Chapter 127 - The Deck Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 127 - The Deck

What is the Carpenter converting on the deck when Ahab arrives?

  • A whaleboat into a dinghy
  • Queequeg's coffin into a life-buoy
  • An old mast into a harpoon rack
  • A barrel into a water cask

Who ordered the coffin to be repurposed as a life-buoy?

  • Captain Ahab, in a moment of superstition
  • Mr. Starbuck, the first mate
  • Queequeg, after his recovery from illness
  • The Carpenter, on his own initiative

What three items has the Carpenter made or repaired for the Pequod's crew?

  • A whaleboat, a tryworks, and a coffin
  • Ahab's ivory leg, the coffin, and now the life-buoy
  • Starbuck's lance, Queequeg's harpoon, and the coffin
  • A new mast, the helm, and a life-buoy

Why does Ahab say the Carpenter is "as unprincipled as the gods"?

  • Because the Carpenter charges too much for his work
  • Because he builds instruments of both life and death without moral distinction
  • Because the Carpenter refuses to follow Ahab's orders
  • Because the Carpenter mocks the sacred rites of burial

What is the Carpenter's response when Ahab accuses him of being unprincipled?

  • He angrily defends his craftsmanship and honor
  • "But I do not mean anything, sir. I do as I do."
  • "The gods have nothing to do with my trade, sir."
  • He refuses to speak and returns to his work

Which Shakespeare play does Ahab reference in his conversation with the Carpenter?

  • Macbeth, referencing the witches' cauldron scene
  • Hamlet, referencing the gravedigger who sings at work
  • King Lear, referencing the storm on the heath
  • The Tempest, referencing Prospero's magic

According to the Carpenter, what makes the coffin lid a good sounding-board?

  • The high quality of the wood used to build it
  • The fact that there is nothing beneath it—it is hollow
  • The iron nails that hold the planks together
  • The oakum used to seal its seams

What paradox does Ahab identify in the coffin being converted to a life-buoy?

  • That a symbol of the sea is being used on land
  • That the symbol of death has become the sign of hope and life
  • That Queequeg's property is being used without permission
  • That the coffin is too heavy to function as a buoy

What does Ahab wonder the coffin might be "in some spiritual sense"?

  • A warning from the gods about the voyage
  • An immortality-preserver
  • A memorial to lost sailors at sea
  • A vessel for Queequeg's spirit

Why does Ahab ultimately reject the hopeful idea of the coffin as an immortality-preserver?

  • Because Starbuck convinces him it is superstitious nonsense
  • Because the Carpenter argues against the idea on practical grounds
  • Because he believes he is too far gone in darkness for hope
  • Because Pip tells him the idea is meaningless

What does the Carpenter privately compare Ahab to after their conversation?

  • A ship without a rudder, drifting aimlessly
  • A man cut by the Equator—always fiery hot and unpredictable
  • A whale breaching the surface in sudden fury
  • A storm that comes and goes without warning

What exclamation does Ahab make about the nature of material reality?

  • "All matter is but illusion, and the sea proves it!"
  • "How immaterial are all materials! What things real are there, but imponderable thoughts?"
  • "The world is nothing but wood and iron and bone!"
  • "Only the whale is real—everything else is shadow!"

What does Ahab say he gains from his relationship with Pip?

  • Practical navigation advice and seamanship
  • "Most wondrous philosophies" from unknown worlds
  • A sense of fatherly responsibility that grounds him
  • Information about the crew's morale and loyalty

What literary form does Melville use for Chapter 127?

  • First-person narration by Ishmael with extensive digressions
  • Dramatic form with stage directions, dialogue, and soliloquy
  • An epistolary format of letters between crew members
  • A sermon delivered by Father Mapple to the crew

What word does Ahab cut short when the Carpenter begins to say "Faith, sir"?

  • He questions the word "coffin" and its spiritual implications
  • He questions the word "Faith" and its meaning
  • He questions the word "sir" as unnecessary formality
  • He questions the word "sing" as inappropriate for the task

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