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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do Peleg and Bildad do once the Pequod is in the Atlantic Ocean?
(a) go wake up Captain Ahab.
(b) leave the Pequod on a raft.
(c) jump overboard and swim to shore.
(d) return to shore in a small boat.

2. What apology does Ishmael make about whalers?
(a) He defends their crude manners.
(b) He explains why they are socially low.
(c) He uses history to honor whalers.
(d) He agrees that whalers are low caste.

3. Who are Peleg and Bildad?
(a) builders of the Pequod.
(b) part owners of the Pequod.
(c) outfitters of the Pequod.
(d) crewmen on the Pequod.

4. Days into the journey, what makes Ishmael uneasy?
(a) He decides he has made a mistake.
(b) He never sees Queequeg again.
(c) He has started to have seasickness.
(d) He has not yet seen the captain.

5. Which harpooner is chosen by Starbuck?
(a) Daggoo.
(b) Ishmael.
(c) Tashtego.
(d) Queequeg.

6. What type of whale is Moby Dick, the whale they are searching for?
(a) an octavo whale.
(b) a duodecimo whale.
(c) a folio whale.
(d) a Greenland whale.

7. What accommodation is available for Ishmael at the inn in New Bedford?
(a) a closet.
(b) a bench in the dining room.
(c) a shared room with a harpooner.
(d) a bunk in a communal room.

8. After the first whaling experience, what does Ishmael decide to do?
(a) pray every day more urgently.
(b) resign and jump ship.
(c) lead a mutiny.
(d) make out his will.

9. What is Ishmael's objection to artist renditions of the whale?
(a) they are too realistic.
(b) they are pictured in false colors.
(c) they are imaginary and not true to life.
(d) they are painted out of the water.

10. What insane crew member of the Jeroboam claims to be the Angel Gabriel?
(a) a defrocked priest.
(b) another man named Starbuck.
(c) a prophet of the Neskyeuna Shakers.
(d) a savage from the islands.

11. What part of the whale is the most valuable to the whalers?
(a) the head and tail.
(b) the blubber.
(c) the ivory teeth and bones.
(d) the skin.

12. Why does Ahab insist that the captain of the Jeroboam come aboard the Pequod?
(a) to get news of Moby Dick.
(b) to give him medical supplies.
(c) to have him check the Pequod's charts.
(d) to have dinner with him.

13. How does Ishmael describe the possibility of mutiny on a whale ship?
(a) he tells the story of the Nautilus.
(b) he tells the story of the Bounty.
(c) he tells the story of Steelkilt and Radney.
(d) he tells the story of Sinbad and Ali.

14. How do Ishmael and Queequeg transport their baggage to the boat bound for Nantucket?
(a) in a taxi.
(b) on a hay cart.
(c) on their backs.
(d) in a wheelbarrow.

15. What does Ahab question the men about?
(a) their procedure when they spot a whale.
(b) their experience in whaling.
(c) their families back home.
(d) their willingness to sail for three years.

Short Answer Questions

1. What equipment does Ishmael discuss including their descriptions and uses?

2. What do the men do for entertainment on board the Pequod?

3. What do the plaques in the whaler's chapel remind Ishmael of?

4. Which boat from the Pequod is the first to harpoon a whale?

5. What does Queequeg use to reach his food?

(see the answer keys)

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