Chapter 115 - The Pequod Meets The Bachelor Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 115 - The Pequod Meets The Bachelor
What is the name of the ship the Pequod meets in Chapter 115?
The Bachelor, a Nantucket whaling ship.
What has the Bachelor accomplished that makes it so unusual?
It has filled every last cask with sperm oil, enjoying the most surprising success while other ships went months without a single catch.
What did the Bachelor's crew give away to make room for more oil?
Barrels of beef and bread.
What happened to the cabin table on the Bachelor?
It was knocked into kindling-wood. The crew dined off the broad head of an oil-butt lashed to the floor.
What was the only thing NOT filled with sperm oil on the Bachelor?
The captain's pantaloons pockets, which he kept free to thrust his hands into as a sign of satisfaction.
What instruments provide music on the Bachelor?
Drums made from whale stomach skin on the try-pots, and fiddles with whale ivory bows played by three Long Island men.
Who are the women dancing on the Bachelor's quarterdeck?
Olive-hued girls who had eloped with the crew from the Polynesian Isles.
What is the Bachelor's crew doing to the try-works?
Tearing them apart and hurling the brick and mortar into the sea, since they no longer need them.
What is Ahab's first question when the Bachelor hails the Pequod?
"Hast seen the White Whale?"
How does the Bachelor's captain respond about the White Whale?
He says he has only heard of him but doesn't believe in him at all.
What does Ahab call the Bachelor's captain?
"Too damned jolly."
Complete Ahab's line: "Call me an empty ship, and ___"
"outward-bound."
In which direction does each ship sail after the encounter?
The Bachelor sails cheerily before the breeze (with the wind); the Pequod fights stubbornly against it.
How do the Pequod's crew react as the Bachelor departs?
They look with grave, lingering glances toward the receding Bachelor.
What does Ahab take from his pocket at the end of the chapter?
A small vial filled with Nantucket sand (Nantucket soundings).
What does the vial of Nantucket sand symbolize?
Home and the domestic life Ahab has forsaken in his obsessive pursuit of Moby Dick.
What does Melville say the two captains "impersonated"?
The whole striking contrast of the scene—joy and celebration versus stubborn gloom and obsession.
What is hung from the Bachelor's bowsprit?
The long lower jaw of the last whale they had slain.
What is nailed to the Bachelor's main truck (top of the mainmast)?
A brazen (brass) lamp.
How does Melville describe Ahab's appearance during the encounter?
Shaggy and black, with a stubborn gloom.