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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. Why does Elijah challenge Ishmael to find the men he saw heading for the Pequod?

2. What is Ishmael's profession before signing on the whaling ship?

3. Who is Charity and what is her function regarding the Pequod?

4. To what does Ishmael attribute the hieroglyphic-like markings on the whale skin?

5. What is Queequeg's amusing story about the ship captain attending a wedding in his father's court?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Starbuck and Stubb react to Ahab's stated mission?

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

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

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

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

6. How does Queequeg determine which of them will select the whaling ship they take for their whaling adventure?

7. What does Ishmael think about paintings and drawings of whales?

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

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

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

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 Ishmael as the narrator of MOBY DICK. Explain what makes Ishmael a good choice as narrator in terms of his education and background. Why does Ishmael relate better to the general reader than Starbuck or Flask might have? Why is it necessary to the story that Ishmael survive the destruction of the Pequod?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on why we know so much more about whales now than Melville knew. Discuss the modern technology that allows whales to be observed in their natural underwater habitat. Mention modern photography that shows the whale as it is and not as an artist imagines it.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on understanding other cultures. Begin with Ishmael's initial fear of Queequeg. Note how Queequeg did not seem so strange after Ishmael sees many other ethnic people on the streets of New Bedford. Discuss how Queequeg begins to see Ishmael as his brother. Finish with how religious prejudice like Bildad's tends to resist inter-cultural understanding.

(see the answer keys)

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