Chapter 118 - The Quadrant Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 118 - The Quadrant

What instrument does Ahab use to determine his latitude in Chapter 118?

  • A sextant with a brass telescope
  • A quadrant with colored glasses for sighting the sun
  • A magnetic compass mounted on a gimbal
  • An astrolabe carved from whale ivory

What is the Parsee (Fedallah) doing while Ahab takes his solar observation?

  • Standing at the helm and steering the ship toward the equator
  • Kneeling beneath Ahab on deck, staring at the same sun with half-hooded eyes
  • Climbing the masthead to look for signs of Moby Dick
  • Consulting nautical charts in the cabin below deck

On what unusual surface does Ahab write his latitude calculation?

  • The ship's wooden railing, carved with his knife
  • A slate board kept in his captain's coat pocket
  • His ivory (whale-bone) leg, writing with a pencil
  • The gold doubloon nailed to the mast

What question does Ahab address to the sun that it cannot answer?

  • Whether the wind will shift to favor their course southward
  • How deep the ocean floor lies beneath the Pequod's keel
  • Where Moby Dick is at that very moment in the sea
  • Whether the crew will remain loyal to his command

What does Ahab call the quadrant before he destroys it?

  • A "cursed oracle" and "instrument of false prophecy"
  • A "foolish toy" and "babies' plaything of haughty Admirals"
  • A "broken compass" and "relic of superstitious mariners"
  • A "useless trinket" and "mockery of celestial navigation"

According to Ahab, what is the fundamental limitation of the quadrant?

  • It cannot function accurately in the Southern Hemisphere seas
  • It requires clear skies and fails in the storms they frequently encounter
  • It can only show where you currently are, not where anything will be
  • It measures longitude poorly and gives unreliable east-west positions

What does Ahab physically do to the quadrant?

  • He throws it overboard into the Japanese sea at high noon
  • He locks it away in his cabin and refuses to use it again
  • He dashes it to the deck and tramples it with his feet
  • He hands it to Starbuck and orders him to navigate differently

What navigation methods does Ahab declare he will use instead of the quadrant?

  • Star charts and the position of the moon at midnight
  • The ship's compass and dead-reckoning by log and line
  • The flight patterns of seabirds and ocean current readings
  • Fedallah's prophetic guidance and instinct alone

What two emotions cross the Parsee's face as Ahab destroys the quadrant?

  • Anger directed at Ahab and relief for himself at the decision
  • Sneering triumph meant for Ahab and fatalistic despair meant for himself
  • Bewilderment at Ahab's rage and quiet satisfaction at the chaos
  • Sorrow for the lost instrument and contempt for Ahab's weakness

To what does Starbuck compare Ahab's "fiery life"?

  • A lightning bolt that strikes the sea and vanishes into nothing
  • A dense coal fire that burns intensely but wanes to a heap of ashes
  • A whale-oil lamp that flickers before going dark in the wind
  • A volcanic eruption that destroys everything in its burning path

How does Stubb respond to Ahab's outburst and Starbuck's lament?

  • He suggests the crew should mutiny against their mad captain
  • He corrects Starbuck's metaphor to "sea-coal" and admires Ahab's commitment to the game
  • He agrees with Starbuck that Ahab is destroying them all hopelessly
  • He laughs it off and tells the crew to ignore the captain's ravings

What does Ahab mean when he says human eyes are "level by nature to this earth's horizon"?

  • That sailors should always keep their eyes fixed on the distant horizon line
  • That humans are meant to look straight ahead, not upward toward heaven
  • That the quadrant should be held level with the horizon for accuracy
  • That the crew should stop looking up at the sails and focus on rowing

What are the crew staring at while eagerly waiting for orders to head to the equator?

  • The distant storm clouds gathering on the southern horizon
  • The nailed doubloon on the mast (the reward for spotting Moby Dick)
  • The Parsee's mysterious ritual at the bow of the ship
  • Ahab's quadrant as he performs his noon observation

How does Melville describe the Japanese sea in summer?

  • Dark and foggy, with heavy clouds blocking the sun entirely
  • Calm and glassy, with brilliant sunlight like a burning-glass and a lacquered sky
  • Turbulent with monsoon winds and towering grey ocean waves
  • Mild and temperate, with gentle breezes and scattered white clouds

To what three figures does the narrator compare the ship's masts as the Pequod turns?

  • Three Roman senators debating in the forum of the ship
  • The three Horatii pirouetting on one sufficient steed
  • Three Greek columns holding up the canopy of the sky
  • Three lighthouse towers standing against the force of the wind

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