Chapter 3 - The Spouter Inn Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

What does Ishmael conclude the obscure painting in the Spouter-Inn entryway depicts?

• A Hyperborean winter scene with icebergs and polar bears
• A Cape Horn ship in a hurricane with a whale impaling itself on the masts
• A biblical scene of Jonah being swallowed by a great whale
• An abstract representation of the four primal elements at war

What is built into the jawbone of a whale in the Spouter-Inn?

• The main entrance doorway to the inn
• The fireplace in the public room
• The bar where sailors buy their drinks
• A trophy display of whaling weapons

What is the landlord Peter Coffin referring to when he says the harpooneer is out trying to "sell his head"?

• The harpooneer is offering his services as a thinker and strategist
• The harpooneer is selling embalmed New Zealand heads as curiosities
• The harpooneer is trying to sell a carved whale-bone figurehead
• The harpooneer is bartering his own portrait to raise money

Why does Ishmael ultimately give up trying to sleep on the bench in the bar?

• The landlord refuses to let him sleep in the public room
• The crew of the Grampus is too loud and rowdy for sleep
• The bench is too short, too narrow, and exposed to cold drafts
• He decides the harpooneer sounds like a reasonable companion

What ritual does Queequeg perform before going to bed?

• He recites a prayer from the Bible while kneeling by the bed
• He lights a sacrificial fire before a small wooden idol in the fireplace
• He carves a new scrimshaw figure from whale ivory by candlelight
• He polishes his harpoon and hangs it ceremonially at the bedpost

What detail about Bulkington does Ishmael note that sets him apart from his shipmates?

• He is the loudest and most boisterous of the Grampus crew
• He holds somewhat aloof and refrains from making noise with the others
• He immediately approaches Ishmael and introduces himself warmly
• He orders the most expensive drinks and treats the entire crew

What is Queequeg's tomahawk also used as?

• A walking cane for navigating slippery ship decks
• A carving tool for creating scrimshaw artwork
• A tobacco pipe that he smokes through the handle
• A ceremonial object used exclusively in religious rituals

Ishmael tries on the mysterious poncho-like mat he finds on the chest in the harpooneer's room.

Ishmael successfully sleeps on the bench in the bar room before Queequeg arrives.

What does the word "portentous" mean as used to describe the dark mass in the painting?

• Physically heavy and difficult to move
• Ominously significant, suggesting something momentous or threatening
• Brightly colored and visually striking
• Extremely old and deteriorating with age

In the sentence "being completely nonplussed and confounded about the stranger," what does "nonplussed" mean?

• Angered and ready for confrontation
• Physically exhausted from lack of sleep
• Completely baffled and at a total loss
• Indifferent and unconcerned about the situation

What does the word "farrago" mean when Ishmael describes the landlord's stories as "this unaccountable farrago"?

• A deliberate and cruel deception meant to cause harm
• A confused mixture or hodgepodge of unrelated things
• A formal legal accusation brought before a court
• A lengthy and tedious sermon delivered without pause