Chapter 45 - The Affidavit Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville
Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 45 - The Affidavit
Why does Ishmael write "The Affidavit"?
- To introduce a new character who serves as a legal witness
- To prove that the story of the White Whale is grounded in real events
- To describe the legal contract between the Pequod's crew and owners
- To present Ahab's sworn statement of revenge against Moby Dick
How does Ishmael prove that individual whales can be re-encountered years later?
- He cites scientific studies of whale migration patterns and feeding grounds
- He references logbook entries from multiple whaling captains across decades
- He describes whales struck years apart by the same whaler, identified by marked harpoon irons still in the body
- He quotes a naturalist who tagged and tracked whales across the Pacific Ocean
Which of these is NOT one of the famous whales Ishmael names?
- Timor Tom
- New Zealand Jack
- Mocha Dick
- Don Miguel
What was distinctive about the whale called Morquan?
- He was scarred like an iceberg from many harpoon wounds
- His back was marked with mystic hieroglyphics like a tortoise
- His spout at times resembled a snow-white cross against the sky
- He had a peculiar huge mole under his eye that made him recognizable
What happened to the ship Essex in 1820?
- It was wrecked on unknown rocks during a storm off Nantucket
- A sperm whale rammed its hull and sank it in the Pacific Ocean
- It caught fire from an overturned try-pot while processing whale oil
- It was capsized by a rogue wave while pursuing a pod of right whales
What personal connection does Melville claim to the Essex disaster?
- His father was a financial backer of the Essex voyage
- He sailed on the Essex's replacement vessel under Captain Pollard
- He met Owen Chase's son, read Chase's narrative, and conversed with him
- He served as cabin boy on the rescue vessel that found the survivors
What happened to Captain Pollard after the Essex was sunk?
- He retired immediately and became a schoolteacher in Nantucket
- He commanded another ship that was also lost, then forswore the sea entirely
- He spent the rest of his career hunting the whale that sank the Essex
- He wrote a bestselling account of the disaster and moved to Boston
What happened when a naval Commodore denied that any whale could damage his warship?
- He was mocked by the whaling captains and left the dinner in embarrassment
- He successfully fought off a whale attack, proving his boast correct
- A whale struck his ship so hard that he had to make for port with all pumps going
- His warship was sunk and he was court-martialed upon returning home
What is Melville's personal connection to the whale incident described in Langsdorff's Voyages?
- He was a crew member on the same expedition as Langsdorff
- Captain D'Wolf, who commanded the ship in the incident, was Melville's uncle
- Langsdorff dedicated his book to Melville's father as a fellow explorer
- Melville discovered Langsdorff's manuscript in a Nantucket library
According to Ishmael, why do most deaths in the whale fishery go unreported?
- Ship owners suppress the information to continue recruiting new sailors
- Whaling deaths occur in remote waters far from regular postal communication
- The government classifies whaling casualties as military secrets
- Newspapers refuse to print stories about the dangerous whaling industry
What plea does Ishmael make about the use of lamps and candles?
- He urges readers to switch from whale oil to cheaper alternatives
- He asks readers to be economical because every gallon cost human blood
- He warns that overuse of whale oil will drive sperm whales to extinction
- He suggests that bright light attracts dangerous whales near the shore
Who was Procopius, and why does Ishmael reference him?
- A Greek sea captain who first mapped the sperm whale's migration routes
- A sixth-century Byzantine historian who recorded a sea-monster destroying ships for over fifty years
- A Roman naturalist who classified whale species in his encyclopedia
- A medieval monk who illustrated whale attacks in illuminated manuscripts
What does Ishmael believe Procopius's sea-monster actually was?
- A giant squid, based on the descriptions of its tentacles
- A right whale, common in the Mediterranean shipping lanes
- A sperm whale, because it destroyed ships and sperm whales have been found in the Mediterranean
- An unknown species of marine creature now extinct
What Biblical figure does Ishmael compare the Commodore to after his encounter with the whale?
- Jonah, who was swallowed by a great fish sent by God
- Moses, who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross
- Saul of Tarsus, who was converted from unbelief by a sudden fright
- Noah, who survived the great flood by building an ark
What quotation from Solomon does Ishmael use to conclude the chapter?
- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"
- "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity"
- "Verily there is nothing new under the sun"
- "A time to kill, and a time to heal"
Comprehension Quiz
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