Chapter 74 - The Sperm Whale's Head - Contrasted View Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville
Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 74 - The Sperm Whale's Head - Contrasted View
What two whale species does Ishmael compare by examining their heads in Chapter 74?
- The Sperm Whale and the Right Whale, described as the only two regularly hunted by man
- The Sperm Whale and the Blue Whale, chosen for their contrasting body lengths
- The Right Whale and the Humpback Whale, selected for their different feeding habits
- The Sperm Whale and the Narwhal, compared for the unusual features of their skulls
What quality does Ishmael say the Sperm Whale's head possesses that the Right Whale's lacks?
- A rough, barnacle-covered texture suggesting age and experience at sea
- A certain mathematical symmetry, more character, and pervading dignity
- A bright coloring that signals its dominance among other whale species
- A sleek hydrodynamic shape that makes it far faster in the water
Where are the sperm whale's eyes positioned on its head?
- Near the front of the head, just above the upper jaw, giving forward-facing vision
- On top of the skull, allowing the whale to see upward toward the surface easily
- Far back on the side of the head and low down, near the angle of the jaw
- Just behind the blowhole, positioned to scan for predators while breathing
What human sensory organ does Ishmael compare the whale's eye position to?
- The nose, because both organs are centrally located and forward-facing on the head
- The ears, because the whale's eyes are positioned where a man's ears would be
- The tongue, because both require close contact to perceive their surroundings
- The fingertips, because both gather information from the sides of the body
What does Ishmael mean when he says the whale has "two backs" and "two fronts"?
- The whale can swim equally well in either direction due to its symmetric body shape
- The whale has duplicate organs on each side, creating redundancy for survival purposes
- Because it cannot see ahead or astern, each side functions as both a front and a back
- The whale's skin pattern creates visual illusions that confuse potential predators
How does Ishmael describe the visual separation between the whale's two eyes?
- Like two telescopes mounted on opposite ends of a long ship, pointing in different directions
- Like a great mountain separating two lakes in valleys, with profound darkness between them
- Like two lighthouses on distant shores, each sweeping the sea independently of the other
- Like two mirrors facing away from each other, reflecting entirely separate landscapes
What intellectual feat does Ishmael compare to the whale processing two visual fields simultaneously?
- A musician playing two different instruments at the same time during an orchestra concert
- A chess master considering two entirely separate games being played on adjacent boards
- A man simultaneously going through the demonstrations of two distinct problems in Euclid
- A painter rendering two separate portraits using both hands at once without looking
What does Ishmael believe causes whales to display "extraordinary vacillations of movement" when surrounded by boats?
- Physical exhaustion from being chased, which causes their muscles to cramp and spasm
- A deliberate evasive strategy passed down through generations of hunted whale populations
- The helpless perplexity of volition caused by their divided and opposite powers of vision
- Panic-induced disorientation triggered by the loud sounds of the whalemen's oars and shouts
How small is the whale's ear, according to Ishmael?
- About the size of a human fist, hidden beneath a thick fold of blubber and skin
- So minute that you can hardly insert a quill into it, lodged a little behind the eye
- Roughly the diameter of a silver dollar coin, easily visible once the blubber is stripped
- Approximately the width of a man's thumb, concealed by a cartilage flap near the jaw
What advice does Ishmael give about the mind at the end of his discussion of the whale's senses?
- Exercise it constantly, for the mind is a muscle that grows stronger only with daily effort
- Empty it of preconceptions, because true knowledge comes from observing nature without bias
- Do not try to enlarge your mind—subtilize it; refine perception rather than expand capacity
- Fill it with experience, because only firsthand encounters with the world produce real wisdom
What does Ishmael compare the inside of the sperm whale's mouth to?
- A dark cavern with rough, sandpaper-like walls and a foul stench of decay
- A beautiful and chaste-looking space, lined with glistening membrane glossy as bridal satins
- A cramped passage covered in ridges and grooves, similar to the roof of a human mouth
- An industrial furnace with reddish walls radiating heat from the whale's internal warmth
What does Ishmael say about a whale floating with its jaw hanging straight down at right angles?
- It is dead and sinking, its jaw falling open as rigor mortis releases the muscles
- It is feeding on deep-water squid, extending its jaw to scoop prey from below
- It is not dead but only dispirited and hypochondriac, with relaxed jaw hinges
- It is sleeping vertically, a natural resting posture observed in many whale species
How many teeth does the sperm whale generally have?
- Twenty-eight teeth, arranged in a single curved row along the narrow lower jaw
- Thirty-six teeth, with equal numbers on the upper and lower jaws for crushing prey
- Forty-two teeth, much worn down in old whales but undecayed and not filled artificially
- Fifty-four teeth, some of which fall out and regrow throughout the whale's lifetime
Which three crew members extract the sperm whale's teeth?
- Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask, the three mates who supervise all deck operations
- Ishmael, Queequeg, and Pip, the narrator and his closest companions aboard ship
- Queequeg, Daggoo, and Tashtego, described by Ishmael as "all accomplished dentists"
- Ahab, Fedallah, and Perth, the captain and his personally chosen attendants
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