Titanic Quiz 666-668
- 1.
Read the passage below and check all the reasons why it might have been hard to spot the iceberg that night: Titanic Facts - An Iceberg Just Ahead At 11:39 lookouts Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee were on their post looking out for potential hazards. The elements were against them. The moonless night meant visibility was poorer. They had no binoculars. Unbeknown to them, less than 500 meters ahead lay a large iceberg. What could have made it harder to spot was the likelihood that the iceberg was not a white one. While most are white, some may appear green, black or blue depending on such things as their origin, air bubble content and impurities content. Furthermore, the calm sea may have made the iceberg harder to spot. In windier conditions the iceberg would be surrounded by the white surf of waves crushing against it. In the calm waters of that moonless night, no such surf was visible. http://www.my-secret-northern-ireland.com/titanic-facts.html
- A.
Fleet and Lee did not have high tech binoculars.
- B.
There was no moon which meant that there was not very much light to see by.
- C.
The iceberg may not have been white in color which would have made it harder to see in the dark.
- D.
There were lots of waves crashing against it, which hide the iceberg from sight.
Correct Answer(s)
B. There was no moon which meant that there was not very much light to see by.
C. The iceberg may not have been white in color which would have made it harder to see in the dark.Explanation
Fleet and Lee did not have any binoculars because the Titanic did not bring many aboard. The sea was calm, which meant that there were no waves and surf crashing against the iceberg, which would have made it easier to spot.Rate this question:
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- 2.
Watch the video and check the boxes that best answers these questions: Why was the Titanic traveling quickly when the Captain knew there was ice in the area? And, why was it significant that the first five compartments were cut open?
- A.
The Titanic was traveling quickly because the Captain was drunk at his dinner party and not paying attention to the speed of the ship.
- B.
The Titanic was trying to make the crossing in record time so that it would make even bigger headlines when reaching New York.
- C.
The Titanic was designed so that only the first four compartments were watertight. However the Titanic hit the iceberg along its side, which also opened the 5th compartment, which was not watertight.
- D.
The Captain was obsessed by fame and fortune and wanted to make be known around the world for making the Titanic travel as quickly as possible.
Correct Answer(s)
B. The Titanic was trying to make the crossing in record time so that it would make even bigger headlines when reaching New York.
C. The Titanic was designed so that only the first four compartments were watertight. However the Titanic hit the iceberg along its side, which also opened the 5th compartment, which was not watertight.Explanation
The Captain of the Titanic was known for having an excellent safety record and some have said that the reason the ship was travelling so fast was because Bruce Ismay was ordering the Captain to travel faster to break record time. Others have argued that it was common for ice to be in the sea lanes at that time of year and that the Titanic was not travelling extra-ordinarily fast compared to other ships at the time and that the Captain had enough experience to know what he was doing.Rate this question:
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- 3.
Look at the picture. Why was the Titanic doomed?
- A.
The iceberg hit the side of the Titanic instead of the front of the ship.
- B.
Only the first four compartments were watertight and none of the compartment walls reached the ceiling (top of the bulkhead), which meant as the compartments filled with water, the bow sank deeper and water started to flow over the compartment walls into the next one.
- C.
With all five compartments flooded, the Titanic could not survive, which is why it sunk so quickly.
- D.
All of the above
Correct Answer
D. All of the aboveExplanation
When the designers were creating the ship, they had never imagined that the Titanic would hit an iceberg because they assumed that such a big ship would have better chances spotting an iceberg well before it would come close to hitting it. The designers also assumed that if it did happen to hit an iceberg that it would hit it head on and would be protected by the first four watertight compartments. They did not imagine that a hole would be created along the side of the Titanic.Rate this question:
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- 4.
When the Titanic hit the iceberg, people reacted in the following way. Check all that apply.
- A.
The passengers started shouting and screaming. Many immediately jumped overboard and died.
- B.
Ruth Becker and her mother asked what was wrong and were told nothing and so they returned to bed.
- C.
Third class passengers were playing with the ice that fell on the deck and Jack Thayer joined in the fun.
- D.
Icy water started to immediately fill the boiler rooms, which sent the stokers running for safety.
- E.
The Captain and Thomas Andrews (the ship builder) toured the Titanic and were advising people to run for their lives.
Correct Answer(s)
B. Ruth Becker and her mother asked what was wrong and were told nothing and so they returned to bed.
D. Icy water started to immediately fill the boiler rooms, which sent the stokers running for safety.Explanation
Third class passengers were playing with the ice that fell on the deck but Jack Thayer did not join in. The Captain and Thomas Andrews (the ship builder) toured the Titanic and were very concerned by what they saw and Andrews advised the Captain that they probably only had an hour and a half before it sank.Rate this question:
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- 5.
Why did Bride and Phillips find it funny when the captain ordered them to send an international call for help?
- A.
The wireless operators were deliriously tired and did not believe the Captain.
- B.
Like everyone else, they believed that the ship was "unsinkable" and that it could not be possible for the Titanic to be in trouble.
- C.
They did not trust the Captain because he was prone to lying and telling tales.
- D.
They felt responsible especially Phillips who had told the Californian to shut up when they had radioed their last warning.
Correct Answer
B. Like everyone else, they believed that the ship was "unsinkable" and that it could not be possible for the Titanic to be in trouble.Explanation
It is not possible to know whether or not the radio operators felt any remorse about their previous actions.Rate this question:
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- 6.
The wireless operators tried sending an SOS signal after they had tried the Morse code CQD signal. What might have been problematic with this decision?
- A.
The CQD signal and SOS signal did not mean the same thing so none of the ships knew what they were radioing.
- B.
