Chapter 33 - The Specksynder Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

What does the word "Specksynder" literally mean?

• Whale-Hunter
• Fat-Cutter
• Ship-Master
• Rope-Maker

In the old Dutch Fishery, what was the captain's authority restricted to?

• The whale-hunting department
• Navigation and general management of the vessel
• Training the harpooneers
• Dividing profits among the crew

What is the "grand distinction" between officer and man at sea?

• Officers wear uniforms; men do not
• Officers eat first; men eat last
• Officers live aft; men live forward
• Officers give orders; men remain silent

What kind of obedience does Captain Ahab demand from his crew?

• Ceremonial and formal deference
• Implicit, instantaneous obedience
• Religious devotion and worship
• Written pledges of loyalty

What does Melville mean when he says Ahab "masked himself" behind maritime forms and usages?

• Ahab wore a literal disguise on the quarter-deck
• Ahab used traditional authority structures to conceal and advance his private obsessive ends
• Ahab pretended to be a different captain
• Ahab hid his physical scars from the crew

Which political figure does Melville reference as an example of tremendous centralized power?

• Napoleon Bonaparte
• King George III
• Nicholas the Czar
• Julius Caesar

How do crew members on a Southern whaling voyage earn their income?

• Fixed daily wages set by the ship owner
• Common luck and shared profits rather than fixed wages
• A salary paid by the Specksynder
• Bounties per whale captured

What term does Melville use for Ahab's despotic quality of mind?

• Monarchism
• Sultanism
• Imperialism
• Absolutism

In Chapter 33, Ahab requires crew members to remove their shoes before stepping on the quarter-deck.

In Chapter 33, Ishmael explains that harpooneers on American whale-ships take their meals in the captain's cabin.

In the chapter, what does "punctilious" mean in the phrase "the punctilious externals of the quarter-deck"?

• Aggressive and forceful
• Meticulously careful about formalities and correct behavior
• Casual and relaxed
• Ancient and outdated

What does "subalterns" mean when Ishmael says the Specksioneer is "but one of the captain's more inferior subalterns"?

• Business partners
• Officers of inferior rank; subordinates
• Elected representatives
• Foreign advisors

In the phrase "the plebeian herds crouch abased," what does "plebeian" mean?

• Noble and aristocratic
• Of or belonging to the common people
• Military and disciplined
• Educated and scholarly