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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to Chase before he dies?
(a) He reconnects with Pollard.
(b) He moves from Nantucket.
(c) He is declared insane.
(d) He cannot remember the Essex.

2. On what night do Pollard's boat and Hendricks' boat become separated?
(a) January 29.
(b) February 1.
(c) January 28.
(d) February 2.

3. What time of the day do the men observe the latitude of their trip in Chapter 10?
(a) Midnight.
(b) Eight o'clock in the morning.
(c) Eight o'clock in the evening.
(d) Noon.

4. What do the men do with Cole when he begins ranting incoherently?
(a) They place him on a board.
(b) They attempt to reason with him.
(c) They knock him unconscious.
(d) They throw him overboard.

5. Which Chilean island is three hundred miles away from Chase's boat in Chapter 12?
(a) Wollaston.
(b) Tierra del Fuego.
(c) Juan Fernandez.
(d) Easter Island.

6. What do the men on Henderson Island think the gunshot is when it is fired in Chapter 13?
(a) A falling tree.
(b) Thunder.
(c) A falling rock.
(d) An attack.

7. How common was cannibalism among sailors that are shipwrecked during the time the book takes place?
(a) It is widespread.
(b) It is rarely done.
(c) It is unknown.
(d) It is never done.

8. What happens to Hendricks' boat on January 14?
(a) It runs out of provisions.
(b) It catches fire.
(c) It capsizes.
(d) It starts leaking.

9. Due to starvation and lack of clothes, what illness are the men vulnerable to in the cold rain?
(a) Bronchitis.
(b) Pneumonia.
(c) Hypothermia.
(d) Urticaria.

10. What year is it when Chapter 12 begins?
(a) 1831.
(b) 1813.
(c) 1821.
(d) 1812.

11. How far way is the sail when Lawrence sees it in Chapter 12?
(a) Three miles.
(b) Nine miles.
(c) Five miles.
(d) Seven miles.

12. Why is it difficult for the Surry to land on Henderson Island during the rescue of the men?
(a) The wind is too strong.
(b) The rain is too heavy.
(c) The coral is too dangerous.
(d) The boat is too damaged.

13. Which New Bedford whaling ship is Herman Melville on when he meets Chase's son?
(a) California.
(b) Ann Alexander.
(c) Acushnet.
(d) Dartmouth.

14. What do the men begin losing on their first morning on the island?
(a) Their sense of direction.
(b) Their sense of smell.
(c) Their ability to speak.
(d) Their ability to see.

15. What animals are used as food to help the crew stay alive in Chapter 9?
(a) Birds and crabs.
(b) Neither birds nor crabs.
(c) Only birds.
(d) Only crabs.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do the men sleep during their first night on the island in Chapter 9?

2. What type of exhibit is given to the Essex at the museum referenced in the Epilogue?

3. Contrary to what the men think, what island are they actually on in Chapter 9?

4. How does Pollard initially respond to the suggestion of drawing a lot in Chapter 11?

5. What island do the men initially think they have found in the beginning of Chapter 9?

(see the answer keys)

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