Catcher in the Rye Test Questions Answer Key

Brendan Hulla
Block 4

1. Dont ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. What
does Holden most likely mean by this?
a. You dont realize what you have until its gone - he begins to miss
everyone, including the people he thought he didnt like, after he tells his story
b. He wishes he didnt tell his story
c. He hates being in the mental hospital
d. You cant trust anyone with secrets
2. The use of the word phony throughout the novel is an example of:
a. Foreshadowing
b. Repetition - the word is repeated all throughout the novel
c. Alliteration
d. Onomatopoeia
3. Which event probably most greatly impacted Holdens personality?
a. Allies death - Holden talks about his brothers death throughout
the whole novel and makes it clear that the loss of Allie devastated him
b. Getting kicked out of Pencey
c. Watching someone kill himself
d. Ordering a prostitute
4. You cant ever find a place thats nice and peaceful, because there isnt any.
Why does Holden probably hate seeing F*ck you written in the museum?
a. Because he wrote it the last time he was there
b. Because he hates swearing
c. Because of the museums symbol of innocence - Holden feels like
the museum represents his childhood and innocence and seeing vulgar words
written on the exhibits upsets him
d. Because Phoebe saw it
5. All of a sudden I wanted her to cry till her eyes practically dropped out. Why
does Holden suddenly change his mind about Phoebe?
a. Hes always disliked her
b. He wants to protect her - although he loves Phoebe, he wants her
to be safe and makes it clear that she cannot run away from home with him
c. He likes seeing people cry
d. Hes mad that she ruined the museum trip
6. Which mental illness does Holden most start to show symptoms of in Chapters
24 and 25 (when he decides to live on his own and Phoebe wants to join him)?
a. Anxiety
b. Depression
c. Bipolar
d. Schizophrenia
7. Why does Holden order the prostitute then decide not to do anything with her?
a. Hes scared
b. He doesnt find the prostitute attractive
c. He doesnt want to lose his innocence - deep down, Holden knows
he wants to keep his innocence and having sex with a prostitute would ruin it

d. He hates the idea of sex

8. Which word does Holden most frequently use to criticize people?
a. Phony - frequently used in the novel
b. Fake
c. Yellow
d. Cowardly
9. Why is the novel titled Catcher in the Rye?
a. Holden used to play football with Allie in a field of rye
b. Holden wishes he could save children from growing up - Holden
misquotes an old poem about making sure people dont fall over the edge in a
field of rye. Holden wants to be the catcher, making sure children dont lose
their innocence
c. Salinger named it completely randomly to emphasize Holdens
mental illness
d. Bread is one of the only foods Holden will eat
10. Who is Sunny?
a. One of Holdens teachers
b. A prostitute - fact recall
c. Holdens sister
d. The elevator attendant
11. I felt so damn happy all of a sudden Why does seeing Phoebe go around the
carousel make Holden happy?
a. He sees the innocent child he imagines her as - he is originally
upset with Phoebe because she wants to run away from home with him,
something Holden views as mature and adultlike. When she rides the carousel
he sees the childish side of her again
b. She had wanted to ride the carousel for months
c. She starts talking to another girl on the ride and becomes friends
with her
d. He begins to view Phoebe as mature and independent
12. Holden endearingly refers to Mr. Spencer as old Spencer when he visits his
house to tell him goodbye. Why does Holden give Mr. Spencer his respect when he
expresses disdain towards almost all other adults?
a. He doesnt think of Mr. Spencer as phony
b. Although he thinks Mr. Spencer is slightly phony, he likes the fact
that he cares about his students - Holden talks about how he likes Mr. Spencer
because he cares about his students well-being, not just their grade in the class
c. He enjoys English class
d. Mr. Spencer was the only teacher to give him a passing grade
13. The only trouble was, the cold made my nose hurt, and right under my upper lip,
where old Stradlaterd laid one on me. Which changes would best improve the
grammatical errors in this sentence?
a. The only trouble was the cold made my nose hurt, and right
under my upper lip, where old Stradlater had laid one on me. - this is the only
correction which is grammatically correct
b. The only trouble was the cold made my nose hurt and right under
my upper lip, where old Stradlaterd laid one on me.

c. The only trouble was; the cold made my nose hurt. And right
under my upper lip, where old Stradlaterd laid one on me.
d. No change
14. Which quote best gives evidence for Holdens mental illness?
a. After I shut the door and started back to the living room, he yelled
something at me, but I couldn't exactly hear him. I'm pretty sure he yelled "Good
luck!" at me. I hope not. I hope to hell not. I'd never yell "Good luck!" at anybody.
It sounds terrible, when you think about it. - this quote shows how Holden finds a
way to twist anyones words, no matter how encouraging, into something
depressing and negative
b. And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever
sat behind myself in a movie or something, I'd probably lean over and tell myself
to please shut up. - this quote could also be a possible answer because it shows
signs of depression
c. Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be
able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.
d. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.
15. How would you compare and contrast Ackley and Stradlater?
a. Ackley is funny and lighthearted, Stradlater is rude and unkempt
b. Ackley is boorish and unkempt, an obvious slob, while Stradlater
is confident and popular, also a secret slob - Ackley and Stradlater are both
described this way
c. Ackley is rude but smart, Stradlater is funny and lighthearted
d. Ackley is talkative and nice, Stradlater is quiet and reserved
16. God, I wish you couldve been there. How does Salinger tend to end chapters
of the novel?
a. He ends them on cliffhangers for the next chapter
b. He ends them with a sentence that doesnt make very much
sense
c. He ends them on a happy note, contrasting the subject matter of
the chapter - Salinger usually ends the chapters happily, no matter how negative
the actual chapter was
d. He ends them with a criticism of the people around Holden
17. I sort of miss everybody I told about. Which word best describes the tone at the
end of the novel?
a. Gloomy
b. Optimistic - Holden begins to look back on his past and misses the
people he thought he disliked
c. Negative
d. Happy
18. Then I thought of something, all of a sudden. "Hey, listen," I said. "You know
those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any
chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?
Do you happen to know, by any chance?" I realized it was only one chance in a million.
Which best describes the tone of this passage?
a. Urgent
b. Scared
c. Lighthearted

d. Morbid - Holden is obsessed not only with the idea of Allies death,
but at the idea that every living thing will eventually die
19. When [Phoebe] was a very tiny little kid, I and Allie would take her to the park
with us, especially on Sundays. How would you fix this sentence to make it less
redundant and grammatically correct?
a. When Phoebe was a little kid, Allie and I would often take her to
the park with us. - this sentence is less redundant and grammatically correct
b. When Pheobe was a very tiny little kid, Allie and I would take her
to the park with us, especially on Sundays.
c. When Phoebe was very tiny, me and Allie would take her to the
park with us on Sundays.
d. No change
20. What would Holden probably say if someone told him he had a mental illness?
a. Doctors are phonies
b. You're probably right
c. No I don't!
d. Everyone except me has a mental illness - Holden believes he is
one of the very few people in the world who actually understand how everything
works
21. Short Answer: Can we trust Holdens descriptions of the people around
him? For example, is Ackley really as bad as Holden says he is? Is Phoebe really
as smart as Holden thinks she is?
Argument
Textual evidence and/or outside evidence
Thesis

22. Short answer: Why are the women in this novel so insignificant to the
story? How do the women around Holden affect his decisions and mood?
Argument
Textual and/or outside evidence
Thesis