Chapter 68 - The Blanket Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 68 - The Blanket

What does Ishmael argue is the whale's true skin?

  • The thin, transparent isinglass membrane
  • The blubber layer beneath the outer membrane
  • The rough outer hide visible on the surface
  • The layer of fat surrounding the internal organs

How thick does Ishmael say the whale's blubber can range?

  • Two to four inches in thickness
  • Five to seven inches in thickness
  • Eight or ten to twelve and fifteen inches
  • Twenty to twenty-five inches in thickness

What does Ishmael use the dried bits of the whale's transparent membrane for?

  • Wrapping specimens for preservation at sea
  • Marks (bookmarks) in his whale-books
  • Patching small holes in the ship's sails
  • Trading with other whalemen as curiosities

What does Ishmael compare the fine marks on the Sperm Whale's surface to?

  • The brush strokes of Dutch oil paintings
  • The finest Italian line engravings
  • The woven patterns of Persian carpets
  • The cracks in sun-dried riverbed clay

What term does Ishmael use to describe the deeper symbolic patterns on the whale?

  • Petroglyphs resembling cave art from France
  • Cuneiform script like ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets
  • Hieroglyphics like the cyphers on pyramid walls
  • Runes similar to those carved by Norse explorers

What does Ishmael believe causes the irregular scratches on large bull whales?

  • Scraping against rocky ocean floor surfaces
  • Hostile contact with other whales of the species
  • Damage from barnacles growing on their skin
  • Encounters with sharp coral reef formations

Where does the term "blanket-piece" come from?

  • It describes the whale's sleeping posture at the surface
  • It refers to the long strips of blubber stripped from the whale
  • It is the name for the sail used during whale hunts
  • It describes the fog that blankets the sea during hunts

Why does Ishmael say the whale's survival in Arctic waters is remarkable?

  • Because whales breathe air and must surface through thick ice
  • Because whales, like humans, have lungs and warm blood that would freeze without insulation
  • Because whales cannot find enough food in frozen northern seas
  • Because whales must migrate thousands of miles to warmer waters each year

According to the chapter, how does the blood temperature of a Polar whale compare to a human in the tropics?

  • The whale's blood runs significantly cooler than a human's
  • The whale's blood is roughly equal to a tropical human's
  • The whale's blood is warmer than that of a Borneo negro in summer
  • The whale's blood temperature has never been successfully measured

What happens to sailors who fall overboard in the Arctic, according to Ishmael?

  • They are rescued quickly by nearby whaling vessels
  • They are found months later frozen upright in fields of ice, like a fly in amber
  • They swim to nearby icebergs and await rescue
  • They are carried south by ocean currents to warmer waters

What three "rare virtues" does Ishmael attribute to the whale's survival?

  • Speed, intelligence, and ferocity in battle
  • Strong individual vitality, thick walls, and interior spaciousness
  • Patience, endurance, and social cooperation with other whales
  • Keen senses, powerful muscles, and flexible movement

What famous building does Ishmael compare the whale to in his closing exhortation?

  • The Colosseum of ancient Rome, built to endure centuries
  • The Parthenon of Athens, symbol of classical civilization
  • The great dome of St. Peter's, which retains its own temperature
  • The Tower of London, standing firm against all invaders

What moral imperative does Ishmael draw from the whale's blubber?

  • Humans should pursue wealth as insulation against hardship
  • Humans should remain warm among ice and live in the world without being of it
  • Humans should study nature more carefully to understand themselves
  • Humans should build thicker walls on their houses for protection

What garment does Ishmael liken the whale's blubber covering to?

  • A Roman toga draped over both shoulders
  • An Indian poncho slipped over the whale's head
  • A knight's suit of armor covering every surface
  • A sailor's oilskin jacket buttoned at the neck

How much oil can the skin of a very large Sperm Whale yield?

  • Approximately twenty-five barrels of oil
  • Approximately fifty barrels of oil
  • The bulk of one hundred barrels of oil
  • Over two hundred barrels of oil from the largest specimens

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