Chapter 62 - The Dart Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 62 - The Dart

What position does the harpooneer occupy in the whale-boat during the chase?

  • He stands in the bow with the harpoon at the ready throughout the pursuit
  • He pulls the foremost oar, known as the harpooneer-oar, while rowing toward the whale
  • He serves as temporary steersman at the stern until the whale is sighted
  • He sits amidships directing the crew and calling out the whale's position

How far must the harpoon be thrown in what whalemen call "a long dart"?

  • Five or ten feet from the side of the boat to the whale's flank
  • Twenty or thirty feet, requiring the heavy implement to be flung a considerable distance
  • Forty or fifty feet, nearly the full length of the whale-boat itself
  • Only a few feet, since the boat must close to near contact with the whale

What must the harpooneer do in addition to rowing during the chase?

  • Watch the whale's movements and signal direction changes to the steersman
  • Keep the harpoon line coiled and free of tangles at the bow of the boat
  • Shout loud and intrepid exclamations to motivate the rest of the crew
  • Navigate by reading the whale's spout and estimating the distance to close

What command does the harpooneer hear when it is time to throw?

  • "Lower away and after him!" signaling the final approach to the whale
  • "Stand up, and give it to him!" ordering the exhausted man to hurl the harpoon
  • "Lay on, lads, and break your backs!" urging one final burst of rowing speed
  • "Fast to the whale!" announcing that the iron has struck its mark

According to Ishmael, how many successful darts occur out of fifty fair chances across the whole fleet?

  • About twenty-five, or roughly half of all attempts at throwing the harpoon
  • Approximately fifteen, since most harpooneers are reasonably skilled
  • Fewer than five, a success rate of less than ten percent overall
  • Nearly all fifty, because the distance is short enough for most throws

What physical consequence does Ishmael say some harpooneers suffer from the exertion?

  • They develop permanent injuries to their throwing arms and shoulders
  • They fall unconscious from heat exhaustion in the tropical whaling grounds
  • They actually burst their blood vessels in the boat from the extreme strain
  • They lose their hearing from the constant shouting during prolonged chases

What happens when the dart succeeds and the whale begins to run?

  • The entire crew braces while the whale tows the boat at tremendous speed
  • The headsman and harpooneer swap positions, running fore and aft in the moving boat
  • The harpooneer cuts the line and the boat circles around for a second approach
  • The headsman throws a second harpoon to ensure the whale cannot escape

What is the headsman's role once he reaches the bow of the whale-boat?

  • He takes the steering oar and guides the boat behind the fleeing whale
  • He cuts the harpoon line to release the whale if conditions become dangerous
  • He takes his proper station as chief officer to lance and kill the whale
  • He secures the harpoon line to the bow cleat and manages the tow

What reform does Ishmael propose for whale-boat procedure?

  • Two harpooneers should alternate throwing so neither becomes fully exhausted
  • The headsman should stay in the bows from first to last, darting both harpoon and lance
  • The entire crew should stop rowing fifty yards from the whale to prepare for the dart
  • A separate oarsman should be added to the crew so the harpooneer need not row

What trade-off does Ishmael acknowledge in his proposed reform?

  • The headsman might not throw as accurately as a trained harpooneer would
  • The whale-boat would sometimes lose a slight amount of speed in the chase
  • The harpooneer would lose status and wages under the new arrangement
  • The position swap would still be needed after the whale is lanced

According to Ishmael, what is the primary cause of failure in whaling?

  • The superior speed and agility of the Sperm Whale during pursuit
  • The poor quality of harpoons manufactured for the nineteenth-century fleet
  • The exhaustion of the harpooneer, not the speed of the whale being chased
  • The inexperience of young crew members sent on their first whaling voyage

What does the word "disrated" mean in the context of this chapter?

  • Praised publicly for exceptional bravery during a difficult whale chase
  • Reassigned to a different whale-boat with a more experienced headsman
  • Demoted or reduced in rank aboard the ship for failing to land the dart
  • Released from duty and sent ashore at the nearest port of call

What is the closing aphorism of Chapter 62?

  • "It is the harpooneer that makes the voyage, and without him no oil fills the hold."
  • "To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooneers of this world must start to their feet from out of idleness, and not from out of toil."
  • "No wonder that to many ship owners, whaling is but a losing concern from bow to stern."
  • "The headsman should stay in the bows from first to last, for that is where skill, not strength, is needed."

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