AnswersIA-English Language Arts 11 AEmily Dickinson's Poetry

Symbols in Moby-Dick Answers

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Read the excerpt from Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick.It resembled that perpendicular seam sometimes made in the straight, lofty trunk of a great tree, when the upper lightning tearingly darts down it, and without wrenching a single twig, peels and grooves out the bark from top to bottom, ere running off into the soil, leaving the tree still greenly alive, but branded.Melville’s description of Ahab’s scar in this excerpt best develops which theme in the novel?

A
the ability of humans to let go of past wounds
B
the harmony that exists between humans and nature
C
the ruling of a person’s present by their past wounds
D
the destructive power of technologies
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Read the excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1 of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen havingasked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, fromthe beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of theisland, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, Itake up my pen in the year of grace and go back to the time whenmy father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with thesabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.Which best explains Stevenson’s reason for beginning the chapter with this paragraph?

A
Stevenson creates confusion in the reader with a narrator who explains that he is writing a story because he has been asked to do so by several other characters.
B
Stevenson creates interest in the reader with mention of still undiscovered treasure and the arrival of a mysterious character in the narrator’s life.
C
Stevenson creates unease in the reader with a detailed account of the problem the main character has to overcome to reach a solution.
D
Stevenson creates a clear visual picture in the reader’s head with a strong description of the story’s setting without giving its actual location.
3

Read the excerpt from Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick.It had previously come to me that this ivory leg had at sea been fashioned from the polished bone of the sperm whale’s jaw.How is the fact that Ahab’s leg is made from whale bone significant to the novel’s theme of humans versus nature?

A
It signifies that Ahab has pitted himself against nature in an effort to dominate it.
B
It signifies that Ahab lives a life in harmony with the natural world.
C
It signifies that Ahab has made a choice to surrender to the power of the whales he hunts.
D
It signifies that Ahab see himself as an equal and dependent part of a greater whole.
4

Which best explains Melville’s reason for describing how the sight of Ahab causes “foreboding shivers” in the narrator at the beginning of Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

A
Melville is building a mood of suspense.
B
Melville is comparing and contrasting Ahab and the narrator.
C
Melville is showing a sequence of events.
D
Melville is developing a possible solution to a problem.
5

Read the excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1 of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen havingasked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, fromthe beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of theisland, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, Itake up my pen in the year of grace and go back to the time whenmy father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with thesabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.Which best explains why the narrator mentions the gentleman’s names in the opening sentence?

A
to establish credibility, suggesting many want to hear his tale
B
to foreshadow the story’s ending, as personalities are revealed
C
to give background information on his father’s occupation
D
to help the reader visualize the inhabitants of the inn
6

Read the excerpt from Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick.It was one of those less lowering, but still grey and gloomy enough mornings of the transition, when with a fair wind the ship was rushing through the water with a vindictive sort of leaping and melancholy rapidity, that as I mounted to the deck at the call of the forenoon watch, so soon as I leveled my glance towards the taffrail, foreboding shivers ran over me. Reality outran apprehension; Captain Ahab stood upon his quarter-deck.Which of the novel’s themes is best developed in this excerpt from Chapter 28 of Moby Dick?

A
a person’s ability to outsmart fate
B
a person’s harmony with nature
C
a person’s control over nature
D
a person’s inability to alter fate
7

Which best explains the symbolism behind Melville’s comparison of Ahab to a solid bronze cast in Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

A
Melville is symbolizing the impermanent nature of Ahab’s character.
B
Melville is symbolizing the intellectual nature of Ahab’s character.
C
Melville is symbolizing the inflexible nature of Ahab’s character.
D
Melville is symbolizing the impolite nature of Ahab’s character.
8

Which best explains the purpose of the first two paragraphs of Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

A
They provide background information on the tasks required of the crew on a whaling ship.
B
They explain Ahab’s inner motivation for sequestering himself inside his cabin.
C
They lead the reader into a description of the novel’s main character, Ahab.
D
They give the reader a detailed description of the crew’s ship, the Pequod.
9

Which best explains why Melville refers to Captain Ahab as “supreme lord and dictator” in the first paragraph of Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

A
to show that Captain Ahab trusts his crew to make decisions for him
B
to show that Captain Ahab distributes power equally among his crew
C
to show that Captain Ahab is the only decision maker on board the ship
D
to show that Captain Ahab is the only person allowed to work on deck
10

Which best explains the symbolism behind Melville’s use of the word “brand” to describe the scar on Ahab’s body in Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

A
The source of Ahab’s scar has been defeated.
B
The source of Ahab’s scar now owns him.
C
Ahab is at peace with his scar.
D
Ahab is proud of his scar’s significance.

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