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Quiz about Two Years Before the Mast
Quiz about Two Years Before the Mast

Two Years Before the Mast Trivia Quiz

A survey of Richard H. Dana's excellent book first published in 1840, not of the film of 1946. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by wjames. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
wjames
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
365,230
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
300
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Disease caused a severe weakening of one of Dana's senses, prompting him to seek a cure on a sea voyage. Which sense was impaired? Hint


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Question 2 of 10
2. Who lived "before the mast" on 19th century sailing ships? Hint


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Question 3 of 10
3. Dana sailed from Massachusetts in 1834 and returned there in 1836 on a different ship. What was the name of the ship he first served on, a name with special meaning in Massachusetts? Hint


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Question 4 of 10
4. Dana sailed from Boston to California and return, weathering which fearsome Cape in the high southern latitudes? Hint


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Question 5 of 10
5. Dana frequently worked near San Pedro, an area he described as "desolate", but which produced the largest number of hides. The local village was named "Pueblo de Nuestra Seņora de _______"

Answer: (Two Words; This "village" is now the second-largest city in the U.S.)

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Question 6 of 10
6. While on the California coast, Dana met and befriended sailors known as Kanakas from a mid-Pacific island group. Which islands did the Kanakas call home? Hint


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Question 7 of 10
7. In later life a social reformer, Dana wrote "Two Years Before the Mast" to expose the miserable life of the common sailor. This book was first published in 1840, the same year a younger American sailor and future author returned from his first sea voyage - which author was this? Hint


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Question 8 of 10
8. Dana revisited California in 1859 and later wrote "Twenty Four Years After", that became an appendix to future editions of "Two Years Before the Mast". Which significant event had occurred before Dana's second visit that had transformed the San Francisco Bay area? Hint


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Question 9 of 10
9. Dana described his first Captain as severe, frequently ordering an offender to be "triced up" and administered which punishment? Hint


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Question 10 of 10
10. Who published the 1911 edition of "Two Years Before the Mast"? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Disease caused a severe weakening of one of Dana's senses, prompting him to seek a cure on a sea voyage. Which sense was impaired?

Answer: Vision

 While a student at Harvard, Dana contracted measles which led to a severe loss of eyesight, so necessary for a student. Dana turned down a leisurely voyage to India as an owner's agent, and instead signed on to a merchant ship on a voyage to collect a cargo of cow hides.
2. Who lived "before the mast" on 19th century sailing ships?

Answer: Common sailors

 The less desirable quarters "before the mast" were given to the common sailors, the lowest-ranking members of the crew. The quarters in the forward part of sailing ships tended to be cramped due to the narrowing of the hull toward the bow, and were wet from spray and the sea pounding into the bow.
3. Dana sailed from Massachusetts in 1834 and returned there in 1836 on a different ship. What was the name of the ship he first served on, a name with special meaning in Massachusetts?

Answer: Pilgrim

 The Pilgrim was an 85-foot long brig - a vessel that carries square sails on two masts. The Pilgrim was built in 1825 and was lost in 1856 due to a fire at sea.
4. Dana sailed from Boston to California and return, weathering which fearsome Cape in the high southern latitudes?

Answer: Cape Horn

 Cape Horn is located at 55 degrees South latitude at the tip of South America, approximately 500 miles from Antarctica. Dana's return voyage around Cape Horn in the brig Alert took many weeks of sailing in high winds and seas and freezing temperatures.
5. Dana frequently worked near San Pedro, an area he described as "desolate", but which produced the largest number of hides. The local village was named "Pueblo de Nuestra Seņora de _______"

Answer: Los Angeles

 At the time of Dana's visit, Los Angeles had less than 1,000 inhabitants spread over an area of 5 1/2 square miles, but it was still the largest settlement in the territory of Alta California.
6. While on the California coast, Dana met and befriended sailors known as Kanakas from a mid-Pacific island group. Which islands did the Kanakas call home?

Answer: Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)

 Native Hawaiians then and now refer to themselves as Kanakas. Dana befriended many Kanakas ashore, and solidified his connection with them by nursing one back to health against the wishes of his Captain, who would just as soon have seen the Kanaka die.
7. In later life a social reformer, Dana wrote "Two Years Before the Mast" to expose the miserable life of the common sailor. This book was first published in 1840, the same year a younger American sailor and future author returned from his first sea voyage - which author was this?

Answer: Herman Melville

 Herman Melville mentions his predecessor in "White Jacket": "But if you want the best idea of Cape Horn, get my friend Dana's unmatchable "Two Years Before the Mast". But you can read, and so you must have read it. His chapters describing Cape Horn must have been written with an icicle."
8. Dana revisited California in 1859 and later wrote "Twenty Four Years After", that became an appendix to future editions of "Two Years Before the Mast". Which significant event had occurred before Dana's second visit that had transformed the San Francisco Bay area?

Answer: California Gold Rush

 The Gold Rush of 1848 lasted through 1855 and brought over 300,000 people to the new State (admitted 1850). San Francisco was a village of 200 in 1846, but had exploded to a boomtown of 36,000 by 1852. In 1859, Dana toured many familiar locations and met many acquaintances from his 1835 visit.
9. Dana described his first Captain as severe, frequently ordering an offender to be "triced up" and administered which punishment?

Answer: Flogging

 Flogging was on the wane by the time of Dana's voyage, after having reached a peak during the American Revolution when a maximum of 100 lashes were permitted. Vivid descriptions of flogging by Dana and Melville did much to sway public opinion, and flogging was outlawed on U.S. ships in 1850 (it continued as a punishment in the Army until 1861).
10. Who published the 1911 edition of "Two Years Before the Mast"?

Answer: Richard H. Dana III

 The original author, R.H. Dana Jr., died in 1882. His son, R.H. Dana III, published the last edition of his father's book in 1911, adding a chapter on nautical terms, and some history of the ships and people mentioned in his father's work as well as an update on the state of California in a new chapter titled "Seventy Five Years After".
Source: Author wjames

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