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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. What is Starbuck's disagreement with Ahab's purpose for the trip?

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

3. Who are Peleg and Bildad?

4. Although the other four strange men blend in with the crew, what does Ishmael observe about Fedallah?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the surprise the men of the Pequod get when they spot their first whale and begin to lower the boats?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 respect. Use the example of Starbuck who disagrees with Ahab's vendetta against a whale but always follows orders, even when he thinks they are wrong. Define why respect for the captain and the crew is necessary to maintain order on a ship.

Essay Topic 2

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 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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