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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. What do scholars speculate might have caused the whale to attack the Essex?
(a) The boat's attack on other whales that are observed by the large whale.
(b) The yelling of the men while attempting to kill another whale.
(c) The whale is territorial and protecting its waters.
(d) The clicking sound that Chase makes while repairing his boat.

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

5. What is the name given to the event of a harpooned whale dragging a boat at high speeds?
(a) Nantucket sleigh ride.
(b) Nantucket speeder.
(c) Nantucket drag along.
(d) Nantucket pull through.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is not included in the list of troubles that the bad weather causes for the Essex in Chapter 4?

2. How long is it in between whale sightings in Chapter 3?

3. What does the Aurora bring for the crew of the Essex?

4. How do Pollard and Chase react to the way the men take the Essex out to sea?

5. How far away in sailing distance from the Essex is the Offshore Ground in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the Essex tries to leave Nantucket?

2. What is used to determine the wages of sailors that participate in whaling trips, and how will Nickerson be paid?

3. What events take place on Hood Island at the end of Chapter 4?

4. How does Pollard's boat respond to being attacked by a whale in Chapter 7?

5. What is done to the Essex in order to prepare it for the trip?

6. What are the first difficulties that the Essex experiences at the end of Chapter 2?

7. What is unusual about the sperm whale that surfaces unexpectedly in Chapter 5?

8. What troubles is the Essex having at Cape Horn and off the coast of Chile?

9. What complaint does the crew bring to Pollard at the end of Chapter 3, and how does he handle it?

10. What is the main concern of the boats during the first few days after the sinking of the Essex?

(see the answer keys)

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