Chapter 65 - The Whale as a Dish Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 65 - The Whale as a Dish

What paradox does Ishmael observe about Stubb at the beginning of Chapter 65?

  • Stubb hunts whales but is afraid of the sea
  • Stubb eats whale meat by the light of the whale's own oil
  • Stubb refuses to eat any animal he has killed himself
  • Stubb cooks whale meat but gives it all to the crew

According to Ishmael, what part of the Right Whale was considered a delicacy in France?

  • The blubber
  • The brain
  • The tongue
  • The fin

What did a cook in Henry VIII's court receive a reward for?

  • Preparing whale tongue soup
  • Inventing a sauce for barbecued porpoises
  • Discovering how to render whale oil
  • Creating a recipe for spermaceti pudding

Who held a "great porpoise grant from the crown"?

  • The royal navy admirals
  • The monks of Dunfermline
  • The Dutch whalemen
  • The Esquimaux leaders

Why does Ishmael say whalemen generally do not eat whale meat?

  • It tastes terrible to them
  • There is so much of it that it takes away their appetite
  • Their religion forbids it
  • The captain prohibits it

What does Esquimaux doctor Zogranda recommend for infants?

  • Whale bone broth
  • Strips of blubber
  • Porpoise milk
  • Spermaceti cream

What do Dutch whalemen call the leftover whale scraps?

  • Crackers
  • Biscuits
  • Fritters
  • Cracklings

How do sailors eat spermaceti during long night watches?

  • They spread it on bread like butter
  • They dip ship-biscuit into the oil-pots and fry it
  • They mix it with rum and drink it
  • They eat it raw from the whale's head

What does Ishmael compare sperm whale brains to in flavor?

  • Turtle soup
  • Calves' head
  • Roast beef
  • Veal cutlets

What is Ishmael's famous rhetorical question about meat-eating?

  • "Who among us is truly civilized?"
  • "Is not all flesh the same?"
  • "Cannibals? who is not a cannibal?"
  • "What separates man from beast?"

Who does Ishmael say will be judged more leniently than the civilized gourmand?

  • Stubb, for eating whale
  • The Dutch whalemen
  • A Fijian who salted down a missionary
  • The monks of Dunfermline

What cruel practice does Ishmael attribute to civilized gourmands?

  • Hunting whales for sport
  • Nailing geese to the ground for their livers
  • Force-feeding porpoises before slaughter
  • Trapping wild boar in pits

What hypocritical detail does Ishmael point out about eating roast beef?

  • The plate is made from whale bone
  • The knife handle is made from ox bone
  • The tablecloth is made from whale skin
  • The seasoning comes from whale oil

What did the Society for the Suppression of Cruelty of Ganders recently resolve?

  • To ban all goose hunting
  • To patronize nothing but steel pens
  • To outlaw the production of foie gras
  • To prohibit the use of feather pillows

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