Chapter 103 - Measurement of The Whale's Skeleton Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 103 - Measurement of The Whale's Skeleton

How long is the sperm whale skeleton at Tranque?

  • Fifty-two feet
  • Seventy-two feet
  • Ninety feet
  • One hundred feet

According to Ishmael, how much length does a whale skeleton lose compared to the living body?

  • About one tenth
  • About one fifth
  • About one third
  • About one half

How much does Ishmael estimate the largest sperm whale weighs?

  • At least fifty tons
  • At least seventy tons
  • At least ninety tons
  • At least one hundred and twenty tons

What population comparison does Ishmael use for the whale's weight?

  • A crew of five hundred sailors
  • A whole village of one thousand one hundred inhabitants
  • An army of two thousand soldiers
  • A town of five thousand people

How many ribs does the whale have on each side?

  • Eight
  • Ten
  • Twelve
  • Fourteen

Which rib is the longest?

  • The first rib
  • The third rib
  • The fifth rib
  • The tenth rib

What does Ishmael compare the whale's ribbed chest and spine to?

  • A cathedral nave
  • The hull of a great ship on the stocks
  • A Roman aqueduct
  • A beached whale carcass

What does Ishmael say about the skeleton as a representation of the whale's form?

  • It is an exact mold of the living whale
  • It is by no means the mould of his invested form
  • It captures the whale's beauty perfectly
  • It is slightly larger than the living whale

What structure does Ishmael compare the stacked vertebrae to?

  • The Tower of Babel
  • Pompey's Pillar
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa
  • Cleopatra's Needle

Approximately how many vertebrae does the whale spine contain?

  • Twenty
  • Thirty
  • Forty and odd
  • Sixty

What does the smallest vertebra look like according to Ishmael?

  • A white billiard-ball
  • A marble column
  • A small cannonball
  • A hen's egg

What happened to the very smallest vertebrae?

  • They crumbled to dust
  • They were sold to a museum
  • The priest's children stole them to play marbles
  • They were lost at sea

Where does Ishmael say the whale can truly be known?

  • In a natural history museum
  • In the pages of scientific texts
  • Only on the profound unbounded sea
  • In the Arsacidean whale chapel

What are whale ribs used for in some of the Arsacides?

  • Fence posts around gardens
  • Beams for footpath bridges over small streams
  • Supports for temple roofs
  • Weapons for hunting

Comprehension Quiz

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