Chapter 81 - The Pequod Meets The Virgin Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 81 - The Pequod Meets The Virgin
What ship does the Pequod encounter in Chapter 81?
The Jungfrau ("The Virgin"), a German whaling ship from Bremen, commanded by Captain Derick De Deer.
What does "Jungfrau" mean in German, and why is it fitting?
It means "Virgin" or "young woman." The ship is "clean" — completely empty of whale oil — making the name doubly appropriate.
Why does Captain Derick De Deer board the Pequod?
To beg for whale oil. His ship has run out of its Bremen oil and has not captured a single whale.
What does Derick carry in his hand when he approaches?
A lamp-feeder and an oil-can, which Flask correctly identifies as proof that Derick has come begging for oil.
Does Captain Derick know anything about the White Whale?
No. He shows "complete ignorance of the White Whale" when Ahab questions him.
How many whales are spotted when both ships raise the cry?
Eight whales traveling abreast, plus one large old bull trailing far behind them.
What physical afflictions does the old bull whale have?
He is blind (his eyes replaced by "blind bulbs"), missing his starboard fin, covered in yellowish incrustations, and has a labored spout.
To what does Ishmael compare the old whale's terrified flight?
A bird with clipped wings "making affrighted broken circles in the air, vainly striving to escape the piratical hawks."
Why do all the boats target the old bull instead of the pod of eight?
He is the largest (most valuable), the nearest, and the other whales are fleeing too fast to pursue.
How does Derick taunt the Pequod's boats during the race?
He mockingly shakes the very lamp-feeder that the Pequod had just filled for him.
What mishap costs Derick the race?
One of his oarsmen catches a crab (gets his oar stuck), stalling the German boat and nearly capsizing it.
Which three harpooneers strike the whale simultaneously?
Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo — they spring to their feet and dart their irons over the head of the German harpooneer.
What happens to Derick and his harpooneer when the Pequod's boats strike?
They are spilled out of their boat and "sailed over by the three flying keels."
What does Flask do that goads the dying whale into a final charge?
He pierces an ulcerous growth on the whale's flank, causing a jet of diseased matter and provoking the whale to blindly ram the boats.
What ancient artifact is found embedded in the whale's flesh?
A stone lance-head, which Ishmael speculates was thrown by a Native American "long before America was discovered."
What other object is found in the whale besides the stone lance-head?
A corroded iron harpoon, embedded in his flesh on the lower part of the ulcerous bunch.
Why does the whale's carcass nearly capsize the Pequod?
The dead whale begins to sink with increasing force, and the fluke-chains securing it to the ship cannot be removed because the submerged ends are unreachable.
Who saves the ship from capsizing, and how?
Queequeg seizes the carpenter's heavy hatchet and chops through the largest fluke-chains, freeing the ship.
What does Ishmael say crossing the tilted deck was like?
"Walking up the steep gabled roof of a house" — the sinking whale had pulled the ship that far over.
What type of whale does the Jungfrau chase at the end of the chapter?
A Fin-Back whale — a species too fast to catch that only inexperienced whalers pursue.
What is the chapter's final line and what does it mean?
"Oh! many are the Fin-Backs, and many are the Dericks, my friend" — a wry observation that there will always be uncatchable goals and naive people who chase them.
What does Ishmael say about the non-valvular blood vessels of the sperm whale?
Unlike land animals, the whale has no valves to shut off blood flow when wounded, so "a deadly drain is at once begun upon his whole arterial system."
What biblical passage does Ishmael quote about Leviathan, and how does it apply ironically?
He quotes Job 41 — "he esteemeth iron as straw; the arrow cannot make him flee" — then notes ironically that this mighty Leviathan is now suspended by three thin harpoon lines.
What reason does Ishmael give for dead sperm whales sometimes sinking?
It remains mysterious — even young, healthy whales sometimes sink. However, sperm whales sink less often than right whales because they lack the heavy bone (baleen) that right whales carry.
What does "catching a crab" mean in rowing?
When an oarsman's blade gets stuck in the water on the recovery stroke, stalling the boat and potentially throwing the rower off balance.