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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 do the men on Pollard's boat respond to the whale's attack?
(a) They attempt to punch the whale.
(b) They throw their provisions overboard.
(c) They attempt to stab the whale.
(d) They jump overboard.

2. How far have the men rescued by the Dauphin been sailing at the end of the Preface?
(a) Thirty- five hundred nautical miles.
(b) Twenty- five hundred nautical miles.
(c) Fifty- five hundred nautical miles.
(d) Forty- five hundred nautical miles.

3. Compared to the other seventy Nantucket whale ships, how is the Essex considered?
(a) Old, small, and lucky.
(b) Old, big, and lucky.
(c) New, big, and lucky.
(d) New, small, and lucky.

4. How is Pollard informed to set sail?
(a) He receives a letter.
(b) He leaves according to the weather patterns.
(c) He is told directly by the owners of the ship.
(d) He is told by a messenger.

5. How long is the huge whale that appears off the port bow in Chapter 5?
(a) Seventy- five feet long.
(b) Ninety- five feet long.
(c) Sixty -five feet long.
(d) Eighty- five feet long.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the newspaper that includes the article about the Marquesas before the ship sets sail from Nantucket?

2. Who persuades Pollard to sail to Chile or Peru instead of the Society Islands?

3. What happens when Chase's boat attempts to approach a whale on November 16?

4. What surprises Nickerson about Chase while they are on the sea?

5. While repairing the Essex's leak, what else do the men gather in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the Essex described in Chapter 1?

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

3. How successful is the Essex off the coast of Peru?

4. How is a whale killed by sailors?

5. Why does the crew decide not to wait for another whale ship in the Offshore Ground?

6. What well known island is part of the Society Islands and why should the crew have been aware of it?

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

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

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

10. How does the crew of the Essex decide to sail towards South America instead of the Society Islands?

(see the answer keys)

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