Chapter 119 - The Candles Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 119 - The Candles

What type of storm strikes the Pequod in Chapter 119?

  • A nor'easter off the American coast
  • A Typhoon in the Japanese seas
  • A hurricane in the Caribbean
  • A squall near the Cape of Good Hope

What happens to Ahab's quarter boat during the storm?

  • It is swept overboard entirely by a wave
  • Its bottom is stoved in at the stern, where Ahab stands
  • Its mast snaps and tangles in the rigging
  • It catches fire from a lightning strike on deck

Why does Starbuck see the storm's wind direction as ominous?

  • The wind blows toward a dangerous reef ahead of them
  • The gale comes from the east, the course set for Moby Dick
  • The wind shifts constantly, making navigation impossible
  • The wind carries the scent of whale oil from a rival ship

How does Stubb respond to the mortal danger of the Typhoon?

  • He prays silently at the ship's stern rail
  • He sings songs and declares himself a cheerful coward
  • He argues with Starbuck about navigation strategy
  • He hides below deck and refuses to come out

What are the "corpusants" that appear on the Pequod's masts?

  • Ghostly apparitions of dead sailors from legend
  • St. Elmo's fire — luminous electrical discharge on the mast tips
  • Flocks of storm petrels roosting on the yardarms
  • Phosphorescent sea spray thrown up by the waves

How does Melville describe the three burning masts, giving the chapter its title?

  • Like three pillars of hellfire reaching toward heaven
  • Like three gigantic wax tapers before an altar
  • Like three signal beacons warning ships of danger
  • Like three lighthouses illuminating a dark harbor

What biblical reference does Ishmael invoke when describing the corpusants?

  • The burning bush witnessed by Moses on Mount Sinai
  • The pillar of fire that guided the Israelites through the desert
  • The "Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin" writing on the wall from Daniel
  • The tongues of fire at Pentecost that descended on the apostles

Where is the Parsee positioned during the corpusant scene?

  • Standing at the helm, steering through the storm
  • Kneeling at the mainmast's base beneath the doubloon and flame
  • Climbing the rigging to secure a loose spar above deck
  • Huddled with the crew on the forecastle watching silently

What does Ahab declare is the "right worship" of the clear spirit of fire?

  • Humble submission and prayer for mercy from the divine
  • Defiance — acknowledging its power while refusing to submit
  • Silent meditation upon the mysteries of the natural world
  • Sacrifice of worldly possessions to appease the storm

What is Ahab's past connection to fire worship, as revealed in his soliloquy?

  • He studied Zoroastrianism at university before becoming a sailor
  • He once worshipped fire "as Persian" and bears a scar from a sacramental act
  • He accidentally started a fire that destroyed his childhood home
  • He learned fire rituals from the Parsee during a previous voyage

What object is burning with "pale, forked fire" on Ahab's whaleboat?

  • The ship's compass, magnetized by the lightning strikes
  • Ahab's harpoon, the one forged at Perth's fire
  • The doubloon nailed to the mainmast by Ahab
  • A wooden figurehead carved in the shape of a whale

What does Starbuck urge Ahab to do when he sees the burning harpoon?

  • Throw the cursed harpoon overboard immediately to save the ship
  • Square the yards and make a fair wind homeward to abandon the hunt
  • Use the burning harpoon as a signal to other ships for help
  • Pray for forgiveness and swear off the pursuit of whales

How does Ahab prevent the crew's near-mutiny?

  • He promises double wages and extra shore leave to every man
  • He waves the burning harpoon like a torch and threatens to transfix anyone who disobeys
  • He orders Starbuck to be locked in his cabin for insubordination
  • He fires a musket into the air and commands silence on deck

How does Ahab extinguish the flame on the harpoon?

  • He plunges it into a bucket of seawater on the deck
  • He blows it out with a single blast of his breath
  • He smothers it with his coat and stamps on the embers
  • He hands it to the Parsee, who quenches it with a prayer

What does Melville compare Ahab to at the chapter's end, as the crew flees from him?

  • A king on a burning throne, commanding a doomed army
  • A lone, gigantic elm that attracts thunderbolts because of its height
  • A volcano erupting in the middle of a terrified village
  • A mad prophet raging against an indifferent sky above

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