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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 Ishmael's profession before signing on the whaling ship?

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

3. What happens to the boat Ishmael is in during the whale hunt?

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

5. What purpose does the mad Elijah serve in the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ishmael happen to share a bed with a tattooed headhunter?

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

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

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

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

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

7. Describe how Ishmael becomes uneasy about Captain Ahab.

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

9. Detail the problems of holding a whale overnight tied to the side of the ship.

10. Explain the startling thing that Ishmael learns about his friend, Queequeg.

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 dealing with hardships. Using examples from MOBY DICK, your essay should point out how human beings have the ability to deal with difficult situations. Discuss ways people deal with hardships today.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on Fearing the Unknown. Using the example of Ishmael's initial reaction to Queequeg, demonstrate in your essay how people tend to fear what is new or unexplained. Note how as Ishmael begins to learn Queequeg's ways, he becomes less fearful and soon they bond as friends. End your essay with a statement about how eliminating prejudicial fear would make the world a better place.

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This section contains 820 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample