Billy Budd 

Directions: Choose the best answer for each question.
Chapter one. 

1. The author saw a common sailor so intensely black that he must needs 
have been a native African of the unadulterate blood of ________. 
A. Noah 
B. Shem 
C. Ham 
D. Japheth

2. How old was Billy Budd? 
A. 19 B. 21 C. 25 D. 30

3. What ship was put forth short of her proper compliment of men? 
A. U.S.S. United States 
B. H.M.S. Lusitania 
C. H.M.S Bellipotent 
D. U.S.S. Typee

4. On which ship was Billy Budd? 
A. U.S.S. United States 
B. H.M.S. Lusitania 
C. H.M.S Bellipotent 
D. U.S.S. Typee

5. Captain Graveling is explaining to the lieutenant that, previous to 
Billy Budd's appearance, the Captain's forecastle was: 
A. An Irish shindy 
B. Black times 
C. A rat pit of quarrels 
D. Hell on earth

6. Captain Graveling tells the Lt., "You are going to take away..." 
A. The diamond of my crew 
B. My best carpenter 
C. My peacemaker 
D. The biggest hypocrite I ever heard of

7. According to Billy Budd, who wrote Rights of Man? 
A. Thomas Paine 
B. Stephen Girard 
C. Voltaire 
D. Captain Graveling

8. 'The impressed portion of the ship's company" indicates 
A. That there were still some who did not take to Billy Budd. 
B. Many had never been on a ship of such grandeur. 
C. Billy Budd was the quintessential foretopman. 
D. Some sailors were not officially employed but rather, legally shanghaied.
Chapter two 

9. Who was Billy Budd's father? 
A. A good man in Bristol 
B. God knows 
C. Captain Haverling 
D. Captain Stubing

Chapter three 

10. What is the season and the year as chapter 3 opens? 
A. Winter 1818 
B. Summer 1797 
C. April 1818 
D. Spring 1797

11. Where was 'The Great Mutiny'? 
A. Nore 
B. Spithead 
C. England 
D. The Bellipotent
Chapter four 

12. What does the star inserted into the Victory's quarter-deck designate? 
A. Victory at Trafalgar 
B. Where the Great Sailor fell 
C. Nelson's ornate publication 
D. The challenge to the death represented by Trafalgar.

Chapter five 

13. What foreran the 2 mutinies? 
A. Discontent 
B. Anxiety 
C. Anticipation 
D. Abrogation

14. What is a synonym for sporadic? 
A. Conventional 
B. Expected 
C. Erratic 
D. Regular

15. What is a synonym for Allegiance? 
A. Loyalty 
B. Treachery 
C. Infidelity 
D. Fickleness

16. What is a synonym for Abrogate? 
A. Enforce 
B. Encourage 
C. Ratify 
D. Repeal

17. What is a synonym for incumbent? 
A. Predecessor 
B. Historical 
C. Tightly-wrapped 
D. Current

Chapter six 

18. What was Vere's novel prefix? 
A. Ed 
B. Starry 
C. Captain 
D. Fairfax

Chapter seven 

19. Captain Vere had a marked leaning toward 
A. Books 
B. Isolated leisure 
C. A newly replenished library 
D. Everything intellectual

Chapter eight 

20. What was John Claggart's position on the Bellipotent? 
A. Captain 
B. Lieutenant 
C. Foretopman 
D. Master-at-Arms 

Chapter nine 

21. The old Dansker has spent time on what famous ship? 
A. The Trafalgar 
B. The Rights-of-Man 
C. The Agamemnon 
D. The Pequod

22. By what name did Billy eventually become know aboard ship? 
A. Baby Budd 
B. Booby Budd 
C. Bully Budd 
D. Boney Budd

23. What was the essence of Billy Budd's problem? 
A. Jemmy Legs liked him 
B. Mr. Claggart didn't like him 
C. The Dansker wouldn't tell Billy who Jemmy Legs was 
D. Billy though everyone liked him

24. What was the Dansker's leading characteristic? 
A. Cynicism 
B. Wrinkles 
C. A long scar 
D. Shrewdness

Chapter ten 

25. What's another name for "Board-her-in-the-smoke"? 
A. Jemmy Legs 
B. Dansker 
C. Donald 
D. Master-at-Arms

Chapter eleven 

26. What is it that is no flatterer of mankind though it never speaks ill 
of it? 
A. Civilization 
B. Platonic Depravity 
C. Calvinistic Depravity 
D. Sordid or sensual depravity

Chapter twelve 

27. What originally moved Claggart against Billy? 
A. Billy's overwhelming intellect 
B. Billy's lack of intellect 
C. Claggart's significant personal beauty 
D. Billy's significant personal beauty

28. What was the moral phenomenon presented in Billy Budd? 
A. Apprehensive jealousy 
B. He had never willed Malice 
C. A disdain of innocence 
D. A despairing of a free and easy temper

Chapter thirteen 

29. What, in the case of Platonic depravity, is apt to be in monstrous 
proportion to the supposed offence? 
A. Exactions 
B. Actions 
C. Retributions 
D. Retaliations

30. Who was the tattle-tale on the Bellipotent? 
A. The foretopman 
B. Guy Fawkes 
C. Squeak the rat 
D. Squeak the corporal

Chapter fourteen 

31. Why did Billy start to stutter? 
A. His vocal infirmity somewhat intruded. 
B. His resentful eagerness to deliver himself. 
C. He thoroughly shook off his drowse. 
D. "I found an afterguardsmen in our part of the ship."

