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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long are the shifts that each man serves on watching the decks during the evenings in Chapter 2?
(a) Eight hours.
(b) Four hours.
(c) Two hours.
(d) Six hours.

2. How many whale boats does the crew of the Essex lose after the first encounter with two whales in Chapter 3?
(a) Three.
(b) Two.
(c) None.
(d) One.

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 outruns the boat.
(c) The whale is wounded, but not killed.
(d) The whale emerges underneath the boat.

4. Which well known island is mentioned in Chapter 6 as a part of the Society Islands that the Nantucketers should have known about?
(a) Tasmania.
(b) Bermuda.
(c) Bali.
(d) Tahiti.

5. How far away from the first whale sighted do the men position themselves in the boats?
(a) One mile.
(b) Ten miles.
(c) One foot.
(d) Ten feet.

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

7. When did ships from Nantucket first start rounding Cape Horn?
(a) 1791.
(b) 1719.
(c) 1781.
(d) 1718.

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

9. How far off the coast of New England is Nantucket located?
(a) Twenty- four miles.
(b) Forty- three miles.
(c) Thirty- four miles.
(d) Forty- two miles.

10. Why does Pollard think that backtracking to the Galapagos Islands is impossible in Chapter 6?
(a) Because of the distance.
(b) Because of the waves around the islands.
(c) Because of the wind direction.
(d) Because of the uncertainty of how to get back to them.

11. How are sailors paid?
(a) According to their time at sea for each trip.
(b) According to how many whales they have killed and captured.
(c) According to how many whales they have killed.
(d) According to their rank.

12. As described in Chapter 3, what does each whale boat contain?
(a) A mate and oarsmen.
(b) A mate, a boat steerer, and oarsmen.
(c) A boatsteerer and oarsmen.
(d) A mate and a boat steerer.

13. 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?
(a) Food.
(b) Freshwater.
(c) Rifles.
(d) Firewood.

14. Out of twenty men who witnessed the sinking of the Essex, how many total men survived?
(a) Eight.
(b) Eighteen.
(c) Two.
(d) Ten.

15. 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 harpoon.
(d) A lance.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long is the huge whale that appears off the port bow in Chapter 5?

2. What is the crew hoping for as they enter the Offshore Grounds?

3. As described in the Preface, in which ocean are the whales hunted?

4. How many masts does the Essex have as it sets sail in Chapter 2?

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

(see the answer keys)

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