Q 01/05

Which actor won the Best Actor Oscar as the fisherman Manuel in the 1937 film Captains Courageous?

A) Paul Muni

B) Robert Montgomery

C) Spencer Tracy

D) Fredric March

Answer · why

C) Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy disliked faking the accent and having his hair curled for the part, yet it won him the first of two Best Actor Oscars in a row.

Q 02/05

In Captains Courageous, spoiled Harvey Cheyne is swept into the Atlantic from what kind of vessel?

A) An ocean liner

B) A private yacht

C) A whaling ship

D) A cargo freighter

Answer · why

A) An ocean liner

An ocean liner was carrying Harvey to Europe, and the novel opens with it rolling through fog, whistling to warn the fishing fleet.

Q 03/05

In Captains Courageous, what gift from a fellow passenger leaves Harvey Cheyne sick at the rail?

A) A glass of whiskey

B) A plate of oysters

C) A dose of laudanum

D) A strong cigar

Answer · why

D) A strong cigar

A strong cigar, a rank Wheeling stogie offered by a German passenger, made Harvey faint just as a roll of the ship tipped him over the rail.

Q 04/05

Manuel, Harvey's rescuer in Captains Courageous, comes from an island ruled by which country?

A) Spain

B) Portugal

C) Scotland

D) Italy

Answer · why

B) Portugal

Portugal rules Madeira, the island Manuel calls home, and he tells the crew gentle stories of girls washing clothes there by moonlight.

Q 05/05

The schooner that rescues Harvey in Captains Courageous spends its season catching which fish?

A) Tuna

B) Salmon

C) Cod

D) Hake

Answer · why

C) Cod

Cod was the whole point of the trip, and Kipling says the skipper found the shoals by thinking the way the fish did.