Chapter 87 - The Grand Armada Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 87 - The Grand Armada
What body of water does the Pequod pass through in Chapter 87?
The Straits of Sunda, the narrow passage between Sumatra and Java.
What is the "Grand Armada" referred to in the chapter title?
A massive herd of sperm whales stretching across the horizon in a great semicircle.
Who pursues the Pequod as it chases the whale herd?
Malay pirates in proas (sailing vessels), lurking among the coves and islets of Sumatra.
What is Ahab's planned route through the Pacific?
Through the Straits of Sunda, into the Java Sea, north past the Philippines to Japan, then to the Pacific Line to confront Moby Dick.
Why does the Pequod not stop at any port for supplies?
The whale-ship is self-sufficient, carrying years' worth of Nantucket water and all necessary provisions.
What happens when Queequeg's harpoon strikes a whale?
The stricken whale drags the boat deep into the heart of the panicked herd.
What does the term "gallied" mean in whaling?
A state of strange, irrational panic and paralysis that affects herding whales, causing them to break formation.
What do the crew find at the center of the whale herd?
An "enchanted calm"—a peaceful interior lake with nursing mother whales, calves, and transparent water.
What does Ishmael observe about newborn whale calves?
They still bear the plaited, crumpled appearance of their fetal position, with side-fins looking like a baby's ears.
What does Queequeg mistake an umbilical cord for?
A harpoon line. He cries "Line! line!" thinking a whale is fast to another boat's rope.
What philosophical reflection does Ishmael make about the calm center?
That even amid the "tornadoed Atlantic" of existence, one can find an inner core of eternal mildness and joy.
What are "druggs" in whaling?
Wooden blocks attached to harpoon lines, used to slow down whales by creating drag, so they can be killed later.
Who invented the drugg, according to Melville?
The Nantucket Indians.
What causes the stampede that breaks the enchanted calm?
A wounded whale entangled in harpoon line and flailing a cutting-spade, terrorizing and injuring the other whales.
What comparison does Melville draw between whale panic and human behavior?
He compares gallied whales to human stampedes in theaters, where people trample each other rushing for exits at the slightest alarm of fire.
What is a "sleek" in whaling terminology?
The smooth, satin-like surface of water produced by the subtle moisture thrown off by a whale in its calmer moods.
What is a "waif" in whaling?
A pennoned pole inserted into a dead whale's body to mark its location and claim prior possession.
How many whales does the Pequod ultimately capture from the Grand Armada?
Only one, despite encountering hundreds. Melville quotes the saying: "the more whales the less fish."
What happens when the third drugg is flung?
The wooden block catches under a boat seat, tearing it out, dropping the oarsman, and opening leaks that the crew patches with drawers and shirts.
What does Melville compare the whale spouts to when viewed from the ship?
The thousand cheerful chimneys of a dense metropolis seen on a balmy autumnal morning by a horseman on a height.
What item does Queequeg lose during the chaotic escape from the herd?
His hat, which is taken clean from his head by the air-eddy from a whale's tossing flukes.
Who takes command of the boat during the stampede escape?
Starbuck takes the stern (helm) while Queequeg moves to the bow to fend off whales.
What landmark does the Pequod pass as it emerges from the Straits of Sunda?
Cockatoo Point on the Sumatra side.