View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Contrary to what the men think, what island are they actually on in Chapter 9?

2. Which Chilean island is three hundred miles away from Chase's boat in Chapter 12?

3. What type of fish surround Chase's boat in Chapter 8?

4. How does Aaron Paddack respond to Pollard's story as Chapter 12 ends?

5. At what Peruvian Port does Pollard meet Charles Wilkes?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does the exhibit for the Essex at the Whaling Museum feature?

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

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

6. What happens to Hendricks' boat?

7. How does Chase's boat deal with a shark attack?

8. What leads to the rescue of Chase's boat?

9. How do the boats get separated in Chapter 10?

10. What is Chase's initial opinion about staying on the island in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Upon their return to Nantucket, Pollard, Chase, and Nickerson decide to give their accounts of the tragedy.

1) Analyze all three accounts, including the similarities and differences between them.

2) Compare the facts of the trip that Philbrick provides in the book with Chase's version.

3) Describe Pollard's response to the existing stories and how his version is received.

Essay Topic 2

Foreshadowing is a major part of the first half of the book. Provide an analysis of three examples of foreshadowing, when they occur, and the events that they are signaling.

Essay Topic 3

After the crew kills its first whale, Philbrick takes the reader step by step through the process of "trying out" a whale.

1) Explain the procedure for gutting a whale, retrieving oil, and which parts are used.

2) Describe how oil and other products are made from the insides of a whale.

3) Analyze the techniques that Philbrick uses in describing the process and the reasons for them.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 779 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample