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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who persuades Pollard to sail to Chile or Peru instead of the Society Islands?
(a) Chase and Joy.
(b) Only Chase.
(c) No one.
(d) Only Joy.

2. When the men are close enough to attack the whale, what is used in order to pierce its vital organs?
(a) A lance.
(b) An oar.
(c) A harpoon.
(d) A knife.

3. How many miles west of the Galapagos is the Essex on November 2, 1820?
(a) Over two thousand.
(b) Five hundred.
(c) Over a thousand.
(d) Less than five hundred.

4. Which well known island is mentioned in Chapter 6 as a part of the Society Islands that the Nantucketers should have known about?
(a) Bermuda.
(b) Tahiti.
(c) Bali.
(d) Tasmania.

5. Which provisions does the crew of the Essex plan to purchase at the Azores?
(a) Vegetables and weapons.
(b) Livestock and weapons.
(c) Vegetables and livestock.
(d) Vegetables, livestock, and weapons.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much can sperm whales weigh?

2. When did English settlers begin arriving in Nantucket?

3. How long does the crew of the Essex remain by the wrecked ship?

4. After stopping at the Cape Verde Islands in Chapter 3, how many spare whale boats does the Essex now have?

5. Which of the following is not taken by the crew as the Essex sinks in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is a whale killed by sailors?

2. What happens when the first whale of the trip is sighted?

3. What is the main concern of the boats during the first few days after the sinking of the Essex?

4. What happens when the Essex tries to leave Nantucket?

5. How is the Essex attacked by the whale and what happens to the ship as a result?

6. What modifications are made to the whale boats in the beginning of Chapter 6?

7. What does the Dauphin find in the Preface?

8. What is done to the Essex in order to prepare it for the trip?

9. What setbacks are the three boats having as they approach the Society Islands at the end of Chapter 7?

10. How successful is the Essex off the coast of Peru?

(see the answer keys)

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