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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 miles west of the Galapagos is the Essex on November 2, 1820?
(a) Over two thousand.
(b) Five hundred.
(c) Over a thousand.
(d) Less than five hundred.

2. According to one naval architect, what might have helped the Essex withstand the whale's attack?
(a) If the boat was smaller.
(b) If the boat was bigger.
(c) Nothing could have helped it.
(d) If the boat was new.

3. How many whaleboats are loaded onto the Essex in Chapter 1?
(a) One.
(b) Four.
(c) Two.
(d) Three.

4. After seventeen days in the boats, how far have the men sailed at the end of Chapter 7?
(a) One thousand one hundred miles.
(b) Eight hundred and forty miles.
(c) Two thousand and one hundred miles.
(d) Fourteen hundred and eighty miles.

5. How many miles does it take the crew to set and trim the sails of the Essex?
(a) Less than nine.
(b) More than eleven.
(c) More than ten.
(d) More than nine.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the Preface, what is the primary reason for whale hunting?

2. Compared to the other seventy Nantucket whale ships, how is the Essex considered?

3. As the frustrations grow on the Essex, what complaint do the men bring to Pollard at the end of Chapter 3?

4. What causes Chase's boat to get a hole in it as they approach another whale on November 20?

5. What is the mood of the men on November 26?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the Essex described in Chapter 1?

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

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

4. What does the Dauphin find in the Preface?

5. What are some of the facts that Philbrick discloses about the sinking of the Essex in the Preface?

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

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

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

9. How is Nantucket described in Chapter 1?

10. How is a whale killed by sailors?

(see the answer keys)

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