EXERCISE 11Herman Melville, an American author best known today for his novel Moby Dick, was actually more popular during his lifetime for some of his other works. He traveled extensively and used the knowledge gained during his travels as the basis for his early novels. In 1837, at the age of eighteen, Melville signed as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that was to sail from his Massachusetts home to Liverpool, England. His experiences on this trip served as a basis for the novel Redburn (1849). In 1841, Melville set out on a whaling ship headed for the South Seas. After jumping ship in Tahiti, he wandered around the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. This South Sea island sojourn was a backdrop to the novel Omoo (1847). After three years away from home, Melville joined up with a U.S. naval frigate that was returning to the eastern United States around Cape Horn. The novel White Jacket (1850) describes this lengthy voyage as a navy seaman.With the publication of these early adventure novels, Melville developed a strong and loyal following among readers eager for his tales of exotic places and situations. However, in 1851, with the publication of Moby Dick, Melville's popularity started to diminish. Moby Dick, on one level the saga of the hunt for the great white whale, was also a heavily symbolic allegory of the heroic struggle of humanity against the universe. The public was not ready for Melville's literary metamorphosis from romantic adventure to philosophical symbolism. It is ironic that the novel that served to diminish Melville's popularity during his lifetime is the one for which he is best known today.QuestionsQuestion 1: The main subject of the passage is .A. Melville's travels B. the popularity of Melville's novelsC. Melville's personal background D. Moby DickQuestion 2: According to the passage, Melville's early novels were .A. published while he was traveling B. completely fictionalC. all about his work on whaling ships D. based on his travel experience Question 3: In what year did Melville's book about his experiences as a cabin boy appear? A. 1837 B. 1841 C. 1847 D. 1849 Question 4: The word “basis” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .A. background B. message C. bottom D. dissertationQuestion 5: The passage implies that Melville stayed in Tahiti because .A. he had unofficially left his shipB. he was on leave while his ship was in portC. he had finished his term of dutyD. he had received permission to take a vacation in TahitiQuestion 6: A “frigate” in paragraph 1 is probably .A. an office B. a ship C. a troop D. a fishing boatQuestion 7: How did the publication of Moby Dick affect Melville's popularity?A. His popularity increased immediately.B. It had no effect on his popularity.C. It caused his popularity to decrease.D. His popularity remained as strong as ever.Question 8: According to the passage, Moby Dick is .A. a romantic adventureB. a single-faceted workC. a short story about a whaleD. symbolic of humanity fighting the universeQuestion 9: The word “metamorphosis” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .A. circle B. change C. mysticism D. descentQuestion 10: The passage would most likely be assigned reading in a course on .A. nineteenth-century novels B. American historyC. oceanography D. modem American literatureEXERCISE 12An air pollutant is defined
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