Chapter 16 - The Ship Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Who tells Ishmael that he must choose the whaling ship by himself?

• Captain Peleg
• Queequeg, relaying the instructions of Yojo
• Captain Bildad
• Father Mapple

What is distinctive about the Pequod's physical appearance?

• It is brand new and freshly painted
• It is adorned with whale ivory and bone throughout
• It is the largest ship in Nantucket harbor
• It has a bright red hull

What lay does Captain Bildad offer Ishmael?

• The 200th lay
• The 275th lay
• The 300th lay
• The 777th lay

What lay does Ishmael actually receive?

• The 275th lay
• The 300th lay
• The 777th lay
• The 200th lay

How does Captain Peleg describe Captain Ahab?

• A gentle, pious, humble man
• A grand, ungodly, god-like man
• A cruel and heartless tyrant
• A quiet, scholarly gentleman

What is the origin of the Pequod's name?

• A Portuguese word for whale
• An extinct Massachusetts Indian tribe
• A Quaker settlement
• A biblical city

What religious denomination do Peleg and Bildad belong to?

• Methodist
• Congregationalist
• Quaker
• Presbyterian

What biblical reference does Ishmael make about the name "Ahab"?

• Ahab was a prophet who parted the seas
• Ahab was a wicked king whose blood was licked by dogs
• Ahab built the Tower of Babel
• Ahab was swallowed by a whale

Ishmael meets Captain Ahab aboard the Pequod in this chapter.

Bildad quotes Scripture while Peleg negotiates Ishmael's pay.

What does the word "sanguinary" mean as used in the chapter?

• Optimistic and hopeful
• Involving much bloodshed; bloodthirsty
• Calm and peaceful
• Related to sailing

In the context of whaling, what is a "lay"?

• A type of knot used on ships
• A fractional share of the voyage's profits
• A sailor's sleeping quarters
• A period of rest between voyages

What does "celerity" mean when Melville writes that Bildad eluded Peleg "with a marvellous oblique, sliding celerity"?

• Heaviness or sluggishness
• Swiftness of movement
• Cunning deception
• Graceful elegance