Chapter 36 - The Quarter-Deck Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

What does Ahab offer as a reward to the first man who spots Moby Dick?

• A barrel of rum
• A Spanish gold doubloon
• A promotion to first mate
• A share of the whale oil profits

Which crew member is the first to name the whale as Moby Dick?

• Starbuck
• Queequeg
• Tashtego
• Stubb

What is Starbuck's primary argument against Ahab's quest?

• The crew is not strong enough to fight the whale
• Seeking vengeance on a dumb brute is blasphemous and unprofitable
• The ship is not equipped for the journey
• Moby Dick has already been killed by another ship

In Ahab's famous speech, what does he compare all visible objects to?

• Shadows on a cave wall
• Pasteboard masks
• Painted scenery
• Veils of illusion

What objects do the harpooneers use as drinking goblets in the final ritual?

• Pewter tankards
• Coconut shells
• The inverted sockets of their harpoon heads
• Whale-bone cups

What does Stubb compare Ahab to early in the chapter?

• A storm at sea
• A chick pecking out of its shell
• A lion stalking prey
• A volcano about to erupt

What does Ahab say he would do if the sun insulted him?

• Pray for forgiveness
• Strike it
• Turn the ship away
• Accept the insult with dignity

What physical feature of the whale does Queequeg describe?

• Its crooked jaw
• Its fan-tail motion
• The twisted harpoons in its hide
• Its white hump

Starbuck openly refuses to participate in the oath against Moby Dick and leaves the deck.

Ahab orders the mates to cross their lances before him as part of the ritual.

What does "inscrutable" mean as used in "an inscrutable malice sinewing it"?

• Extremely powerful
• Impossible to understand or interpret
• Deliberately cruel
• Ancient and forgotten

In context, what does "acquiescence" mean in "the enchanted, tacit acquiescence of the mate"?

• Loud agreement
• Reluctant acceptance without protest
• Angry defiance
• Enthusiastic endorsement

What does "razeed" mean when Ahab says the whale "razeed me"?

• Praised or honored
• Cut down or reduced
• Chased relentlessly
• Cursed or damned