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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. Why does Pollard choose the Society Islands as the crew's destination?
(a) He has friends that live there.
(b) They are closer.
(c) He has been there before.
(d) They are safer.

2. What discovery does the crew make on November 26?
(a) They sailed past South America.
(b) They are very close to South America.
(c) They are sailing towards South America.
(d) They are sailing parallel to South America.

3. According to the Preface, what is the primary reason for whale hunting?
(a) Clothing.
(b) Oil.
(c) Sport.
(d) Food.

4. What do the men do in order to prevent water from splashing over the edges of the remaining boats?
(a) They put covers on the tops of the boats.
(b) They build bigger sails for the boats.
(c) They put weights on each end of the boats to minimize their movement.
(d) They build up the sides of each boat.

5. As described in Chapter 1, what does the sighting of a comet indicate?
(a) Something unusual is going to happen.
(b) Something horrible is going to happen.
(c) There will be good weather for the next year.
(d) There will be good weather for the next month.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is Pollard informed to set sail?

2. Which of the following is not included in the list of supplies that are loaded onto the Essex as it prepares for the journey in Chapter 1?

3. After having little luck off the coast of Chile, where does the Essex begin experiencing some success?

4. Whose boat had the least amount of people in it as the crew divides for its trip in Chapter 6?

5. How long is the huge whale that appears off the port bow in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does the Dauphin find in the Preface?

4. How is a whale killed by sailors?

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

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

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

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

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

10. How do two whales escape from Chase's boat in the beginning of Chapter 5?

(see the answer keys)

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