Chapter 133 - The Chase - First Day Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 133 - The Chase - First Day

How does Ahab first detect Moby Dick before anyone sees the whale?

  • He hears the whale breaching in the distance
  • He smells the distinctive odor of a living sperm whale on the wind
  • He spots the whale's spout from the mast-head at sunrise
  • He notices a change in the ocean current and water color

What does Ahab cry out when he first sights the whale?

  • "Thar she blows! The White Whale at last!"
  • "There she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!"
  • "All hands! The whale is upon us! Lower the boats!"
  • "I see him! Moby Dick rises! The chase begins now!"

Who challenges Ahab's claim to the gold doubloon?

  • Starbuck, who argues the captain should not compete for it
  • Stubb, who claims he smelled the whale first from below deck
  • Tashtego, who says he spotted the whale at the same instant
  • Flask, who insists the lookouts should have priority over the captain

Which officer is ordered to stay aboard the Pequod while the whaleboats are lowered?

  • Stubb, the second mate, to coordinate rescue if needed
  • Flask, the third mate, because his boat was damaged
  • Starbuck, the first mate, to keep the ship under command
  • Fedallah, to watch from the mast-heads and signal directions

To what mythological figure does Melville compare Moby Dick as he swims?

  • Neptune, god of the sea, wielding his trident beneath the waves
  • Poseidon's great sea-horse, galloping across the foam-crested swells
  • Jupiter as a white bull swimming with Europa toward Crete
  • Leviathan, the biblical sea monster summoned by divine wrath

How does Moby Dick attack Ahab's whaleboat?

  • He breaches and crashes down on top of the boat from above
  • He rises from below with open jaws and bites the boat in two
  • He strikes the boat broadside with his massive tail flukes
  • He rams the boat head-on with his battering-ram forehead

What does Fedallah do during the whale's attack on the boat?

  • He leaps into the sea to escape the whale's jaws at the last moment
  • He hurls his harpoon into the whale's exposed underbelly as it rises
  • He gazes at Ahab and crosses his arms while remaining completely still
  • He shouts commands to the crew to brace for the whale's impact

How is Ahab rescued from the water after his boat is destroyed?

  • He swims to Stubb's boat and pulls himself aboard unassisted
  • Queequeg dives in and carries the captain to safety on his back
  • The Pequod sails between the whale and Ahab, then boats pull him out
  • Flask's boat hooks the wreckage and tows Ahab clear of danger

What is the first thing Ahab asks about after being rescued?

  • Whether Moby Dick was wounded during the encounter with the boats
  • Whether all the crew members survived the whale's attack unharmed
  • Whether the harpoon is safe and was not lost in the wreck
  • Whether the Pequod sustained any damage from sailing into the fray

What does Starbuck call the destruction of Ahab's boat?

  • A test of the crew's courage and seamanship under fire
  • A solemn sight, an omen, and an ill one foretelling disaster
  • A minor setback that should not deter them from the hunt
  • A warning from God that they should abandon the chase immediately

How does Ahab respond to the idea of omens?

  • He agrees they should exercise more caution the following day
  • He says the gods would speak plainly if they wished to warn mankind
  • He orders Starbuck confined to quarters for questioning his authority
  • He consults Fedallah for a Parsee interpretation of the day's signs

What does Ahab declare about his relationship to the rest of humanity?

  • That he is bound by duty to protect every sailor aboard the ship
  • That all men are brothers, united in the hunt against the whale
  • That he stands alone, with neither gods nor men as his neighbors
  • That he will be remembered as the greatest whaling captain who lived

What does Ahab do through the night after the first day of the chase?

  • He retires to his cabin to plan the next day's attack strategy
  • He repairs the damaged whaleboat by lantern on the quarter-deck
  • He stations himself in the scuttle and watches until dawn arrives
  • He paces the deck giving orders to the helmsman until midnight

What is "pitchpoling" as described in the chapter's footnote?

  • A whaling technique for throwing the lance from a great distance at sea
  • The sperm whale's vertical head-thrusting motion used to survey surroundings
  • The method of securing a dead whale alongside the ship for processing
  • A navigational maneuver for approaching a whale against the current

What structural role does "The Chase -- First Day" play in the novel's climax?

  • It is the sole chapter devoted to hunting, with all action compressed together
  • It is the first of a three-chapter, three-day chase modeled on classical tragedy
  • It serves as an epilogue recounting the chase from Ishmael's later memory
  • It is one of five chase chapters alternating with reflective interludes between

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