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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. As described in Chapter 1, what does the sighting of a comet indicate?

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

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

4. In 1810, how many women over the age of twenty- three are widowed?

5. When did English settlers begin arriving in Nantucket?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How are the three whale boats divided and stocked for the trip at the end of Chapter 6?

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

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

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

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

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

8. As explained in Chapter 2, what route does a Nantucket whale ship normally take?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Captain Pollard's decision making abilities is the subject of Philbrick's criticism in the book.

1) Describe in detail three decisions that Pollard makes during the Essex's whaling trip as well as after it sinks and how those decisions are influenced.

2) Explain the role that Pollard's decisions have in the outcome of the trip and the survival of the crew.

3) Analyze Philbrick's position on Pollard's ability to make decisions and overrule his crew.

4) Compare the way Pollard handles a complaint from the crew with the other situations he must deal with.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the way that Philbrick conveys the desperation of the men as they get farther away from the sunken ship. Provide multiple examples of how he uses literature in order to emphasize the severity of their situation and their inclination to surrender. Also, analyze the way that Philbrick simultaneously engages the reader along the way with signs of hope and optimism.

Essay Topic 3

Chronicle the island town of Nantucket from the nineteenth century to the time that the book was written. Provide an explanation of what the town was like when the Essex set sail and the effects that whaling had on the community. Then, describe how and why Nantucket has changed throughout the years and its present state.

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