Chapter 22 - Merry Christmas Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 22 - Merry Christmas
On what holiday does the Pequod depart Nantucket?
Christmas Day
What two final gifts does Aunt Charity bring aboard before departure?
A nightcap for Stubb and a spare Bible for the steward
Who are the two licensed pilots who guide the Pequod out of port?
Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad
Why is Captain Ahab absent from the deck during the departure?
He is reportedly still recovering and staying below in the cabin
What order signals that the Pequod is about to weigh anchor?
"Strike the tent there!" — the order to take down the whalebone marquee
What does Peleg physically do to Ishmael when he pauses at the windlass?
He kicks him in the rear
What bawdy song do the sailors sing while working the windlass?
A chorus about the girls in Booble Alley
What type of music does Bildad sing at the bow while the crew works?
Psalms and hymns (psalmody)
What hymn does Bildad sing during his first watch at night?
"Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood, Stand dressed in living green" — an Isaac Watts hymn about the Promised Land of Canaan
How does the freezing spray affect the Pequod at sea?
It cases the ship in ice, described as "polished armor," with vast curving icicles hanging from the bows
What biblical event does Bildad's hymn reference?
The Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land of Canaan
How does Ishmael react emotionally to Bildad's hymn?
He finds the words full of hope and fruition, imagining pleasant havens and eternally vernal meadows ahead
Why is Bildad suspected of becoming a licensed pilot?
To save the Nantucket pilot-fee on all the ships he had financial interest in
What does Bildad's farewell speech reveal about his character?
It mixes genuine spiritual blessings with penny-pinching practical advice about cheese, butter prices, spare staves, and molasses
What physical detail betrays Peleg's emotions at the farewell?
A tear twinkling in his eye when the lantern comes too near
What does Peleg promise the crew at departure?
A hot supper smoking for them in old Nantucket in three years
What is ironic about the chapter title "Merry Christmas"?
The departure involves bitter cold, hard physical labor, profane shouting, and a kick — far from merry holiday festivities
What does Bildad warn Mr. Flask about if they touch at the islands?
"Beware of fornication"
What is the final image of the chapter?
The ship and boat diverge in the cold night breeze as the crew gives three heavy-hearted cheers and "blindly plunged like fate into the lone Atlantic"
What did Charity place in each seaman's berth before departure?
A small choice copy of Watts (a book of hymns by Isaac Watts)
What simile does Melville use for the icicles on the Pequod's bows?
"Like the white ivory tusks of some huge elephant"
What nickname does Peleg use for Queequeg while driving the crew?
"Quohog" — a mispronunciation of Queequeg's name