Chapter 61 - Stubb Kills a Whale Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 61 - Stubb Kills a Whale
Who predicts the sperm whale will appear based on the squid sighting?
Queequeg. He says "When you see him 'quid, then you quick see him 'parm whale."
Where in the world is the Pequod sailing when this chapter takes place?
The Indian Ocean.
What is Ishmael doing when he first spots the whale?
Standing watch at the foremast-head, where he has fallen into a drowsy trance.
How does Melville describe the whale when Ishmael first sees it?
Rolling in the water like the capsized hull of a frigate, with a broad, glossy back of an Ethiopian hue glistening like a mirror.
What does Melville compare the spouting whale to before the chase begins?
A portly burgher smoking his pipe of a warm afternoon.
How does Ahab order the crew to approach the whale?
Silently—no oars, only paddles, and no man must speak but in whispers, seated like Ontario Indians on the gunwales.
What does Stubb do when the whale sounds (dives)?
He produces his match and lights his pipe, calmly waiting for the whale to resurface.
Who is Stubb's harpooneer?
Tashtego, a Gay Head Indian.
What happens to Stubb's hands when the harpoon line runs out?
The line passes blisteringly through both of his bare hands because the hand-cloths had accidentally dropped.
What does Stubb tell the tub oarsman to do with the harpoon line?
"Wet the line! wet the line!" The oarsman dashes sea-water on it to prevent the friction from setting it on fire.
What is the loggerhead?
A post in the stern of the whaleboat around which the harpoon line is wound to control its speed.
What three harpooneers give war cries during the chase?
Tashtego ("Woo-hoo! Wa-hee!"), Daggoo ("Kee-hee! Kee-hee!"), and Queequeg ("Ka-la! Koo-loo!").
What does Stubb compare his careful lancing to?
Cautiously seeking to feel after some gold watch that the whale might have swallowed.
What is the whale's "flurry"?
The whale's violent death throes—it wallows in blood and boiling spray after being mortally wounded.
How does the whale ultimately die?
Its heart bursts, sending gush after gush of clotted red gore into the air.
Who announces the whale is dead?
Daggoo, who says "He's dead, Mr. Stubb."
What does Stubb mean by "both pipes smoked out"?
A pun: both his tobacco pipe and the whale's spout-hole (pipe) have gone out.
What does Stubb do after the whale dies?
He withdraws his pipe, scatters the dead ashes over the water, and stands thoughtfully eyeing the vast corpse he has made.
What parallel smoke imagery does Melville weave through the chapter?
Stubb's pipe smoke, the hempen blue smoke from the harpoon line on the loggerhead, and the white smoke from the whale's spiracle.
Why does Melville include a footnote about the sperm whale's head?
To explain that the whale's massive head is actually very buoyant, allowing it to elevate its head and transform from a sluggish vessel into a sharp-pointed shape for speed.
What color does the reflected sunlight on the bloody sea give the crew's faces?
Crimson—"they all glowed to each other like red men."
How does Stubb encourage his men during the chase?
With contradictory instructions—telling them to "start her like grim death" while also saying "keep cool, keep cool—cucumbers is the word."