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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 the mood on the Pequod?

2. What does Ishmael believe about the survival of whales as a species?

3. Why does Starbuck send Stubb to report the storm damage to Captain Ahab?

4. How does Ahab react to the intrusion by Starbuck?

5. What does the dream predict can kill Ahab?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Fedallah when Moby Dick is harpooned for the first time?

2. How does Ishmael show the further mental deterioration of Ahab?

3. Why does Ahab order a basket to take him to the top of one of the masts?

4. What is the ominous message from the whaling ship Delight?

5. Explain how Stubb uses his sense of humor to trick a French whaling ship into leaving a dead whale.

6. What is the problem with maritime laws pertaining to whaling?

7. What happens when Tashtego accidentally falls into the oil-filled head of the whale?

8. What is the change in the crew as they head out in search of Moby Dick?

9. Describe the madness of Ahab that loses his humanity.

10. What is Ishmael trying to ascertain as he ponders fossil remains of whales he has read about?

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 the hard life of whalers. Mention the three year expeditions required to fill the ship with valuable whale oil. Discuss the weather conditions that make the trip more dangerous. Detail the need to go out in small boats to get near enough to the whales to harpoon them.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the beauty of whales in their natural habitat. Include such things as how they jump out of the water, the impressive look of their spouts, the way they utilize their tails, how graceful they are for such large creatures, and modern recordings of whale songs.

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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