Emily Stivers

Block 6
Blooms Level of
Questioning
Knowledge
Questions

Catcher in the Rye Test

TEST QUESTIONS

1. Who does Holden say goodbye to when he leaves

Pency?
a. Ackley
b. Mr. Spencer
c. His dorm advisor
d. Junie B. Jones

2. Why does Holden get the boot at Pency?

a. Holden Started a fight with classmates
b. Holden was caught smoking in the
bathroom
c. Holden failed out
d. Holden called the principal a Phony

Comprehension
Questions

3.In this passage from the book Holden is

curious about the ducks, why do you think that

is? "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?"

a. They are Holdems favorite animal and he always

gets sad when they leave.
b. Holden wants to be able to escape like the ducks
can
c. Holden isn't actually curious about the ducks.
d. Holden wants to know where they go so he can
kill them.

Skill
Addresse
d

Emily Stivers
Block 6

Catcher in the Rye Test

4. What type of figurative language is Holdens
red hat? I put on this hat that Id bought in New
York that morning. It was this red hunting hat,
with one of those very, very long peaks. I saw it in
the window of this sports store when we got out
of the subway, just after I noticed I'd lost all the
goddam foils. It only cost me a buck. The way I
wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the
backvery corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way.
I looked good in it that way

a.
b.
c.
d.

metaphor
irony
hyperbole
simile
5. From this quote below what do you think the
word harrowing means? Apparently before he
phoned me he'd just had a long, rather harrowing letter
from your latest headmaster, to the effect that you were
making absolutely no effort at all."

a.
b.
c.
d.

Application
Questions

Meaning

causing distress to
loud
unnecessary
weird/crazy

6. Using context clues what does the word

bawling from this passage mean? I was damn
near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want
to know the truth, I dont know why. It was just
that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept
going around and around, in her blue coat and all.
God I wish you couldve been there.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Rhetorical
Element

crying
running around
drinking water in a quick manner
physically rolling around in a ball

Meaning

Emily Stivers
Block 6

Catcher in the Rye Test

7. Using the text why do you think Holden lies so
much? I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in
your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store
to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me
where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the
opera. It's terrible.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Its a way to scare his sister

He just likes to mess with people
It happens naturally
telling the truth makes him feel vulnerable

8. Based on the text what does intoxicating

mean? I ordered a Scotch and soda, and told him
not to mix it--I said it fast as hell, because if you
hem and haw, they think you're under twenty-one
and won't sell you any intoxicating liquor.
a.
b.
c.
d.

non-alcoholic
gluten free
hot
Something that can really mess you up

9. Using what you know about holden what do

you think the tone in this quote is? What I was
really hanging around for, I was trying ... to feel
some kind of good-by. I mean I've left schools and
places I didn't even know I was leaving them. I
hate that. I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a
bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to
know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even
worse.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Meaning

nauseating
happy
conflicted
disgusted

Tone

Emily Stivers
Block 6

Catcher in the Rye Test

Analysis Questions

10. Compare and contrast Holdens relationship

with Mr Spencer and Holdens relationship with
Mr. Antolini.

Compare/
Contrast
Elements

11. Which answer best describes the irony in this

quote? Grand. There's a word I really hate. It's a
phony. I could puke every time I hear it.

Rhetorical
Element

a. He is being hateful for no reason

b. there is no irony
c. He has a negative connotation with a positive
word
d. he says he pukes everytime he hears it

12. In the book when Holden is describing the

museum he says The best thing, though, in that
museum was that everything always stayed right where
it was. Nobodyd move. . . . Nobodyd be different. The
only thing that would be different would be you. Why
Does he like the consistency so much?
a. He is known for giving tours at the museum so he
needs to know where everything is.
b. Phoebe and him would always look at the cowboy
exhibit and he needed that to stay the same.
c. Holden isnt actually affected by the consistency
of the museum.
d. Everything in Holdens life was changing so
having one place that never changed was

Emily Stivers
Block 6

Catcher in the Rye Test

comforting to him.

13. What do you think Holden meant by Goddam

money. It always ends up making you blue as
hell."
a.
b.
c.
d.

you can never have enough

touching money frequently will turn your skin blue
Having money makes you feel even lonelier
hell isnt blue, no argument

14. What is the Tone when Holden says Anyway,

I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If
there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on
top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will. ?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Tone

The tone is pleasant and uplifting

The tone is depressing
the tone is creepy
the tone makes the reader feel good

15. based on this quote what illness does holden

most likely have? When I really worry about
something, I don't just fool around. I even have to
go to the bathroom when I worry about
something. Only, I don't go. I'm too worried to
go. I don't want to interrupt my worrying to go.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Synthesis
Questions

Depression
Anxiety
schizophrenia
bhelimia
16. What word would you change to improve this
sentence? It made me so damn sad when i
thought about it, their never going anywhere
swanky for lunch or anything.

Word
Choice

Emily Stivers
Block 6

Catcher in the Rye Test

17. What word could you use to replace shoot the

bull and what do you think shoot the bull means?
New York's terrible when somebody laughs on
the street very late at night. You can hear it for
miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and
depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and
shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe.

18. How is this quote Ironic what could you

change the sentence to to make it less ironic? All
morons hate it when you call them a moron.

Evaluation
Questions

19. Does Holden actually care about the people in

his life? He constantly is talking about how much
he dislikes them but is also always looking at
them for forms of entertainment. What purpose
do relationships with people serve to Holden?

Word
Choice

Emily Stivers
Block 6

Catcher in the Rye Test

20. Compare and contrast Holdens relationship

with his family and Neils (Dead Poets
Society)relationship with his family. Who do you
think has a better home life?

Compare/
Contrast
Elements

Emily Stivers
Block 6
ANSWER KEY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Catcher in the Rye Test

B
C
B
A
A
A
D
D
C
COMPARE: he admired them both a lot when he first described them, they both showed him
sympathy, looked after him CONTRAST:they taught different subjects, Mr spencer was worried
about holdens grades while Mr A. saw the bigger picture
11. C
12. D
13. C
14. B
15. B
16. CHANGE THEIR TO THEYRE
17. shoot the bull means to talk with someone and any synonyms with chat or talk work.
18. The quote is ironic because moron is a term that describes someone that is unaware and dumb
and the fact that the moron would get upset over being a moron means that they are aware of
things making them not a moron. You could change the first moron to people.
19. Holden needs the people in his life so even though he constantly hates on people he knows that
he needs the company.
20.Holdens relationship with his family is much healthier than Neils with his family. They are
both trying to hide something from their family.