Chapter 82 - The Honor and Glory of Whaling Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 82 - The Honor and Glory of Whaling

Who does Ishmael name as "the first whaleman"?

  • Hercules
  • Perseus
  • St. George
  • Jonah

Why did Perseus harpoon the Leviathan?

  • To fill men's lamp-feeders
  • To prove his skill as a harpooner
  • To rescue Andromeda from being carried off
  • To bring the skeleton to Rome

What remarkable achievement did Perseus accomplish in slaying the whale?

  • He fought it for three days
  • He slew it at the very first dart
  • He used a magical harpoon from Zeus
  • He killed it with his bare hands

What physical evidence from Joppa does Ishmael cite?

  • A painting of Perseus in a temple
  • Andromeda's chains on a rock
  • A vast whale skeleton in a pagan temple
  • An ancient harpoon made of bronze

What connection does Ishmael draw between Joppa and the Bible?

  • Moses parted the sea there
  • It was from Joppa that Jonah set sail
  • Noah built the ark there
  • David fought Goliath nearby

What does Ishmael argue St. George's dragon actually was?

  • A giant serpent
  • A whale
  • A crocodile
  • A griffin

Which biblical figure does Ishmael quote to support equating dragons with whales?

  • Isaiah
  • Moses
  • Ezekiel
  • Daniel

Why does Ishmael say Nantucket whalemen deserve St. George's decoration?

  • They donate to the church
  • They have actually dealt with real whales, unlike the knights
  • They are English citizens
  • St. George was from Nantucket

Why does Ishmael consider Hercules only an "involuntary whaleman"?

  • Hercules refused to join the fraternity
  • Hercules was swallowed by a whale but never harpooned one
  • Hercules killed a whale accidentally
  • Hercules only hunted whales on land

To which American figures does Ishmael compare Hercules?

  • George Washington and Benjamin Franklin
  • Davy Crockett and Kit Carson
  • Daniel Boone and Lewis Clark
  • Paul Bunyan and John Henry

Who does Ishmael name as the "grand master" of the whaling fraternity?

  • Perseus
  • Jonah
  • Hercules
  • Vishnoo (Vishnu)

What did Vishnoo rescue from the bottom of the ocean?

  • The trident of Brahma
  • Andromeda's crown
  • The sacred Vedas
  • The bones of the first whale

What is the correct ascending hierarchy of the five whalemen Ishmael lists?

  • God, prophet, demigod, saint, hero
  • Hero, saint, demigod, prophet, god
  • Saint, hero, prophet, demigod, god
  • Prophet, hero, saint, god, demigod

What is the opening line of Chapter 82?

  • "Call me Ishmael."
  • "The more I dive into this matter of whaling..."
  • "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method."
  • "Perseus, St. George, Hercules, Jonah, and Vishnoo!"

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