Chapter 85 - The Fountain Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 85 - The Fountain

What is the central unsolved mystery that Ishmael addresses in Chapter 85?

  • Whether the Sperm Whale or the Right Whale is the larger species
  • Whether the whale's spout consists of water, vapor, or both
  • Whether whales can communicate with each other across distances
  • Whether whales sleep beneath the surface or only at the top

Through what body part does the Sperm Whale breathe?

  • Through its mouth, which opens above the waterline periodically
  • Through its gills, like all other marine creatures in the ocean
  • Through its spiracle alone, located on the top of its head
  • Through small openings between its ribs that filter seawater

Why can't the Sperm Whale breathe through its mouth?

  • Its mouth is sealed shut by baleen plates during deep diving
  • Its mouth is buried eight feet below the surface, and the windpipe has no connection to it
  • Its mouth is filled with teeth that block any airflow completely
  • Its mouth is used exclusively for echolocation and sound production

What anatomical feature allows the whale to stay submerged for over an hour without breathing?

  • A secondary set of primitive gills hidden beneath its blubber layer
  • An air bladder in its tail that slowly releases oxygen over time
  • A labyrinth of blood vessels between its ribs that store oxygenated blood
  • A spongy tissue in its skull that absorbs dissolved oxygen from water

What animal does Ishmael compare to the whale's ability to store vital resources?

  • A desert tortoise that stores water in its shell cavity
  • A camel that carries a surplus supply of water in its stomachs
  • A bear that stores fat reserves for months of hibernation
  • A pelican that holds fish and water in its expandable throat pouch

What does Ishmael observe about the regularity of the whale's breathing when undisturbed?

  • The whale breathes faster and faster as it prepares to dive again
  • The whale always takes the same number of breaths and will complete its full count even if alarmed
  • The whale breathes irregularly, with long pauses between random jets
  • The whale takes fewer breaths each time it surfaces throughout the day

What fraction of its time does the Sperm Whale spend breathing, according to Ishmael?

  • About one half, or every other hour of its daily existence
  • About one third, surfacing frequently throughout the entire day
  • About one seventh, which Ishmael calls its "Sunday" of breathing
  • About one tenth, making it the least-breathing mammal on earth

Why does Ishmael say the whale lacks a sense of smell?

  • The whale's brain has no olfactory processing center at all
  • The whale's only nose-like structure is the spout-hole, which is clogged with two elements
  • The whale's nostrils are permanently sealed shut by thick layers of blubber
  • The ocean water destroys any scent molecules before they reach the whale

What physical danger does the whale's spout pose to humans?

  • Its tremendous pressure can knock a man overboard from thirty feet away
  • Contact causes skin to smart from acridness, and closer exposure peels skin away
  • The spout contains parasites that can infect anyone who touches it
  • The extreme heat of the expelled air causes severe burns on contact

What is Ishmael's final hypothesis about the nature of the whale's spout?

  • That it is primarily seawater expelled from the mouth under high pressure
  • That it is a mixture of blood and air from the whale's damaged lungs
  • That it is nothing but mist, befitting the whale's dignity and profundity
  • That it is pure compressed air released as the whale equalizes pressure

To which group of famous thinkers does Ishmael compare the whale's misty spout?

  • Homer, Virgil, Shakespeare, and Milton, great poets of Western tradition
  • Plato, Pyrrho, the Devil, Jupiter, and Dante, profound deep thinkers
  • Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, and Descartes, pioneers of scientific method
  • Moses, Solomon, Jesus, and Muhammad, prophets and religious leaders

What does the rainbow over the whale's vapor canopy symbolize in the chapter?

  • God's covenant never to destroy the ocean's creatures by flood again
  • Heaven putting its seal upon the whale's thoughts and contemplations
  • The hope that whalemen will eventually discover the spout's true nature
  • The whale's approaching death, foretold by atmospheric conditions at sea

What philosophical conclusion does Ishmael draw in the chapter's famous closing lines?

  • That faith alone provides the answers that reason can never reach on its own
  • That science will eventually solve all mysteries, including the nature of the spout
  • That doubts of earthly things combined with heavenly intuitions make one who regards both with equal eye
  • That uncertainty should be rejected in favor of practical, empirical investigation

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