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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. Before his first whale kill, how many large mammals did Nickerson kill on Nantucket?
(a) An average amount.
(b) Many.
(c) Very few.
(d) None.

2. As the frustrations grow on the Essex, what complaint do the men bring to Pollard at the end of Chapter 3?
(a) Unfair treatment by the first and second mate.
(b) Smaller food portions.
(c) Less sleep time.
(d) More chores on the ship.

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

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

5. How many men normally would attempt to approach, harpoon, and kill the whale?
(a) Two.
(b) Six.
(c) Eight.
(d) Four.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Pollard think that backtracking to the Galapagos Islands is impossible in Chapter 6?

2. How are sailors paid?

3. How far away from the first whale sighted do the men position themselves in the boats?

4. How many masts does the Essex have as it sets sail in Chapter 2?

5. How long does it take the crew of the Essex to kill eleven whales in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What setbacks are the three boats having as they approach the Society Islands at the end of Chapter 7?

2. How is Nantucket described in Chapter 1?

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

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

5. What happens when the Essex meets the Aurora?

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

7. What modifications are made to the whale boats in the beginning of Chapter 6?

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

9. How is a whale killed by sailors?

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

(see the answer keys)

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