Chapter 9 - The Sermon Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

What nautical commands does Father Mapple use to seat the congregation at the beginning of Chapter 9?

• He tells them to man the lifeboats and prepare for departure
• He orders them starboard, larboard, and midships like a ship captain
• He asks them to form ranks as sailors would on a naval vessel
• He commands them to lower sails and drop anchor in the chapel

According to Father Mapple, what is Tarshish identified as in modern geography?

• The ancient city of Jerusalem in Israel
• The modern city of Cadiz in Spain
• The port city of Alexandria in Egypt
• The coastal town of Carthage in North Africa

Why does the ship's Captain accept Jonah as a passenger despite suspecting he is a fugitive?

• The Captain feels pity for Jonah and wants to help him escape
• Jonah threatens the Captain with violence if he refuses passage
• Jonah pays triple the usual fare, and the Captain values gold over justice
• The Captain does not actually suspect anything wrong with Jonah

What does the swinging lamp in Jonah's cabin represent in Father Mapple's sermon?

• The uncertain journey that lies ahead for the ship and crew
• Divine truth and moral conscience remaining straight while the sinner's soul is crooked
• The physical danger of the approaching storm at sea
• The hope of salvation that keeps burning despite the darkness

What does Father Mapple identify as the "two-stranded lesson" of the Book of Jonah?

• A lesson about the power of the sea and the importance of seamanship
• A lesson about repentance for sinners and courage to preach truth for spiritual leaders
• A lesson about avoiding whales and respecting nature's power
• A lesson about loyalty to one's captain and obedience to ship's orders

How does Melville describe the physical effect of Father Mapple's preaching on the congregation?

• They fall asleep from the length and monotony of the sermon
• They break into joyful song and celebration together
• They look on him with a quick fear that was strange to them
• They quietly leave the chapel one by one during the sermon

What does Father Mapple say about the relationship between obeying God and obeying oneself?

• Obeying God naturally leads to personal happiness and self-fulfillment
• God only asks us to do what comes easily and naturally to us
• If we obey God, we must disobey ourselves, and therein lies the hardness
• Obeying oneself is the same as obeying God if one's heart is pure

How does Father Mapple describe Jonah's repentance inside the whale?

• Jonah screams and begs God desperately for immediate rescue
• Jonah bargains with God, promising to do anything if he is released
• Jonah accepts his punishment as just and does not clamor for pardon
• Jonah refuses to pray and resigns himself to death inside the whale

Father Mapple describes Jonah's cabin door as having no key in the lock.

Father Mapple leaves the chapel immediately after finishing his sermon.

What does "cupidity" mean as used in the description of Jonah's Captain?

• Romantic love and passionate devotion
• Excessive greed, especially for wealth
• Skilled seamanship and nautical expertise
• Suspicion and distrust of strangers

In the sermon, what does the word "canticle" refer to?

• A small sailing vessel used for coastal trade
• A nautical measurement of distance at sea
• A hymn or sacred song, especially with biblical words
• A type of religious punishment or penance

What does "inexorable" mean in the phrase "ever stands forth his own inexorable self"?

• Uncertain and wavering in conviction
• Humble and self-effacing before others
• Impossible to stop or persuade; unyielding
• Extremely cautious and risk-averse