Epilogue Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Comprehension Quiz: Epilogue

What serves as Ishmael's flotation device after the Pequod sinks?

  • A spare mast
  • Queequeg's coffin life-buoy
  • A whaleboat fragment
  • A barrel of whale oil

Which ship rescues Ishmael?

  • The Bachelor
  • The Jeroboam
  • The Rachel
  • The Delight

Why was Ishmael aboard Ahab's whaleboat on the last day?

  • Ahab personally chose him
  • He replaced the bowsman after Fedallah disappeared
  • He volunteered for the position
  • Starbuck assigned him

True or False: Ishmael was pulled completely underwater by the vortex of the sinking Pequod.

  • True
  • False

To what mythological figure does Melville compare Ishmael as he spins in the vortex?

  • Sisyphus
  • Ixion
  • Prometheus
  • Tantalus

In the context of the Epilogue, what does "main" mean in "a soft and dirgelike main"?

  • The primary sail
  • The ship's deck
  • The open ocean
  • The mainland coast

What was the Rachel originally searching for when it found Ishmael?

  • Moby Dick
  • The wreckage of the Pequod
  • Captain Gardiner's missing son
  • A school of whales

True or False: Sharks attacked Ishmael while he floated on the coffin.

  • True
  • False

What does "devious-cruising" mean in describing the Rachel?

  • Sailing with evil intent
  • Following a winding, indirect course
  • Moving at high speed
  • Sailing in secret

How long does Ishmael float on the coffin before rescue?

  • A few hours
  • Almost one whole day and night
  • Three days
  • One week

What word does Melville use to describe Ishmael in the novel's final sentence?

  • Survivor
  • Orphan
  • Wanderer
  • Witness

True or False: The Epilogue was included in the first British edition of Moby-Dick.

  • True
  • False

What biblical book provides the epigraph for the Epilogue?

  • Genesis
  • Ecclesiastes
  • Job
  • Isaiah

What does "subsided" mean in "it had subsided to a creamy pool"?

  • Expanded outward
  • Became less intense and settled
  • Froze solid
  • Changed color

How does Melville describe the sea-hawks during Ishmael's time adrift?

  • They circled menacingly
  • They dove for fish around him
  • They sailed with sheathed beaks
  • They perched on the coffin

Comprehension Quiz

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