View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why is it difficult for the men to row in Chapter 8?
(a) It is too hot.
(b) They are not getting enough sleep.
(c) They are rowing against the wind.
(d) They are too weak.

2. Which one of the following is not done when Joy dies?
(a) A letter from the men is placed inside his pocket.
(b) He is sewn up in his clothes.
(c) A stone is tied to his feet.
(d) He is buried at sea.

3. Whose ideas is it to repair the bottom of the boat by holding a hatchet against the plank from underwater?
(a) Chase.
(b) Nickerson.
(c) Pollard.
(d) Lawrence.

4. What does the crew on Chase's boat choose to do in order to deal with the unbearable heat in Chapter 8?
(a) Drink more water.
(b) Hang over the edge of the boat.
(c) Build miniature fans in the boat.
(d) Sit behind the sails to be in the shade.

5. According to the Epilogue, what year is it when a sperm whale washes up on the beaches of Nantucket?
(a) 1879.
(b) 1897.
(c) 1979.
(d) 1997.

6. What does Chase put in each boat at the beginning of Chapter 10?
(a) Firewood and leaves.
(b) A flat stone and leaves.
(c) A flat stone, firewood, and leaves.
(d) A flat stone and firewood.

7. When do Chase, Lawrence, and Nickerson arrive in Nantucket?
(a) May 11.
(b) June 11.
(c) April 11.
(d) July 11.

8. Who is in Pollard's boat towards the end of Chapter 11?
(a) Coffin and Ray, but not Ramsdell.
(b) Ray and Ramsdell, but not Coffin.
(c) Coffin, Ramsdell, and Ray.
(d) Coffin and Ramsdell, but not Ray.

9. When does Pollard avert potential disaster after crashing into the French Frigate Shoals?
(a) February of 1832.
(b) September of 1823.
(c) February of 1823.
(d) September of 1832.

10. What island do the men initially think they have found in the beginning of Chapter 9?
(a) Pitcairn Island.
(b) Henderson Island.
(c) Oeno Island.
(d) Ducie Island.

11. On January 26, how many men are in Chase's boat?
(a) Six.
(b) Seven.
(c) Five.
(d) Four.

12. Unknown to the crew in Chapter 9, how many miles away from the island is a community with food and water?
(a) Four hundred.
(b) Three hundred.
(c) Two hundred.
(d) Five hundred.

13. What is Chase's first inclination upon arriving at the island in Chapter 9?
(a) To settle on the island for a few weeks.
(b) To leave immediately.
(c) To settle on the island permanently.
(d) To settle on the island for a few days.

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

15. When is land finally spotted at the end of Chapter 8?
(a) December 16.
(b) December 18.
(c) December 19.
(d) December 17.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many days worth of food does Chase's boat have at the start of Chapter 12?

2. What time of the day do the men observe the latitude of their trip in Chapter 10?

3. Due to starvation and lack of clothes, what illness are the men vulnerable to in the cold rain?

4. What museum acquires the skeleton of the whale found in the Epilogue?

5. How common was cannibalism among sailors that are shipwrecked during the time the book takes place?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 521 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample