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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the captain of a German whaling ship want from the Pequod?
(a) lamp oil.
(b) sailcloth.
(c) directions.
(d) coffee.

2. What is Ahab's response to the call for help?
(a) he disbelieves the captain of The Rachel.
(b) he agrees to join in the search for the missing boat.
(c) he ignores the plea and sets out to find Moby Dick.
(d) he fires on The Rachel and runs away.

3. What does Ishmael say the head of the sperm whale contains?
(a) a gigantic brain.
(b) hard bone used as a battering ram.
(c) the largest and the most pure quantity of sperm whale oil.
(d) soft tissue that contains no oil.

4. What happens to Ahab's hat as he perches atop the mast?
(a) a sea hawk steals it.
(b) it becomes misshapen in the mist.
(c) it blows off and falls into the ocean.
(d) he throwns it in the ocean as bait.

5. What does Ishmael believe about the survival of whales as a species?
(a) that they will evolve into smaller creatures.
(b) that they will overpopulate the oceans and seas.
(c) that they will be killed off.
(d) that they will never become extinct.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Ishmael say the brain of the sperm whale lies?

2. Where is Ahab on the morning of a clear day as they continue the search for Moby Dick?

3. What has happened to some of the crew of The Delight?

4. What has the need for revenge done to Ahab's heart?

5. What does Queequeg see in the Spanish doubloon?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ishmael show the further mental deterioration of Ahab?

2. Why does Ahab change his attitude toward the leaking casks of whale oil?

3. Describe the madness of Ahab that loses his humanity.

4. What is occupying the mind of the captain of the Rachel?

5. What is the secret that Ishmael lets slip about why Ahab stayed in his cabin so long at the beginning of the trip?

6. What happens when Tashtego accidentally falls into the oil-filled head of the whale?

7. After killing the sperm whale, why does Ahab want them to capture and kill the less valuable Right Whale?

8. What contest occurs between the Pequod and a German whaling ship?

9. Explain how Stubb uses his sense of humor to trick a French whaling ship into leaving a dead whale.

10. Describe Ishmael's arguments against the man who doubts the Bible.

(see the answer keys)

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