Chapter 26 - Knights and Squires Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 26 - Knights and Squires
Who is the chief mate of the Pequod?
Starbuck, a native of Nantucket and a Quaker by descent.
How does Ishmael describe Starbuck's physical appearance?
Lean and weather-hardened, with flesh "hard as twice-baked biscuit" and pure tight skin, as though he were the condensation of a man.
About how old is Starbuck at the time of the voyage?
About thirty years old ("Only some thirty arid summers had he seen").
What is Starbuck's famous rule about the men in his whaleboat?
"I will have no man in my boat who is not afraid of a whale."
What does Starbuck mean by insisting his men fear whales?
That courage based on rational fear is more reliable than recklessness, and an utterly fearless man is more dangerous than a coward.
Who is Stubb in this chapter?
The second mate of the Pequod, who briefly affirms Starbuck's reputation as a careful man.
What happened to Starbuck's father and brother?
Both were killed in the whaling industry.
What domestic memories soften Starbuck's rugged nature?
His far-away memories of his young Cape wife and child.
What kind of superstition does Starbuck exhibit?
A superstition that springs from intelligence rather than ignorance, manifesting as sensitivity to outward portents and inward presentiments.
How does Starbuck view courage in the whaling business?
As a practical resource, like beef and bread on the ship, not to be foolishly wasted.
What type of terror can Starbuck NOT withstand?
Spiritual terrors from "the concentrating brow of an enraged and mighty man" — foreshadowing his inability to resist Ahab.
What does Ishmael mean by "that democratic dignity which has no robed investiture"?
The inherent nobility and worth of common working people, which does not depend on titles, wealth, or royal trappings.
Who are the three historical figures Melville cites as examples of humble greatness?
John Bunyan (a convict), Cervantes (disabled and impoverished), and Andrew Jackson (born in poverty).
What is Melville's artistic purpose in invoking the "Spirit of Equality"?
To justify his decision to ascribe high qualities and tragic graces to common sailors, renegades, and castaways.
What simile compares Starbuck's vitality to a timepiece?
"Like a patent chronometer, his interior vitality was warranted to do well in all climates."
What literary device is used when Ishmael addresses the "great democratic God"?
Apostrophe — a direct address to an absent or abstract entity.
What does the narrator foreshadow about Starbuck's future?
That Starbuck's fortitude may suffer "complete abasement," hinting at his eventual moral defeat.
What is the meaning of the chapter title "Knights and Squires"?
It draws on feudal imagery to describe the Pequod's hierarchy: the mates are "knights" commanding the whaleboats, and their harpooneers are "squires."
What does Ishmael say about man "in the ideal"?
That man is "so noble and so sparkling, such a grand and glowing creature, that over any ignominious blemish in him all his fellows should run to throw their costliest robes."
Why does Starbuck refuse to lower for whales after sundown?
Because he views courage as a practical resource not to be wasted, and he is in the whaling business to kill whales for a living, not to be killed by them.