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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which weapon does Pollard choose to keep for himself as Chapter 6 ends?

2. What do Pollard and Daniel Russell, the captain of the Aurora, discuss in Chapter 4?

3. What is the name given to the event of a harpooned whale dragging a boat at high speeds?

4. How are sailors paid?

5. Which of the following is not included in the list of troubles that the bad weather causes for the Essex in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the crew decide not to wait for another whale ship in the Offshore Ground?

2. What is unusual about the sperm whale that surfaces unexpectedly in Chapter 5?

3. What events take place on Hood Island at the end of Chapter 4?

4. How do two whales escape from Chase's boat in the beginning of Chapter 5?

5. What are the first difficulties that the Essex experiences at the end of Chapter 2?

6. What complaint does the crew bring to Pollard at the end of Chapter 3, and how does he handle it?

7. What is used to determine the wages of sailors that participate in whaling trips, and how will Nickerson be paid?

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

9. What troubles is the Essex having at Cape Horn and off the coast of Chile?

10. What happens when the Essex meets the Aurora?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Whaling Museum features an exhibit for the Essex. Discuss how the sinking of the Essex is initially regarded by the town, the reasons why, and the way that the ship is now remembered. In addition, provide an analysis of how the sperm whales have changed as a result of the whaling that took place during the nineteenth century.

Essay Topic 2

Upon their return to Nantucket, Pollard, Chase, and Nickerson decide to give their accounts of the tragedy.

1) Analyze all three accounts, including the similarities and differences between them.

2) Compare the facts of the trip that Philbrick provides in the book with Chase's version.

3) Describe Pollard's response to the existing stories and how his version is received.

Essay Topic 3

After the crew kills its first whale, Philbrick takes the reader step by step through the process of "trying out" a whale.

1) Explain the procedure for gutting a whale, retrieving oil, and which parts are used.

2) Describe how oil and other products are made from the insides of a whale.

3) Analyze the techniques that Philbrick uses in describing the process and the reasons for them.

(see the answer keys)

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