Chapter 59 - Squid Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 59 - Squid

Who first spots the mysterious white mass from the main-mast-head?

  • Starbuck, the cautious and superstitious first mate
  • Daggoo, the tall African harpooner on Starbuck's boat
  • Tashtego, the Native American harpooner from Gay Head
  • Ishmael, the narrator keeping watch at the foremast

What does Daggoo initially believe the white mass to be?

  • A massive iceberg drifting south from arctic waters
  • Moby Dick, the White Whale the Pequod is hunting
  • A ghost ship rising from the depths of the ocean
  • A volcanic island newly formed from an undersea eruption

What does Captain Ahab immediately do when the white mass is sighted?

  • He studies it through his spyglass from the quarterdeck first
  • He gives orders for all four boats to be lowered at once
  • He tells the crew to maintain course and observe from the ship
  • He sends only Starbuck's boat ahead to investigate the sighting

What does the mysterious white mass actually turn out to be?

  • A breaching sperm whale covered in white barnacles and scars
  • A giant squid, a vast cream-colored pulpy mass with long arms
  • A large chunk of ambergris floating on the ocean's surface
  • A school of white jellyfish clustered together in enormous numbers

How does Melville describe the squid's arms?

  • As rigid as coral branches, extending stiffly from the body
  • As curling and twisting like a nest of anacondas seeking prey
  • As thin as spider silk, barely visible beneath the water's surface
  • As short and stubby, tucked close against the creature's body

What does Melville say is notably absent from the squid's appearance?

  • Any color at all, making it appear transparent in the water
  • Any perceptible face or front, and any token of sensation or instinct
  • Any arms or tentacles, making it appear as a shapeless blob
  • Any movement whatsoever, floating as still as a dead creature

What does Starbuck say after the squid sinks beneath the waves?

  • He declares the squid is a sign that Moby Dick swims nearby
  • He says he would almost rather have seen and fought Moby Dick
  • He orders the crew to harpoon the squid before it escapes them
  • He tells Flask that the squid is harmless and not worth fearing

How does Captain Ahab react to seeing the giant squid?

  • He curses the creature for wasting the crew's valuable time
  • He says nothing at all and silently sails his boat back to the ship
  • He orders the men to capture squid arms as specimens for study
  • He interprets the squid as a sign that Moby Dick is close by

According to the chapter, what is the giant squid believed to provide for the sperm whale?

  • Protection from predators by entangling them in its arms
  • Its only food, obtained in unknown zones below the surface
  • A navigational guide, as whales follow squid migration patterns
  • Ambergris, the valuable substance found in sperm whale intestines

What evidence do whalemen cite that sperm whales feed on giant squid?

  • Squid beaks found in the stomachs of captured sperm whales
  • Detached squid arms disgorged by whales when closely pursued
  • Whale teeth stained with squid ink after a deep ocean feeding
  • Direct observations of whales attacking squid at the surface

Who is Bishop Pontoppidan, mentioned at the end of the chapter?

  • A Portuguese explorer who first charted the waters near Java
  • A Norwegian clergyman who described the legendary sea monster Kraken
  • A Dutch naturalist who classified cuttlefish in the eighteenth century
  • A Swedish bishop who blessed whaling ships before their voyages

What does the term "Anak of the tribe" mean in the chapter's final line?

  • The leader or elder of a community of marine creatures
  • The giant among its kind, referencing the Biblical race of giants
  • The youngest member of a species, still growing to full size
  • The rarest specimen, seen only once in a generation of sailors

What atmospheric conditions precede the squid's appearance?

  • A violent thunderstorm with crashing waves and driving rain
  • A preternatural stillness with burnished sun and whispering waves
  • A thick fog bank that reduces visibility to almost nothing
  • A strong northerly gale pushing the ship rapidly toward Java

Why do whalemen consider a sighting of the giant squid to be an omen?

  • Because squid appearances always precede dangerous storms at sea
  • Because it is so rarely seen that its rarity has invested it with portentousness
  • Because ancient maritime law required ships to return to port after seeing one
  • Because whalemen believe the squid is a supernatural guardian of whales

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