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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 many people live in Nantucket in 1819?
(a) Eight thousand people.
(b) Six thousand people.
(c) Seven thousand people.
(d) Five thousand people.

2. What surprises Nickerson about Chase while they are on the sea?
(a) Chase does not appear to understand how a ship works.
(b) Chase has a mild-mannered approach to assigning tasks.
(c) Chase uses force to see that his orders are followed.
(d) Chase does not talk to anyone but the captain.

3. Which one of the Galapagos Islands is the crew of the Essex on when they discover a leak in the ship?
(a) Culpepper Island.
(b) Tower Island.
(c) Hood Island.
(d) Barrington Island.

4. As described in the Preface, in which ocean are the whales hunted?
(a) Arctic.
(b) Atlantic.
(c) Indian.
(d) Pacific.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How many men normally would attempt to approach, harpoon, and kill the whale?

2. How many miles does it take the crew to set and trim the sails of the Essex?

3. How long does the crew of the Essex remain by the wrecked ship?

4. What is the first thing that the captain and crew of the Dauphin notice when they see the smaller boat?

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 meets the Aurora?

2. As stated in the Preface, when, where, and why are sperm whales hunted?

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

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

5. What happens when the first whale of the trip is sighted?

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

7. How is the Essex attacked by the whale and what happens to the ship as a result?

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

9. How does the crew of the Essex deal with the second whale sighted in Chapter 3, and what is a Nantucket sleigh ride?

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

(see the answer keys)

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