Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, Chapter 74 - The Sperm Whale's Head - Contrasted View quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What two whale species does Ishmael compare by examining their heads in Chapter 74?

   • Correct answer: The Sperm Whale and the Right Whale, described as the only two regularly hunted by man
   • The Sperm Whale and the Blue Whale, chosen for their contrasting body lengths
   • The Right Whale and the Humpback Whale, selected for their different feeding habits
   • The Sperm Whale and the Narwhal, compared for the unusual features of their skulls

   Ishmael states that "the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy" and "the only whales regularly hunted by man."

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2. 2

   Question 2. What quality does Ishmael say the Sperm Whale's head possesses that the Right Whale's lacks?

   • A rough, barnacle-covered texture suggesting age and experience at sea
   • Correct answer: A certain mathematical symmetry, more character, and pervading dignity
   • A bright coloring that signals its dominance among other whale species
   • A sleek hydrodynamic shape that makes it far faster in the water

   Ishmael notes "a certain mathematical symmetry in the Sperm Whale's which the Right Whale's sadly lacks" and says "there is more character" and "pervading dignity" in it.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Where are the sperm whale's eyes positioned on its head?

   • Near the front of the head, just above the upper jaw, giving forward-facing vision
   • On top of the skull, allowing the whale to see upward toward the surface easily
   • Correct answer: Far back on the side of the head and low down, near the angle of the jaw
   • Just behind the blowhole, positioned to scan for predators while breathing

   The text states the eye is "far back on the side of the head, and low down, near the angle of either whale's jaw."

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4. 4

   Question 4. What human sensory organ does Ishmael compare the whale's eye position to?

   • The nose, because both organs are centrally located and forward-facing on the head
   • Correct answer: The ears, because the whale's eyes are positioned where a man's ears would be
   • The tongue, because both require close contact to perceive their surroundings
   • The fingertips, because both gather information from the sides of the body

   Ishmael writes: "the position of the whale's eyes corresponds to that of a man's ears; and you may fancy, for yourself, how it would fare with you, did you sideways survey objects through your ears."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Ishmael mean when he says the whale has "two backs" and "two fronts"?

   • The whale can swim equally well in either direction due to its symmetric body shape
   • The whale has duplicate organs on each side, creating redundancy for survival purposes
   • Correct answer: Because it cannot see ahead or astern, each side functions as both a front and a back
   • The whale's skin pattern creates visual illusions that confuse potential predators

   Since the whale cannot see directly ahead or behind, only sideways, Ishmael argues that "what is it that makes the front of a man—what, indeed, but his eyes?" Each side with an eye is a "front."

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Ishmael describe the visual separation between the whale's two eyes?

   • Like two telescopes mounted on opposite ends of a long ship, pointing in different directions
   • Correct answer: Like a great mountain separating two lakes in valleys, with profound darkness between them
   • Like two lighthouses on distant shores, each sweeping the sea independently of the other
   • Like two mirrors facing away from each other, reflecting entirely separate landscapes

   Ishmael writes that the solid head "towers between them like a great mountain separating two lakes in valleys" and that "all between must be profound darkness and nothingness to him."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What intellectual feat does Ishmael compare to the whale processing two visual fields simultaneously?

   • A musician playing two different instruments at the same time during an orchestra concert
   • A chess master considering two entirely separate games being played on adjacent boards
   • Correct answer: A man simultaneously going through the demonstrations of two distinct problems in Euclid
   • A painter rendering two separate portraits using both hands at once without looking

   Ishmael writes: "it is as marvellous a thing in him, as if a man were able simultaneously to go through the demonstrations of two distinct problems in Euclid."

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Ishmael believe causes whales to display "extraordinary vacillations of movement" when surrounded by boats?

   • Physical exhaustion from being chased, which causes their muscles to cramp and spasm
   • A deliberate evasive strategy passed down through generations of hunted whale populations
   • Correct answer: The helpless perplexity of volition caused by their divided and opposite powers of vision
   • Panic-induced disorientation triggered by the loud sounds of the whalemen's oars and shouts

   Ishmael theorizes "all this indirectly proceeds from the helpless perplexity of volition, in which their divided and diametrically opposite powers of vision must involve them."

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9. 9

   Question 9. How small is the whale's ear, according to Ishmael?

   • About the size of a human fist, hidden beneath a thick fold of blubber and skin
   • Correct answer: So minute that you can hardly insert a quill into it, lodged a little behind the eye
   • Roughly the diameter of a silver dollar coin, easily visible once the blubber is stripped
   • Approximately the width of a man's thumb, concealed by a cartilage flap near the jaw

   Ishmael writes: "into the hole itself you can hardly insert a quill, so wondrously minute is it. It is lodged a little behind the eye."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What advice does Ishmael give about the mind at the end of his discussion of the whale's senses?

    • Exercise it constantly, for the mind is a muscle that grows stronger only with daily effort
    • Empty it of preconceptions, because true knowledge comes from observing nature without bias
    • Correct answer: Do not try to enlarge your mind—subtilize it; refine perception rather than expand capacity
    • Fill it with experience, because only firsthand encounters with the world produce real wisdom

    Ishmael asks: "Why then do you try to "enlarge" your mind? Subtilize it." He argues that refined perception matters more than sheer capacity.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Ishmael compare the inside of the sperm whale's mouth to?

    • A dark cavern with rough, sandpaper-like walls and a foul stench of decay
    • Correct answer: A beautiful and chaste-looking space, lined with glistening membrane glossy as bridal satins
    • A cramped passage covered in ridges and grooves, similar to the roof of a human mouth
    • An industrial furnace with reddish walls radiating heat from the whale's internal warmth

    Ishmael exclaims: "What a really beautiful and chaste-looking mouth! from floor to ceiling, lined, or rather papered with a glistening white membrane, glossy as bridal satins."

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does Ishmael say about a whale floating with its jaw hanging straight down at right angles?

    • It is dead and sinking, its jaw falling open as rigor mortis releases the muscles
    • It is feeding on deep-water squid, extending its jaw to scoop prey from below
    • Correct answer: It is not dead but only dispirited and hypochondriac, with relaxed jaw hinges
    • It is sleeping vertically, a natural resting posture observed in many whale species

    Ishmael writes: "This whale is not dead; he is only dispirited; out of sorts, perhaps; hypochondriac; and so supine, that the hinges of his jaw have relaxed."

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13. 13

    Question 13. How many teeth does the sperm whale generally have?

    • Twenty-eight teeth, arranged in a single curved row along the narrow lower jaw
    • Thirty-six teeth, with equal numbers on the upper and lower jaws for crushing prey
    • Correct answer: Forty-two teeth, much worn down in old whales but undecayed and not filled artificially
    • Fifty-four teeth, some of which fall out and regrow throughout the whale's lifetime

    Ishmael states: "There are generally forty-two teeth in all; in old whales, much worn down, but undecayed; nor filled after our artificial fashion."

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14. 14

    Question 14. Which three crew members extract the sperm whale's teeth?

    • Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask, the three mates who supervise all deck operations
    • Ishmael, Queequeg, and Pip, the narrator and his closest companions aboard ship
    • Correct answer: Queequeg, Daggoo, and Tashtego, described by Ishmael as "all accomplished dentists"
    • Ahab, Fedallah, and Perth, the captain and his personally chosen attendants

    Ishmael writes: "Queequeg, Daggoo, and Tashtego, being all accomplished dentists, are set to drawing teeth."

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