Chapter 97 - The Lamp Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 97 - The Lamp
What does the Pequod's forecastle resemble when the off-duty watch is sleeping?
An illuminated shrine of canonized kings and counsellors.
What are the "triangular oaken vaults" described in Chapter 97?
The sailors' bunks (berths) in the forecastle, where they sleep.
How scarce is oil for sailors on merchant ships?
More scarce than the milk of queens.
What three things must the merchant sailor do in darkness?
Dress in the dark, eat in the dark, and stumble in darkness to his pallet.
What does Melville mean by "the food of light"?
Whale oil, the fuel used for lamps in the 19th century.
What famous magical object does Melville compare the whaleman's berth to?
An Aladdin's lamp.
Where does the whaleman refill his lamps?
At the copper cooler at the try-works.
What does Melville compare the act of refilling lamps to?
Filling mugs of ale at a vat.
What quality of whale oil does Melville emphasize aboard the ship?
Its purity—it is unmanufactured and unvitiated (uncorrupted), unlike processed oil ashore.
What does Melville say the purest whale oil is as sweet as?
Early grass butter in April.
What types of "contrivances ashore" does Melville say cannot match the whaleman's oil?
Solar, lunar, or astral contrivances (land-based lamps and lighting devices).
To what type of person does Melville compare the whaleman who hunts his own oil?
A traveller on the prairie who hunts up his own supper of game.
What does the word "unvitiated" mean in this chapter?
Not corrupted, impaired, or adulterated—pure and unspoiled.
What theme does the contrast between whalemen and merchant sailors develop?
The unique privilege and self-sufficiency of the whaleman, who both produces and consumes the source of light.
What does the religious imagery of "canonized kings" suggest about Melville's view of common sailors?
It elevates ordinary working men to the status of saints and royalty, reflecting Melville's democratic idealism.