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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 many days has it been since Pollard and Hendricks have lost sight of Chase's boat in the beginning of Chapter 11?

2. What do the men on Henderson Island think the gunshot is when it is fired in Chapter 13?

3. How long does Pollard wait before being taken home on the Two Brothers?

4. On January 26, how many men are in Chase's boat?

5. How much money does each member of the Constellation give to the recovery of Chase, Nickerson, and Lawrence?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Pollard's boat become separated from Hendricks' boat?

2. What is the difference in the way Pollard and Chase are received when they return to Nantucket?

3. How is Pollard's boat rescued?

4. What request does Joy have before dying in Chapter 10?

5. How does Chase choose the events to include in a book about the Essex?

6. What happens to Chase at the end of his life?

7. What happens at the end of Chapter 11 when lots are drawn in Pollard's boat?

8. What difficulties is Chase's boat having in Chapter 11?

9. Why does the crew decide to leave Henderson Island? Who chooses to stay?

10. How has has the town of Nantucket changed since the nineteenth century?

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

Describe the first two encounters with a whale that the crew of the Essex has, including a detailed description of the Nantucket sleigh ride. Also, provide an explanation of why this is a significant point in the story and what it indicates for the different members of the crew.

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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