Chapter 94 - A Squeeze of the Hand Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 94 - A Squeeze of the Hand
Whose whale is being processed at the start of Chapter 94?
Stubb's whale.
What substance do the sailors squeeze back into liquid form?
Cooled and crystallized spermaceti (sperm oil).
What does Ishmael compare the smell of spermaceti to?
Spring violets.
What oath does Ishmael forget while squeezing sperm?
Ahab's oath of vengeance against Moby Dick.
What emotion does the squeezing task produce in Ishmael?
An abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling and freedom from all ill-will.
What does Ishmael accidentally squeeze instead of the spermaceti globules?
His co-laborers' hands.
What famous exclamation does Ishmael make about universal kindness?
"Let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness."
What vision does Ishmael see in thoughts of the night?
Long rows of angels in paradise, each with his hands in a jar of spermaceti.
According to Ishmael, where must man place his "attainable felicity"?
In the wife, the heart, the bed, the table, the saddle, the fire-side, the country—domestic and earthly pleasures.
What is "white-horse" in whaling terminology?
Tough, oil-containing muscle obtained from the tapering part of the whale's tail and flukes.
What is "plum-pudding" in whaling?
Colorful, richly mottled fragments of whale flesh adhering to the blanket of blubber.
What did Ishmael do with the plum-pudding?
He stole behind the foremast and secretly tasted it.
What is "slobgollion"?
An oozy, stringy substance found in sperm tubs after prolonged squeezing—likely ruptured membranes from the whale's case.
What is "gurry"?
A dark, glutinous substance scraped off the back of the Greenland or right whale.
What are "nippers" as used by whalemen?
Short, firm strips of tendinous material from the whale's tail, used to squeegee the oily deck.
Who works in the blubber-room, and in what pairs?
A pike-and-gaffman and a spademan work together in pairs.
Why are toes scarce among veteran blubber-room men?
Because they work barefoot on slippery blubber with razor-sharp spades, making toe injuries common.
What literary technique does Melville use when Ishmael compares spermaceti to spring violets and ripe grapes?
Simile and sensory imagery (appealing to smell, touch, and sight).
How does Chapter 94 contrast with Ahab's quest?
It offers fellowship, sensory pleasure, and domestic contentment as alternatives to Ahab's destructive, isolating obsession.
What old superstition does Ishmael mention about sperm?
The Paracelsan superstition that sperm is of rare virtue in allaying the heat of anger.