Chapter 72 - The Monkey-Rope Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 72 - The Monkey-Rope
What is a monkey-rope in whaling?
A safety line connecting a crewman on deck to the harpooneer working on the whale's submerged carcass.
What modification to the monkey-rope is unique to the Pequod?
The rope is fastened at both ends—to both men's belts—so if one falls, both go down. This was introduced by Stubb.
Why must Queequeg descend onto the whale's back?
To insert the blubber-hook into the hole cut by the mates' spades, which is his duty as harpooneer during the cutting-in process.
What is Ishmael's role during the cutting-in?
As Queequeg's bowsman, he holds the monkey-rope from the ship's side, jerking Queequeg away from danger.
What clothing does Queequeg wear during his work on the whale?
A shirt and socks only—described as "the Highland costume."
What metaphor does Ishmael use to describe his bond with Queequeg through the rope?
He calls it being "wedded" and compares them to Siamese twins joined by an "elongated Siamese ligature."
What does Ishmael say happened to his "free will" while tied to Queequeg?
His free will "had received a mortal wound" because another's mistake could plunge him into unmerited disaster.
What universal truth does Ishmael draw from the monkey-rope situation?
That every mortal has a "Siamese connexion with a plurality of other mortals"—no one's fate is entirely their own.
What examples does Ishmael give of everyday interdependence?
"If your banker breaks, you snap; if your apothecary by mistake sends you poison in your pills, you die."
What three dangers does Queequeg face on the whale's back?
Being jammed between whale and ship, swarming sharks, and the indiscriminate whale-spades of Tashtego and Daggoo.
Who wields whale-spades to protect Queequeg from the sharks?
Tashtego and Daggoo, suspended in stages over the side of the ship.
Why is the protection from Tashtego and Daggoo also dangerous?
In the bloody, muddled water, their spade strikes come closer to amputating Queequeg's limbs than killing sharks.
What does Ishmael call the sharks, spades, and ocean in his allegorical reflection?
The ocean is Life, the sharks are foes, and the spades are friends—and between them Queequeg is "in a sad pickle and peril."
What does the steward Dough-Boy offer Queequeg after his ordeal?
A cup of tepid ginger and water instead of spirits.
Who is responsible for the ginger-jub being on board?
Aunt Charity, a Temperance-minded Nantucket woman who told Dough-Boy never to give harpooneers spirits.
How does Stubb react to the ginger offering?
He is outraged, mocks the drink as inadequate fuel for a half-drowned man, and sends Dough-Boy below for proper grog.
What does Starbuck do about the ginger dispute?
He tacitly supports Stubb, calling the ginger "poor stuff enough" and telling Stubb to go below and get what he wants.
What happens to the ginger-jub at the end of the chapter?
It is given freely to the waves—thrown overboard—while Queequeg receives a flask of strong spirits.
What does Ishmael mean by an "interregnum in Providence"?
A gap or suspension in divine justice—he questions how Providence can be fair when innocent people suffer for others' mistakes.
What does Ishmael mean when he says he "only had the management of one end" of the rope?
Despite all his care, he could not control Queequeg's end—a metaphor for the limits of individual control over one's fate.
To what does Ishmael compare himself holding the rope while Queequeg works below?
Italian organ-boys holding a dancing-ape by a long cord.