Chapter 87 - The Grand Armada Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 87 - The Grand Armada

What body of water does the Pequod pass through in Chapter 87?

  • The Strait of Malacca between Malaya and Sumatra
  • The Straits of Sunda between Sumatra and Java
  • The Torres Strait between Australia and New Guinea
  • The Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Arabia

Why does the Pequod not stop at any port during its voyage?

  • Ahab fears losing the trail of Moby Dick at port
  • The ship carries years' worth of Nantucket water and needs no resupply
  • The crew has been forbidden from going ashore by contract
  • All nearby ports are controlled by hostile powers

What creates the "Grand Armada" that the chapter is named for?

  • A fleet of Malay pirate ships blocking the straits
  • A massive herd of sperm whales stretching across the horizon
  • The combined whaling fleet of several nations hunting together
  • A formation of warships guarding the Straits of Sunda

What pursues the Pequod as it chases the whale herd?

  • A rival American whaling ship from Nantucket
  • Malay pirates in proas who had been lurking near the headlands
  • A Dutch naval vessel demanding tribute for passage
  • A pod of killer whales attracted by the commotion

What does the whaling term "gallied" mean?

  • A whale swimming at maximum speed to escape hunters
  • A state of irrational panic and paralysis affecting herding whales
  • The moment a whale surfaces to breathe after a deep dive
  • A whale that turns aggressively to attack a whaleboat

What does Ishmael find at the center of the whale herd?

  • Moby Dick resting among the other sperm whales
  • An "enchanted calm" with nursing mothers and calves
  • The wreckage of a ship previously destroyed by the herd
  • A massive bull whale commanding the herd's movements

What does Queequeg mistake an umbilical cord for?

  • A giant squid tentacle attached to a whale
  • A harpoon line from another boat ("Line! line!")
  • A piece of kelp wrapped around the whale's tail
  • A rope from the Malay pirate ships trailing behind

What are "druggs" as described in this chapter?

  • Medicinal compounds used to treat whale injuries aboard ship
  • Wooden blocks attached to harpoon lines to slow wounded whales
  • Narcotic substances traded through the Straits of Sunda
  • Heavy anchors dropped to stop the boat when a whale is struck

What causes the stampede that breaks the enchanted calm at the herd's center?

  • The Malay pirates fire cannons into the herd from behind
  • A wounded whale entangled in line, flailing a cutting-spade and injuring others
  • Starbuck orders the crew to begin harpooning the calves
  • A sudden tropical storm creates waves that scatter the whales

To what does Melville compare the whale herd's panic?

  • Soldiers retreating from a lost battle in orderly formation
  • Human stampedes in theaters at the slightest alarm of fire
  • Birds scattering from a tree when a predator approaches
  • Cattle calmly following a leader across a river ford

What philosophical insight does Ishmael draw from the calm center of the herd?

  • That nature is fundamentally cruel and indifferent to suffering
  • That inner peace can exist even amid surrounding chaos and turmoil
  • That whales are more intelligent than humans and deserve protection
  • That the ocean is the only place where true freedom can be found

How many whales does the Pequod capture from the Grand Armada?

  • None — the entire herd escapes unharmed
  • Only one, despite the enormous size of the herd
  • Three — one from each whaleboat's pursuit
  • Dozens, making it the most successful hunt of the voyage

What item does Queequeg lose during the chaotic escape?

  • His harpoon, which breaks off in a whale's side
  • His hat, taken by the air-eddy from a whale's flukes
  • His knife, knocked overboard by a thrashing whale
  • His tattoo charm, which falls into the sea during the struggle

What does Melville compare the whale spouts to, as seen from the Pequod's deck?

  • A thousand cheerful chimneys of a dense metropolis on a balmy morning
  • A line of geysers erupting along a volcanic coast
  • Fountains in a royal garden spraying water into the air
  • Smoke signals rising from an enemy encampment on shore

What is a "waif" in the whaling context of this chapter?

  • A young orphaned whale separated from its mother in the chaos
  • A pennoned pole inserted into a dead whale to mark ownership
  • A sailor who falls overboard during the whale chase
  • A small boat left behind when the crew transfers to a larger vessel

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