Chapter 21 - Going Aboard Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 21 - Going Aboard
What time of day do Ishmael and Queequeg arrive at the wharf?
Nearly six o'clock, during the grey, misty predawn twilight.
Who stops Ishmael and Queequeg as they approach the Pequod?
Elijah, the mysterious stranger who had previously warned them about Captain Ahab.
What does Elijah ask Ishmael about before departing?
Whether Ishmael saw anything "looking like men" going toward the ship.
How many shadowy figures does Ishmael think he saw heading toward the Pequod?
Four or five men, though it was too dim to be certain.
What ominous institution does Elijah reference in his farewell?
The Grand Jury, implying criminal proceedings or doom ahead.
What is the condition of the Pequod when Ishmael and Queequeg first board?
Profoundly quiet with no soul moving; the cabin entrance locked, hatches battened, and rigging coiled over them.
Who do Ishmael and Queequeg find below decks in the forecastle?
An old rigger in a tattered pea-jacket, asleep face-down on two sea chests.
What does Queequeg do that shocks Ishmael in the forecastle?
He sits on top of the sleeping rigger, declaring it a "perry dood seat."
What custom from Queequeg's homeland does he describe to justify sitting on the rigger?
Chiefs and great people fatten lower-ranking individuals to use as living ottomans and furniture.
What dual purpose does Queequeg's tomahawk-pipe serve?
It has both brained his foes (as a hatchet) and soothed his soul (as a smoking pipe).
What wakes the sleeping rigger?
The strong tobacco vapor from Queequeg's tomahawk pipe filling the small space.
What important information does the rigger share when he wakes?
The ship sails that day, and Captain Ahab came aboard the previous night.
Where is Captain Ahab during Chapter 21?
He remains "invisibly enshrined" within his cabin, never appearing on deck.
Who is the chief mate mentioned at the end of the chapter?
Starbuck, described as "a lively chief mate" who is "good" and "pious."
What biblical figure does Elijah's name reference?
The Old Testament prophet Elijah, who foretold the destruction of the biblical King Ahab.
What literary device is at work in the shadowy figures boarding the Pequod?
Foreshadowing—the figures are later revealed to be Fedallah and Ahab's secret crew.
How does Melville create a gothic atmosphere on the Pequod in this chapter?
Through the misty dawn, locked cabin, battened hatches, deathlike silence, and a motionless sleeper—making the ship feel like a crypt.
What theme does Queequeg's "human ottoman" story illustrate?
Cultural relativity—Melville shows that customs considered shocking in one society may be entirely normal in another.
What does Ahab's continued absence aboard his own ship symbolize?
His psychological isolation and obsessive nature; the word "enshrined" also gives him an almost sacred, untouchable quality.
What is the role of comic relief in Chapter 21?
Queequeg's antics with the rigger and his tomahawk-pipe offset the chapter's ominous mood, balancing dread with humor.