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Whales and Whaling Trivia Quiz

Before petroleum was discovered, the world depended on whale oil for its needs. See how much you know about whales and whaling.

A multiple-choice quiz by tjoebigham. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
tjoebigham

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
30,425

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
2267

Last 3 plays: DCW2 (15/15), Guest 174 (15/15), Guest 72 (10/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Which whale is the largest animal on earth? Hint

Blue

Humpback

Sperm

Bowhead

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Question 2 of 15

2. How did the sperm whale get its name? Hint

From its promiscuity

From the substance in its head

From its massive amount of sperm

From the dominance of males

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Question 3 of 15

3. What is baleen made of? Hint

Hair

Real bone

Keratin

Cartilage

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Question 4 of 15

4. What kind of whale was Melville's Moby Dick? Hint

Right

Beluga

Albino Sperm

Gray

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Question 5 of 15

5. During the nineteenth century which of these products did not come from whales? Hint

Fertilizer

Lubricating oil

Candlewax

Corset stays

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Question 6 of 15

6. Which whaling ship was sunk by a whale? Hint

Wanderer

Essex

Charles W. Morgan

Acushnet

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Question 7 of 15

7. What is the name of the art of carving pictures on whales' teeth? Hint

Etching

Scratching

Dental Work

Scrimshaw

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Question 8 of 15

8. What cetacean substance was used in perfumes? Hint

Whale waste

Scent glands

Sperm oil

Ambergris

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Question 9 of 15

9. What did whalers call being towed by a harpooned whale? Hint

Whale ride

Whale haul

Nantucket sleigh ride

Riding the flukes

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Question 10 of 15

10. Where did whaleships extract the oil? Hint

Try-works

Refineries

Stoves

Tanks

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Question 11 of 15

11. Dolphins belong to the same order as whales.

True

False

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Question 12 of 15

12. What behavior are humpback whales best known for today? Hint

butting heads

singing and breaching

bashing in ships' bows

slapping their flukes together

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Question 13 of 15

13. What are the two halves of a whale's tail called? Hint

Flippers

Rostrum

Flukes

Fins

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Question 14 of 15

14. Whales are mammals.

True

False

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Question 15 of 15

15. Who invented a special harpoon? Hint

John Ericcson

James Watt

Thomas Edison

Lewis Temple

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 04 2024 : DCW2: 15/15
Apr 02 2024 : Guest 174: 15/15
Apr 02 2024 : Guest 72: 10/15
Mar 29 2024 : Guest 174: 15/15
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 174: 15/15
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 174: 9/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which whale is the largest animal on earth?

Answer: Blue

The largest blue whale recovered was 110 feet long, longer than a 737 jetliner!

2. How did the sperm whale get its name?

Answer: From the substance in its head

The substance in the head, from which came the oil and wax, looked like human sperm, thus the name.

3. What is baleen made of?

Answer: Keratin

The same substance your nails are made of! Baleen whales use the baleen in their mouths to strain out water as they feed on tiny crustaceans.

4. What kind of whale was Melville's Moby Dick?

Answer: Albino Sperm

Moby was an all-white sperm, very rare.

5. During the nineteenth century which of these products did not come from whales?

Answer: Fertilizer

Whale waste was not used for whaling initially, but have been used for fertilizer since the twentieth century.

6. Which whaling ship was sunk by a whale?

Answer: Essex

Melville shipped on the 'Achusnet', but the story of the 'Essex' and its tragic aftermath inspired his 'Moby Dick'.

7. What is the name of the art of carving pictures on whales' teeth?

Answer: Scrimshaw

Whalers also carved whale teeth into little statues, kitchen utensils, etc.

8. What cetacean substance was used in perfumes?

Answer: Ambergris

Found mostly in sick sperm whales, ambergris was invaluable to perfumiers.

9. What did whalers call being towed by a harpooned whale?

Answer: Nantucket sleigh ride

Nantucket was once the capital of whaling.

10. Where did whaleships extract the oil?

Answer: Try-works

'Trying out' the whale was cooking the oil out of a dead whale's flesh on board the ship.

11. Dolphins belong to the same order as whales.

Answer: True

Dolphin are a part of the order of cetaceans, but do not belong to the whale family.

12. What behavior are humpback whales best known for today?

Answer: singing and breaching

Most whales 'sing', that is, communicate through complex sound patterns with others of their kind, but humpbacks were the first discovered to sing, by scientist Roger Payne. And humpbacks have been seen breaching for many, many years. (No humpback has ever been known to bust open a ship's bow, unlike the sperm whale that sank the whaleship "Essex".)

13. What are the two halves of a whale's tail called?

Answer: Flukes

The whale's flukes are horizontal, whereas a fish's is vertical.

14. Whales are mammals.

Answer: True

Whales live in the oceans but breathe air and bear young.

15. Who invented a special harpoon?

Answer: Lewis Temple

Temple was an Afro-American blacksmith who designed the toggle-headed harpoon to hang on to a whale when {harpooned;} it revolutionized whaling.

Source: Author tjoebigham

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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