Chapter 113 - The Forge Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 113 - The Forge

What is Perth doing when Captain Ahab first approaches him at the forge?

  • Sharpening harpoon blades for the three harpooneers
  • Holding a pike-head in the coals while working the bellows
  • Repairing the ship's anchor chain with a heavy hammer
  • Forging new nails for the Pequod's damaged hull planks

What does Ahab compare the flying sparks from Perth's anvil to?

  • Shooting stars falling into the dark ocean at night
  • Mother Carey's chickens -- seabirds considered omens
  • Fireflies flickering in a New England summer meadow
  • Sparks from the Devil's own furnace deep below deck

Why does Perth say the sparks cannot burn him?

  • His shark-skin apron protects him from all heat and flame
  • He has built up thick calluses over decades of blacksmithing
  • He is already "scorched all over" and past further scorching
  • He uses a special salve made from whale oil on his skin

What is the "one" seam Perth says he cannot smooth?

  • A crack in the Pequod's mainmast caused by a lightning strike
  • The deep wrinkle on Ahab's brow carved by his obsession
  • A flaw in the White Whale's own scarred and battered skin
  • The scar on Ahab's leg where the ivory replacement joins flesh

What raw material does Ahab provide for the harpoon?

  • Iron salvaged from a sunken warship's cannons and anchors
  • Gathered nail-stubs from the steel shoes of racing horses
  • Steel from melted-down church bells taken from a port town
  • Fragments of the original harpoon that first struck Moby Dick

How many iron rods does Ahab order for the harpoon's shank?

  • Six rods, symbolizing the six days of Biblical creation
  • Nine rods, one for each circle of Dante's Inferno below
  • Twelve rods, to be wound and twisted like a tow-line
  • Three rods, one for each of the Pequod's harpooneers

What does Fedallah (the Parsee) do during the forging scene?

  • He openly chants prayers to Zoroastrian fire deities aloud
  • He passes silently, bowing toward the fire as if invoking a curse or blessing
  • He warns Ahab that the harpoon will bring doom to the ship
  • He helps Perth work the bellows to keep the forge burning hot

What does Ahab use for the harpoon's barbs?

  • Teeth extracted from a captured sperm whale's lower jaw
  • Sharpened pieces of his own broken ivory prosthetic leg
  • His own steel razors, saying he no longer needs to shave
  • Bone fragments from Moby Dick collected on a previous voyage

Why does Ahab refuse to temper the harpoon in water?

  • He believes salt water will corrode and weaken the steel
  • He wants the "true death-temper" and demands human blood instead
  • Perth warns him that water tempering will make the barbs brittle
  • He fears the hissing steam is a bad omen from the sea gods

Which three crew members provide blood to temper the harpoon?

  • Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask -- the three ship's mates
  • Tashtego, Queequeg, and Daggoo -- the three harpooneers
  • Fedallah, Perth, and Pip -- Ahab's closest associates
  • Ishmael, Bulkington, and Elijah -- the crew's truth-seekers

What does Ahab's Latin phrase "Ego non baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli" mean?

  • "I consecrate thee in the name of the sea and all its creatures"
  • "I baptize you not in the name of the Father, but in the name of the Devil"
  • "I forge thee in the fires of hell to destroy the white demon"
  • "I dedicate this weapon to the ancient gods of wind and wave"

To what mythological figures does the narrator compare the bound pole, iron, and rope?

  • The three heads of Cerberus, guardian of the underworld
  • The Three Fates of Greek mythology, who control destiny
  • The three Furies who pursue and punish the guilty and cursed
  • The trident of Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes

What sound is heard at the very end of the chapter as Ahab walks away?

  • A thunderclap and flash of lightning striking the mainmast above
  • The wretched, piteous laugh of Pip, mocking the dark ceremony
  • Perth's hammer striking the anvil one final, ominous, ringing time
  • The distant spouting of a whale echoing across the open ocean

What does the forging scene as a whole symbolize about Ahab's character?

  • His practical seamanship skills and deep knowledge of whaling craft
  • His complete inversion of Christian values, aligning himself with satanic forces
  • His growing respect for the crew and willingness to share leadership
  • His desire to reconcile with nature through the art of metalworking

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