Chapter 64 - Stubb's Supper Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 64 - Stubb's Supper

How does Ahab react when Stubb's killed whale is secured alongside the Pequod?

  • He celebrates the catch and congratulates Stubb on a successful hunt
  • He vacantly eyes the whale, issues orders, and retires to his cabin in dissatisfaction
  • He orders the crew to begin cutting in the whale immediately by lantern light
  • He inspects the whale closely and estimates the number of barrels of oil it will yield

What part of the whale does Stubb order cut for his steak?

  • The tongue, considered the choicest delicacy by experienced whalemen
  • A section from the thick blubber layer along the whale's midsection
  • The tapering extremity of the body, cut from the whale's "small" (tail end)
  • The whale's hump, which is said to contain the finest marbled meat

Where does Stubb eat his whale steak?

  • In the captain's cabin, where he has taken temporary command of the vessel
  • At the capstan-head on deck, lit by two sperm-oil lanterns at around midnight
  • In the forecastle with the rest of the crew, sharing the whale meat equally
  • At the tryworks fire, where the blubber is being rendered into whale oil

What are the sharks doing while Stubb eats his steak?

  • Circling at a safe distance, deterred by the lantern light and crew activity
  • Attacking the whale-boats still tied alongside, threatening the ship's safety
  • Swarming around the dead whale by thousands, scooping out globular pieces of blubber
  • Following a trail of blood away from the ship toward where the whale was killed

What does Stubb order the cook Fleece to do about the noisy sharks?

  • Throw scraps of food into the water on the opposite side of the ship to lure them away
  • Go preach a sermon to them, telling them they may eat freely but must keep quiet
  • Bang pots and pans against the hull to frighten the sharks away from the carcass
  • Prepare a fire and lower torches to the water to drive the sharks off with light

What is the central message of Fleece's sermon to the sharks?

  • They must leave the whale alone because it is the rightful property of the Pequod's crew
  • They should govern their voracious natures, share equally, and care for the "small fry"
  • The whale meat is poisoned and eating it will surely cause them all to perish
  • They should follow the ship to find easier prey in warmer, more plentiful waters

What does Fleece mean when he says "all angel is not'ing more dan de shark well goberned"?

  • Angels are imaginary creatures that have no more reality than talking sharks
  • Sharks are fallen angels that were cast into the sea as divine punishment
  • An angel is simply a being whose base, predatory nature has been properly controlled
  • The difference between angels and sharks is that angels live in heaven, not the sea

What does Stubb say when Fleece preaches charity to the sharks?

  • "That's enough, Fleece, they cannot understand a word you are saying to them"
  • "Well done, old Fleece! That's Christianity; go on" — mockingly praising the message
  • "You are wasting your time, cook, sharks have no souls to save from damnation"
  • "Stop this nonsense at once and come back to cook me another whale steak"

What complaint does Stubb make about the whale steak?

  • It is too raw and bloody, needing much more time over the fire to be edible
  • It is too salty from the seawater and needs to be soaked before cooking again
  • It is overdone and too tender, insisting that a whale steak must be tough to be good
  • It has been cut from the wrong part of the whale and lacks proper flavor

How old does Fleece say he is?

  • About fifty, though he looks much older from years of hard work at sea
  • About seventy, old enough to have sailed on dozens of whaling voyages
  • About ninety, making him one of the oldest crew members aboard the Pequod
  • He refuses to answer, telling Stubb that his age has nothing to do with the steak

What connection does Melville draw between sharks and the Atlantic slave trade?

  • Slave ship captains trained sharks to guard their vessels from pirates at sea
  • Sharks systematically followed slave ships, ready to consume dead slaves thrown overboard
  • Enslaved people were forced to catch sharks for food during the Middle Passage crossing
  • Slave traders used shark oil as fuel for their lanterns during nighttime voyages

What is Fleece's parting remark about Stubb?

  • "Dat man eat more whale dan any ten sharks I ever did see in all my years"
  • "I'm bressed if he ain't more of shark dan Massa Shark hisself" — Stubb is more shark than the sharks
  • "Massa Stubb gonna eat dat whole whale by hisself before de sun come up"
  • "If de sharks could talk, dey would say Stubb is one of deir own kin"

How does the narrator describe the parallel between Stubb's eating and the sharks' feeding?

  • Stubb eats delicately and with refinement, contrasting sharply with the sharks' frenzy
  • The narrator says Stubb heeded not the sharks' banquet, just as they ignored his own epicurean lips
  • Stubb is disgusted by the sharks and covers his ears to block out their sounds
  • The narrator compares Stubb to a shark in a dream sequence earlier in the voyage

Comprehension Quiz

Question 1 of 0
Score: 0 / 0
Read Chapter
← Previous Next →