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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. After the first whaling experience, what does Ishmael decide to do?

2. What is the rumor about other fish when they encounter the white whale?

3. At the Try Pots Inn in Nantucket, what is the staple menu?

4. What is Queequeg's duty while the blubber is stripped from the back of the whale?

5. What is the man called who stands on deck and holds the rope that secures Queequeg?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Explain the function of the "monkey" on board a whaling ship.

3. How does Ahab express his mission on this trip of the Pequod?

4. What is the function of Charity, Bildad's sister, in the preparations for the Pequod's journey?

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

6. Under what circumstances do Peleg and Bildad leave the Pequod?

7. How does Ishmael inform the reader about the process of whale hunting?

8. Explain the mistaken identity that causes Ahab to order lowering of the boats.

9. Describe the curious rumor about other fish and Moby Dick.

10. Explain the importance of Chapters 45 and 46 in understanding the enemy Captain Ahab is up against.

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 Melville as a novelist. Mention the parts of Moby Dick that you found the most interesting. Discuss also some of the drier parts of the novel that tend to interrupt the flow of the story. Give your opinion about his use of language to paint a picture of life on a whaling ship.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on a character from MOBY DICK you would like to meet. Give specific examples of the behavior of that character and explain why he or she would be someone you would like to know.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on how literature helps understand ages past. Use the sights, sounds, and customs of 19th century America as written about in the novel to describe what life was like then. Note in your essay the things like whale oil for lighting that are no longer necessary. Write your opinion about such things as room sharing at an inn and the communal meals in the dining room. Explain why you would or would not like to have lived during those times.

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