
(c) The men on the ship.
(d) The bones on the ship.

13. Why is the crew concerned about the Marquesas?
(a) There are rumors that the inhabitants are cannibals.
(b) They are infested with insects.
(c) There are no supplies there.
(d) Many other sailors have disappeared there.

14. What surprises Nickerson about Chase while they are on the sea?
(a) Chase does not talk to anyone but the captain.
(b) Chase does not appear to understand how a ship works.
(c) Chase uses force to see that his orders are followed.
(d) Chase has a mild-mannered approach to assigning tasks.

15. How is the whale towed back to the ship after it is killed in Chapter 3?
(a) Head first.
(b) Tail first.
(c) On its side.
(d) On its back.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is not included in the list of supplies that are loaded onto the Essex as it prepares for the journey in Chapter 1?

2. As the frustrations grow on the Essex, what complaint do the men bring to Pollard at the end of Chapter 3?

3. Before his first whale kill, how many large mammals did Nickerson kill on Nantucket?

4. How many miles west of the Galapagos is the Essex on November 2, 1820?

5. How many men are in the small boat when it is first mentioned in the preface?

(see the answer keys)

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