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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 Ahab insist that the captain of the Jeroboam come aboard the Pequod?

2. What happens to Radney during a whale chase?

3. What equipment does Ishmael discuss including their descriptions and uses?

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

5. To what does Ishmael compare the weaving of a mat?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Describe how Ishmael becomes uneasy about Captain Ahab.

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

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

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

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

10. What potential serious problem does Ahab ignore in order to talk to the captain of another 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 why Ishmael's idea that the whale could never become extinct was just the thing that has almost made the whale disappear. Explain how man's use of natural resources has done a great deal of damage to species and to the planet.

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 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.

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This section contains 671 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample