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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. How far away in sailing distance from the Essex is the Offshore Ground in Chapter 7?

2. How much does the huge whale that appears off the port bow in Chapter 5 weigh?

3. How are sailors paid?

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

5. Which one of the Galapagos Islands is the crew of the Essex on when they discover a leak in the ship?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is a whale killed by sailors?

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

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

6. What does the Dauphin find in the Preface?

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

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

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

10. How is the Essex described in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss three setbacks that the crew of the Essex face while attempting to sail towards South America after the ship sinks. Include an analysis of the effects that the setbacks have on the crew's plan, how the crew chooses to approach them, and the actions that they take as a result.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze three possible theories about why the whale might have attacked the Essex. Use the book to reference the sources of these theories and the reasons behind them. Also, explain which one you think is the most logical and why.

Essay Topic 3

In the Preface, a general background of whaling is provided by Philbrick.

1) Describe the purpose of the Preface and the literary reasons for the information it includes.

2) Explain why sailors from Nantucket hunted whales and how the whales are typically killed.

3) Analyze the sperm whales as they are presented in the Preface along with why they are specifically targeted by whalers.

(see the answer keys)

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