Chapter 91 - The Pequod Meets The Rose-Bud Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 91 - The Pequod Meets The Rose-Bud

What is the name of the French ship the Pequod encounters in Chapter 91?

  • The Jeroboam
  • The Bouton de Rose (Rose-Bud)
  • The Rachel
  • The Bachelor

What first alerts the Pequod's crew to the presence of the dead whales?

  • A lookout spots the French ship from the masthead
  • The crew smells an unpleasant odor on the sea
  • Stubb sees vultures circling in the distance
  • Ahab orders a change of course toward the ship

What was the French captain's profession before going to sea?

  • He was a wine merchant from Bordeaux
  • He was a Cologne (perfume) manufacturer
  • He was a naval officer in the French navy
  • He was a fishmonger from Marseilles

What is the primary irony of the ship's name "Rose-Bud"?

  • The captain hates flowers and gardening
  • The ship named after a fragrant flower is surrounded by a terrible stench
  • The ship was originally named something else
  • The figurehead depicts a wilted rose, symbolizing death

Who serves as interpreter between Stubb and the French captain?

  • Ishmael, who speaks French fluently
  • A Guernsey-man who is the ship's chief mate
  • A Portuguese sailor from the Azores
  • Flask, who studied languages at Harvard

What does Stubb actually say about the French captain while pretending to offer advice?

  • He praises the captain's courage and seamanship
  • He insults the captain, calling him babyish, a monkey, and a baboon
  • He warns the captain about dangerous weather approaching
  • He offers to buy the whales at a fair market price

What false story does the Guernsey-man tell the French captain?

  • That Stubb wants to buy both whales at a premium price
  • That a nearby ship lost its captain and six sailors to fever from a blasted whale
  • That the Pequod's captain demands the whales be released as they are his property
  • That an American naval vessel is approaching to enforce whaling regulations

Does the Guernsey-man know about the ambergris in the diseased whale?

  • Yes, he and Stubb plan to split the profits equally
  • No, Stubb perceived he had no suspicion and kept silent about it
  • Yes, but he doesn't care because he plans to leave the ship
  • No, because ambergris had not yet been discovered in Melville's time

What does ambergris look like, according to Melville's description?

  • Like black tar, thick and viscous with a metallic sheen
  • Like ripe Windsor soap or rich mottled old cheese, yellow to ash colored
  • Like golden honey, translucent and flowing freely
  • Like white chalk, powdery and easily crumbled between fingers

How much ambergris does Stubb recover from the whale?

  • A single handful, barely enough to be valuable
  • About six handfuls, with more lost to the sea
  • Several barrels' worth, filling his entire whaleboat
  • None at all; Ahab stops him before he finds any

Why does Stubb stop excavating the ambergris?

  • The stench becomes too overwhelming to continue working
  • Captain Ahab orders him to desist and return to the ship
  • The whale's carcass sinks beneath the waves before he finishes
  • The French ship returns and demands their whale back

What does Stubb say when the French captain invites him to drink Bordeaux?

  • He accepts eagerly and shares a toast to friendship
  • He declines, saying it's against his principles to drink with a man he's cheated
  • He says he only drinks American whiskey, not French wine
  • He asks for rum instead, as is the sailor's custom

Has anyone aboard the Rose-Bud ever heard of Moby Dick?

  • Yes, they saw Moby Dick just the previous week
  • No, neither the Guernsey-man nor anyone else has heard of the White Whale
  • Yes, but they refuse to share the information with Stubb
  • The chapter does not address Moby Dick at all

What literary technique is most prominently used throughout Chapter 91?

  • Stream of consciousness narration revealing inner thoughts
  • Dramatic irony, where the reader knows more than the French captain
  • Extended allegory comparing whaling to religious pilgrimage
  • Epistolary format using letters between the two ships' captains

What contrast between Stubb and Ahab does this chapter highlight?

  • Stubb is cowardly while Ahab is brave in facing danger
  • Stubb pursues commercial profit while Ahab cares only about Moby Dick
  • Stubb respects foreign sailors while Ahab despises them
  • Stubb wants to return home while Ahab wants to keep sailing

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