Chapter 25 - Postscript Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 25 - Postscript
What is the stated purpose of Chapter 25 of Moby-Dick?
To advance a speculative argument in behalf of the dignity of whaling that Ishmael separated from the substantiated facts of the previous chapter.
What does Ishmael say happens at the coronation of kings and queens?
A curious process of seasoning them for their functions is performed, including the solemn oiling of the monarch's head.
What humorous comparison does Ishmael make about a king's head being oiled?
He compares it to oiling a head of salad.
What does Ishmael speculate might be the purpose of anointing the king's head?
He wonders if they anoint it with a view of making its interior run well, as they anoint machinery.
What does Ishmael say about men who use hair oil in common life?
They are esteemed meanly and contemptibly, and a mature man who uses hair oil probably has a "quoggy spot" in him somewhere.
What oils does Ishmael eliminate as possibilities for the coronation oil?
Olive oil, macassar oil, castor oil, bear's oil, train oil, and cod-liver oil.
What does Ishmael conclude is the oil used at coronations?
Sperm oil in its unmanufactured, unpolluted state, which he calls "the sweetest of all oils."
To whom does Ishmael address his triumphant conclusion?
He addresses "ye loyal Britons," the British people.
Why does Ishmael title this chapter "Postscript"?
Because it contains speculation rather than substantiated facts, so he separates it from the evidence-based arguments in Chapter 24.
What is the "saltcellar of state" that Ishmael mentions?
A ceremonial salt vessel used in the coronation of British monarchs as part of the seasoning process.
What theme does Chapter 25 advance by connecting whaling to royal coronations?
The theme of democratic leveling—the labor of common whalemen provides the substance that consecrates the most powerful rulers.
How does Ishmael characterize his role in Chapters 24 and 25?
As an advocate arguing a case, presenting facts first and then adding a speculative but powerful surmise as a postscript.
What literary device structures the central argument of Chapter 25?
Process of elimination—Ishmael lists and rejects six alternative oils before concluding that sperm oil is the answer.
What is the satirical irony in Chapter 25's argument about hair oil?
While ordinary men who oil their hair are despised, kings who have their heads oiled at coronation are revered—the same act is dignified or contemptible depending on social rank.
What is the relationship between Chapter 24 ("The Advocate") and Chapter 25 ("Postscript")?
Chapter 24 presents substantiated facts defending whaling's dignity; Chapter 25 adds a speculative but rhetorically powerful conclusion that Ishmael felt was too important to suppress.
What does "train oil" refer to in this chapter?
Oil obtained from the blubber of whales or seals, used historically for lamps and lubrication. Ishmael distinguishes it from the superior sperm oil.
What does the word "quoggy" mean as Ishmael uses it?
Soft, marshy, or boggy—suggesting a weak or unreliable spot in a person's character.
What does "macassar oil" refer to in this chapter?
A hair oil popular in the 19th century, made from ingredients including palm oil, originating from Makassar in Indonesia.