The SOS signal was made up by Bride who had lost his mind due to the shock of realizing that they were sinking.
- C.
It was one of the first SOS calls ever sent out from a ship in distress, which meant that other ships may not have understood the message because it was such a new code.
- D.
The SOS signalling blocked out the ability to receive messages from ships who wanted to help.
Correct Answer
C. It was one of the first SOS calls ever sent out from a ship in distress, which meant that other ships may not have understood the message because it was such a new code. -
- 7.
The mystery ship in the distance that never responded to the Titanic's distress rockets and flares was suspected to be.
- A.
The Omega
- B.
The Olympic
- C.
The Carpathia
- D.
The Californian
Correct Answer
D. The Californian -
- 8.
According to Robert D. Ballard, there could be a couple of reasons why the Californian did not respond to the sinking Titanic's distress flares.
- A.
The Californian was not the mystery ship that Titanic passengers and crew thought was so close and in fact, it was another ship all together.
- B.
The Californian radio operators were mad that they had been told to shut up so they did not care if the Titanic was sinking.
- C.
Several officers and crewman on the Californian saw the rockets in the distance and did report it to their captain, who told them to signal them with a Morse lamp; but, they received no response.
- D.
Scientists now suggest that the atmosphere that night created cold air mirages, which may have distorted the visibility that night making it difficult to identify the flares from the sinking Titanic
- E.
The Californian radio operator had gone to bed and none of the crew thought to wake him even though they saw the flares from the sinking ship and there was no response to the Morse lamp.
- F.
The Californian like everyone else believed that the Titanic was unsinkable so they did not believe the flares when they saw them.
Correct Answer(s)
C. Several officers and crewman on the Californian saw the rockets in the distance and did report it to their captain, who told them to signal them with a Morse lamp; but, they received no response.
E. The Californian radio operator had gone to bed and none of the crew thought to wake him even though they saw the flares from the sinking ship and there was no response to the Morse lamp.Explanation
There are many theories about this mystery ship and some claim that it was not the Californian at all as asserted in the excerpt below. But, only the Carpathia responded to the call for help while this mystery ship never did despite it being closer. Some claim it there was no ship or that it was cold air mirages that prevented them from seeing the Titanic while others assert that it was the fact that no one could believe that the Titanic was actually sinking.
The Mystery Ship
According to newspaper reports from 1912, the SS Californian was just eight to 15 miles away from the Titanic as it sank, but failed to respond to distress calls. Several Titanic buffs believe another ship, the 254-ton Samson, was just five to eight miles away, between the Californian and Titanic. The SS Californian's crew claimed that this mystery ship, which some believe to be the Samson, was steaming away, confusing them into thinking the rocket-flares came from a ship that was, in fact, in fine working order. For its part, the Samson may not have been eager to identify itself because of illegal seal hunting. http://www.ibtimes.com/titanic-facts-10-things-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-about-ship-timeline-events-survivors-435770Rate this question:
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- 9.
What best describes people's behavior when the ship was sinking?
- A.
Everyone was panicking and some people were even shot.
- B.
The band played while people calmly milled around waiting to get onto the lifeboats as women and children were loaded first.
- C.
The lifeboats were filled to capacity and lowered carefully over the side.
- D.
Third class passengers were given first priority for the lifeboats because people fgelt badly for them.
Correct Answer
B. The band played while people calmly milled around waiting to get onto the lifeboats as women and children were loaded first.Explanation
Many people could not believe the Titanic was sinking even while lifeboats were being lowered. This disbelief in combination with the band playing kept the atmosphere relatively calm for a while. The first class passengers were given priority into the life boats because they were considered more important than the other classes.Rate this question:
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- 10.
Read the excerpt: Canceled Lifeboat Drill A lifeboat drill was planned for the Titanic on April 14, 1912 - the day it struck the iceberg. For reasons that remain murky, Captain Edward John Smith canceled the drill. Some say it was canceled to allow passengers to go to church. Several historians believe that had the drill taken place, many more lives could have been saved. There were not even close to enough lifeboats on board to hold all passengers and crew, but when they were launched, they were not filled to capacity. http://www.ibtimes.com/titanic-facts-10-things-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-about-ship-timeline-events-survivors-435770 What could have been some of the factors that contributed to such a high death toll based on what we have discussed in class and this excerpt? Check all that apply.
- A.
There were half the number of lifeboats on board that were needed based on the number of passengers.
- B.
A lifeboat drill was cancelled which means that we could infer that the crew was not prepared to handle an emergency such as, the sinking of the ship.
- C.
The lifeboats were not filled to capacity and had they been many more lives could have been saved.
- D.
The strong class discrimination on board the ship might have contributed to why so few third class passengers and crew were saved and had there been less discrimination maybe more lives could have been saved.
- E.
The Titanic brought so much food on board the ship that the extra weight made it sink faster.
- F.
The belief that the ship was unsinkable caused people to not react seriously while it was sinking and perhaps if they had, more of an effort would have been made to save more lives.
Correct Answer(s)
A. There were half the number of lifeboats on board that were needed based on the number of passengers.
B. A lifeboat drill was cancelled which means that we could infer that the crew was not prepared to handle an emergency such as, the sinking of the ship.
C. The lifeboats were not filled to capacity and had they been many more lives could have been saved.
D. The strong class discrimination on board the ship might have contributed to why so few third class passengers and crew were saved and had there been less discrimination maybe more lives could have been saved.
F. The belief that the ship was unsinkable caused people to not react seriously while it was sinking and perhaps if they had, more of an effort would have been made to save more lives. -
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Mar 20, 2014Quiz Edited by
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Mar 20, 2014Quiz Created by
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