Chapter 15 

32. To whom did Billy disburden himself? 
A. A loyal bluejacket 
B. A group of smokers 
C. The old Dansker 
D. Jemmy legs

Chapter sixteen 

33. Billy was ready to ascribe the problem almost to anybody except 
Claggart because 
A. Claggart was the Master-at-Arms 
B. Claggart always had a pleasant word for him 
C. Billy was much of a child-man 
D. Billy's intelligence had increased but his simplemindedness remained.

Chapter 18 

34. For what position had Captain Vere considered Billy? 
A. Captain 
B. Master-at-arms 
C. Executive Officer 
D. Captain of the mizzentop

35. Whom did Captain Vere send to fetch Billy Budd? 
A. A topman 
B. Albert 
C. Mr. Wilkes 
D. a few gun-room officers

Random Quotation: Let not warm harts betray heads that should be cool. 
-Capt. Vere

Chapter 20 

36. What did the other officers believe the proper action should be 
following the homicide? 
A. Hide the body and pretend it never happened 
B. Convene a trial immediately 
C. Shoot Billy Buddy for mutiny 
D. Refer the case to the Admiral

Chapter 21 

37. This unhappy event occurred at a time when the naval authorities 
required two qualities. What were they? 
A. Jugglery and cruciality 
B. Prudence and rigor 
C. Interfusability and prudence 
D. Suppression and rigor

38. How many people, besides the captain were presiding at the drumhead court? 
A. 1 
B. 2 
C. 3 
D. 4

39. When asked about mutinous intents on the Bellipotent Billy s answer was 
A. Yes 
B. No

40. The buttons that the officers wear attest to their allegiance to: 
A. King 
B. Nature 
C. Instinct 
D. Captain Vere

41. Why was Billy s sentence delayed until the early morning watch? 
A. Because of his speech impediment. 
B. It was not on the field, but in the fleet. 
C. it was customary to delay a mortal punishment. 
D. It was night.

Chapter 23 

42. What suppressed the crew s waxing murmur? 
A. Claggart s funeral. 
B. The boatswain and his mates. 
C. the coming about of the Bellipotent. 
D. the Boatswains whistles.

43. Certain measures were taken to absolutely insure what point? 
A. That no unusual precautions would be visible. 
B. That no one but the chaplain would speak to Billy. 
C. That the officers apprehended all things amiss. 
D. That any mutinous act would be suppressed with extreme prejudice.

Chapter 24 

44. What stands nearer Unadulterate Nature ? 
A. Billy Budd 
B. The minister of Christ receiving his stipend from mars. 
C. highly civilized communities. 
D. So-called barbarous communities.

45. What is a better thing than religion wherewith to go to judgment? 
A. Discretion 
B. Innocence 
C. The good sense of a good heart 
D. A Chaplains vocation

Chapter 25 

46. What time is signified by 8 bells? 
A. 8 A.M. 
B. 4 A.M. 
C. 1600 hours 
D. 800 hours

Chapter 26 

47. What is the subject of conversation in Chapter 26? 
A. Billy s death throes. 
B. Billy s will power 
C. Billy s absence of spasmodic movement 
D. The fat purser s ignorance and superstition.

Chapter 27 

48. What served as Billy s coffin? 
A. A coffin. 
B. His clothing 
C. Billy s sea-chest 
D. Billy s hammock

Chapter 28 

49. In what port did Captain Vere die? 
A. Gibraltar 
B. The Nile 
C. Trafalgar 
D. Athee

Chapter 29 

50. According to Dr. Johnson, patriotism is the last refuge of a 
A. Patriot 
B. Sailor 
C. Politician 
D. Scoundrel

Chapter 30 

51. What item from the Bellipotent became venerated as a monument? 
A. Billy's hammock 
B. The cross from the Bellipotent. 
C. The spar from which the foretopman was suspended. 
D. A dockyard yardarm.


Billy Budd Questions Key
1. C 
2. B 
3. C 
4. C 
5. C 
6. C 
7. A 
8. D 
9. B 
10.B 
11. A 
12. B 
13. A 
14. C 
15. A 
16. D 
17. D 
18. B 
19. D 
20. D 
21. C 
22. A 
23. B 
24. A 
25. B 
26. B 
27. D 
28. B 
29. D 
30. D 
31. B 
32. C 
33. B 
34. D 
35. B 
36. D 
37. B 
38. C 
39. B 
40. A 
41. D 
42. D 
43. B 
44. D 
45. B 
46. B 
47. C 
48. D 
49. A 
50. D 
51. C