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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. Which ship does Ishmael select for him and Queequeg to sign on?

2. Who pilots the Pequod out of the Nantucket harbor?

3. What does Stubb instruct Daggoo to do for him?

4. What habit of whales do the whaling ships use to find their prey?

5. Who is the High Chief or king of the island of Kokovoko?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the behavior of the mates dining in the captain's cabin as they torment the cook who serves their meal.

2. Why is the story of Radney and Steelkilt important to the story?

3. What behavior of whales works to the advantage of whaling ships looking for them?

4. Why does Ishmael soon lose his astonishment over Queequeg in New Bedford?

5. What does Ahab want from the first whaling ship they meet in the ocean?

6. Describe the appropriate text Father Maple uses in his sermon to the whalers in New Bedford.

7. At what point does Ishmael go into a discussion about whales in general.

8. What does Ahab do to disturb the crew during the night?

9. What ominous encounter do Ishmael and Queequeg have after they have signed onto the Pequod?

10. Explain why Ishmael decides to book himself on a whaling ship.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the literary use of personification. Begin with how Ahab assigns human characteristics to Moby Dick, believing that the whale is a mortal enemy, conscious of a vendetta against him. Then go to children's stories where animal characters think and talk like humans. Discuss personification as a device to explain relationships between humans and animals.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the mystery of the sea. Begin with the mysterious things about the sea that Melville presents in the novel. Move into the present where there are still many things we do not know about the sea. Explain why the sea is so difficult to understand including its size, its atmospheric pressure, and its eco-systems.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the hard life of whalers. Mention the three year expeditions required to fill the ship with valuable whale oil. Discuss the weather conditions that make the trip more dangerous. Detail the need to go out in small boats to get near enough to the whales to harpoon them.

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This section contains 750 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample