Chapter 133 - The Chase - First Day Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 133 - The Chase - First Day
How does Ahab first detect Moby Dick before anyone sees the whale?
By smell. He sniffs the distinctive odor of a living sperm whale on the night wind and adjusts the ship's course.
What visual sign confirms a whale is nearby at daybreak?
A long, oily slick on the sea, smooth as oil, with wrinkles resembling the marks of a swift tide-rip.
Who first sights Moby Dick from the mast-heads?
Ahab himself, after being hoisted to the main royal-mast head. He cries: "There she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!"
Who challenges Ahab's claim to the doubloon?
Tashtego, who says he spotted the whale at almost the same instant. Ahab overrules him.
Who is ordered to stay aboard the Pequod while the whaleboats are lowered?
Starbuck, the first mate, is told to "stay on board, and keep the ship."
To what mythological figure does Melville compare the swimming Moby Dick?
Jupiter (Jove) in the form of a white bull, swimming away with the ravished Europa.
What object from a previous encounter is still embedded in Moby Dick's back?
The tall but shattered pole of a recent lance, on which sea birds perch.
How does Moby Dick attack Ahab's whaleboat?
He rises from below with open jaws, takes the boat in his mouth, and bites it completely in two like enormous shears.
What does Fedallah do while the whale attacks the boat?
He gazes at Ahab and crosses his arms, remaining completely still while the crew scrambles in panic.
What simile describes Moby Dick shaking the whaleboat in his jaws?
"As a mildly cruel cat her mouse."
How is Ahab rescued after his boat is destroyed?
The Pequod sails between the whale and the wreckage, driving Moby Dick off. Ahab is dragged into Stubb's boat.
What is Ahab's first question after being rescued?
"The harpoon — is it safe?" He wants to confirm the weapon was not lost.
What is "double-banked oars"?
When the crew of a destroyed boat joins another boat, doubling the rowers for continued pursuit.
How does Starbuck interpret the destruction of Ahab's boat?
As "a solemn sight; an omen, and an ill one."
How does Ahab respond to Starbuck's warning about omens?
He rejects the concept of omens entirely, saying the gods would "speak outright" if they wished to communicate with man.
What does Ahab say about his own place among humankind?
"Ahab stands alone among the millions of the peopled earth, nor gods nor men his neighbors!"
What does Stubb say about the wrecked boat?
"The thistle the ass refused; it pricked his mouth too keenly, sir, ha! ha!" — trying to make a joke of the destruction.
How does Ahab rebuke Stubb's joke?
He calls it soulless: "What soulless thing is this that laughs before a wreck? Groan nor laugh should be heard before a wreck."
What does Ahab promise the crew regarding the doubloon at the end of the chapter?
Whoever first raises the whale on the day he is killed wins the gold; if Ahab raises him, ten times the sum is divided among all.
What does Ahab do during the night after the first day's chase?
He stations himself half-way within the scuttle and watches through the entire night until dawn.
What technical whale behavior does Melville describe in a footnote?
Pitchpoling — the sperm whale's motion of thrusting its head up and down vertically, allowing it to survey objects around it.
What structural role does "First Day" play in the novel?
It is the first of a three-day chase (Chapters 133–135) that forms the climax, modeled on classical tragic structure.