Chapter 63 - The Crotch Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 63 - The Crotch

What is the crotch described in this chapter?

  • A forked branch used as firewood on the ship
  • A notched stick used as a rest for harpoons on the whaleboat
  • The fork in the whale line where it splits into two cords
  • A structural beam connecting the bow to the stern

Where on the whaleboat is the crotch placed?

  • In the center thwart near the oarlocks
  • On the port side near the stern
  • In the starboard gunwale near the bow
  • Beneath the keel on the outer hull

To what does Ishmael compare snatching a harpoon from the crotch?

  • A knight drawing a sword from its scabbard
  • A backwoodsman swinging his rifle from the wall
  • A sailor pulling an anchor from the sea
  • A farmer lifting a scythe from its hook

What are the two harpoons in the crotch called?

  • The main and the spare
  • The first and second irons
  • The lance and the toggle
  • The port and starboard irons

Why are both harpoons connected to the same whale line?

  • To weigh down the whale and slow its escape
  • So that if one pulls free, the other may still retain a hold
  • To create a net effect that traps the whale between two lines
  • To allow two different harpooneers to share the same target

What prevents the harpooneer from darting the second iron into the whale?

  • The whale dives too deep to be reached
  • The second iron is too heavy to throw quickly
  • The violent, convulsive running of the whale after the first strike
  • The boat captain orders a retreat

What must be done with the unused second iron when the line is running?

  • It must be cut free from the line immediately
  • It must be held firmly in the crotch
  • It must be tossed overboard out of the boat
  • It must be passed to another boat

What makes tossing the second iron overboard "prudently practicable"?

  • The calm seas typical of whaling grounds
  • The spare coils of box line mentioned in a preceding chapter
  • A special release mechanism on the crotch
  • The strength of the harpooneer's throwing arm

How does Ishmael describe the loose second iron once overboard?

  • A sinking dead weight
  • A dangling, sharp-edged terror
  • A harmless trailing ornament
  • A bright flashing signal

When can the loose second iron generally be secured again?

  • As soon as the whale surfaces to breathe
  • After the boat returns to the ship
  • Not until the whale is captured and a corpse
  • When the harpooneer signals the other boats

How many loose second irons could be dangling if four boats engage one whale?

  • Two or three
  • Four or five
  • Six or seven
  • Eight or ten

What metaphor opens Chapter 63?

  • The ocean as a vast desert
  • Chapters growing like branches and twigs from a trunk
  • The whaleboat as a coffin
  • The harpoon as a bolt of lightning

What does Ishmael foreshadow at the end of this chapter?

  • The sinking of another whaling ship
  • Important scenes yet to come that these details will clarify
  • The discovery of a new species of whale
  • A mutiny among the crew

What word does Ishmael use to describe the erratic movement of the loose iron?

  • Pirouetting
  • Curvetting
  • Galloping
  • Ricocheting

Comprehension Quiz

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