Chapter 68 - The Blanket Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 68 - The Blanket
What does Ishmael argue is the true skin of the whale?
The blubber, which ranges from eight to fifteen inches thick and is the only dense enveloping layer that can be raised from the body.
What is the thin, transparent substance that covers the whale's body?
An isinglass-like membrane, infinitely thin and resembling the thinnest shreds of isinglass. Ishmael calls it "the skin of the skin."
What does Ishmael do with dried bits of the whale's transparent membrane?
He uses them as bookmarks (marks) in his whale-books and notes they seem to have a magnifying influence on the printed page.
How thick is the whale's blubber, according to Ishmael?
Between eight or ten to twelve and fifteen inches thick.
What is the consistency of whale blubber compared to?
Firm, close-grained beef, but tougher, more elastic and compact.
How much oil can the blubber of a very large Sperm Whale yield?
The bulk of one hundred barrels of oil, which represents only three-fourths of the total substance of the blubber.
What do the fine linear marks on the Sperm Whale's surface resemble?
The finest Italian line engravings—straight marks obliquely crossed and re-crossed in thick array.
What does Ishmael call the deeper patterns he perceives on the whale's body?
Hieroglyphics—mysterious cyphers like those on Egyptian pyramids or the carved Indian palisades along the Upper Mississippi.
What causes the irregular scratches on the whale's flanks?
Ishmael speculates they are made by hostile contact with other whales, especially among large, full-grown bulls.
To what does Ishmael compare the whale's scratches?
New England coastal rocks that naturalist Agassiz believed bore marks of violent scraping contact with vast floating icebergs.
What is a "blanket-piece" in whaling terminology?
The long strips of blubber that are stripped from the whale during processing.
What garment does Ishmael compare the whale's blubber wrapping to?
An Indian poncho slipped over the whale's head and skirting his extremity.
Why can't the whale survive without its blubber in Arctic waters?
Because, like humans, the whale has lungs and warm blood. Freeze his blood, and he dies.
How does the whale's blood temperature compare to a tropical human's?
The blood of a Polar whale is warmer than that of a Borneo negro in summer, as proven by experiment.
What three "rare virtues" does Ishmael attribute to the whale's survival?
A strong individual vitality, thick walls, and interior spaciousness.
What famous building does Ishmael compare the whale to?
The great dome of St. Peter's, which retains a temperature of its own in all seasons.
What moral lesson does Ishmael draw from the whale's blubber?
"Remain warm among ice" and "live in this world without being of it"—maintain inner warmth and self-sufficiency regardless of external conditions.
What does "counterpane" mean in this chapter?
A bedspread or quilt. Ishmael says the whale is wrapt in blubber "as in a real blanket or counterpane."
What does "surtout" mean as used in this chapter?
A man's overcoat or frock coat. Ishmael asks what would become of a Greenland whale "if unsupplied with his cosy surtout."
What does Ishmael mean by "Hyperborean waters"?
The extreme northern Arctic seas. Hyperborean comes from Greek mythology, referring to a land beyond the north wind.
How does Ishmael describe cold-blooded fish in the Arctic?
As lungless creatures whose very bellies are refrigerators, warming themselves under the lee of an iceberg as a traveler basks before an inn fire.
What happens to sailors who fall overboard in Arctic waters?
They are sometimes found months afterwards perpendicularly frozen into the hearts of fields of ice, like a fly glued in amber.
What does "isinglass" refer to?
A form of gelatin obtained from the swim bladders of fish, used to make transparent sheets. Ishmael compares the whale's thin outer membrane to it.