Jill Hubbard

2 Rager

Knowledge
Questions

Comprehension
Questions

1.) The whole time he roomed next

to me, I never even once saw him
brush his teeth. They always looked
messy and awful, and he damn near
made you sick if you saw him in
dining room with his mouth full(pg
19). In this quote, who is Holden
talking about?
A Sally Hayes
B Stradlater
C Mr. Antolini
D Ackley
2.) The title The Catcher in the Rye
comes from Holden hearing a boy
singing If a body catch a body
coming through the rye(pg 115) a
misquote from a poem written by
which poet?
A Robert Frost
B Rudyard Kipling
C Robert Burns
D Robert Browning
3.) In the quote Its no fun to be
yellow. Maybe Im not all yellow. I
dont know. I think maybe Im just
partly yellow and partly the type that
doesnt give much of a damn if they
lose their gloves.(pg 89), what does
Holden mean when he says yellow?
A Cowardly
B Nervous
C Relaxed
D Emotional
4.) Why did Salinger use slang and
curse words in The Catcher in the
Rye?
A It was how all books were
written at the time

1.) Fact Recall

2.) Fact Recall

3.) Word Choice

4.) Word Choice

Jill Hubbard
2 Rager
B To create controversy and
generate attention toward the book
C To convey his personal opinions
of growing up
D To create a believable teenage
voice

5.) Meaning

5.) In this quote, Holden is describing

Sunny. Which of these options
correctly summarizes Holdens
statement? She was a pretty spooky
kid If shed been a big old
prostitute, with a lot of makeup on her
face and all, she wouldnt have been
half as spooky(pg 98).
A Holden is surprised that Sunny
is not wearing makeup
B Holden doesnt have sex with
Sunny because she doesnt look old
enough
C Holden is bothered by how
young and normal Sunny is
D Holden is creeped out by the
whole situation

Application
Questions

6.) Which of the following quotes best

expresses the novels theme of
isolation?
A I was standing way the
hell
up on top of Thompson Hill You
could see the whole field from up
there, and you could see the two teams
bashing each other all over the place
practically the whole school was there
except me(pg 2)
B I saw one guy, a gray-haired,
very distinguished-looking guy with
only his shorts on, do something you
wouldnt believe me if I told you he
took out all these womens clothes,
and put them on Then he started
walking up and down the room, taking

6.) Meaning

Jill Hubbard
2 Rager
these very small steps, the way a
woman does He was all alone,
too(pg 61).
C I slept in the garage the night
he died, and I broke all the goddam
windows with my fist It was a very
stupid thing to do, Ill admit, but I
hardly didnt even know I was doing
it, and you didnt know Allie(pg 39).
D You never saw so many
phonies in all your life, everybody
smoking their ears off and talking
about the play so that everybody could
hear and know how sharp they
were(pg 126).
7.) What were some of the key
components leading to Holdens
expulsion from Pencey Prep?
A failing classes, fighting,
bullying
B Doing drugs, fighting
C Failing classes, skipping class
D Smoking in the dorms, fighting
8.) Identify the figurative language
used in this quote: She was about as
kindhearted as a goddam
wolf(pg140).
A Hyperbole
B Metaphor
C Alliteration
D - Simile
9.) Why does Holden say that he wants
to catch everybody if they start to
go over the cliff Id just be the
catcher in the rye(pg 173).
A He wants to protect childrens
innocence
B He wants to live in the fields
C Holden likes to save people
D Holden feels responsible for

7.) Fact Recall

8.) Rhetorical Elements

9.) Meaning

10.) Meaning

Jill Hubbard
2 Rager
others

Analysis Questions

10.) What did the red hunting cap

signify in the story?
A It was a gift from Jane
B It gives him confidence
C He likes the reactions he gets
D It reminds him of the one he
had when he was younger
11.) What is the significance of
Holdens question 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?(pg 60)
A It parallels Holdens search for a
safe place
B It signifies Holdens childlike
innocence and curiosity
C It symbolizes his fear of change
D All of the above

11.) Rhetorical Elements

12.) What did Holden mean when he

said The thing with kids is, if they
want to grab for the gold ring, you
have to let them do it, and not say
anything. If they fall off, they fall off,
but it's bad if you say anything to
them(pg 211) while watching Phoebe
on the carousel?
A He is literally talking about the
carousel and the gold ring
B It shows that he is ok with
Phoebe falling off of the ride
C It shows a childlike optimism
because Holden thinks that if kids
dont know something bad will happen
then nothing bad will happen
D It shows that hes beginning to
realize that growing up is necessary

12.) Meaning

13.) What do the last lines of The

13.) Meaning

Jill Hubbard
2 Rager
Catcher in the Rye mean? Dont ever
tell anybody anything. If you do, you
start missing everybody.
A Holden thinks its best to bottle
up emotions
B Talking about memories will
only remind you of what you lost
C Nostalgia doesnt have a
purpose
D Everybody tends to romanticize
the past
14.) Rhetorical Elements
14.) What does this quote foreshadow:
Thats how I practically got t.b. and
came out here for all of these goddam
checkups and stuff(pg 5).
A That Holden is hospitalized after
this story
B That he goes home to rest with
his family
C Holden is prone to sickness
D He becomes a doctor

Synthesis Questions

15.) Overall, the tone of The Catcher

in the Rye could be described as
A Happy and optimistic
B Informative and reflective
C Cynical and bitter
D Upset and mad
16.) Holdens behavior around women
varies throughout the book. Compare
his interactions with the nuns to how
he acts around Sally.

15.) Tone

17.) Explain the quote The best thing,

though, in that museum was that
everything always stayed right where
it was. Nobodyd move The only
thing that would be different would be
you(pg 121).

17.) Meaning

16.) Compare/Contrast

Jill Hubbard
2 Rager

Evaluation
Questions

18.) Many people criticize The

Catcher in the Rye, saying that the
book has no plot or character
development. Do you agree or
disagree? Why?
19.) Compare and contrast Holdens
casual tone with his distressed actions
throughout the novel.

18.) Personal Analysis

20.) The Catcher in the Rye deals with

Holden Caulfields feelings of
isolation and fear, and death is a
common motif. Despite that, the novel
is able to have a humorous tone at
times. How does this impact the
books overall meaning?

20.) Tone

19.) Compare/Contrast

Jill Hubbard
2 Rager

ANSWER KEY:
1.) D
2.) C
3.) A
4.) D
5.) C
6.) A
7.) C
8.) D
9.) A
10.) B
11.) D
12.) D
13.) B
14.) A
15.) C
16.) Answers will vary, as long as they support their ideas (He is nice to the nuns, intelligent
conversation, charitable vs moody and unpredictable and unpleasant around Sally, etc.)
17.) Answers will vary, as long as they support their ideas (Holden is afraid of change, museum
symbolizes his childhood, etc.)
18.) Answers will vary, as long as they support their ideas (Agree lack of tangible character
development, explaining why nothing happened, etc. Disagree explain development and
change throughout the novel, etc.)
19.) Answers will vary, as long as they support their ideas (His tone is very laidback and
passive, his actions seem frantic and distressed, etc.)
20.) Answers will vary, as long as they support their ideas (The book is full of contradictions
(depressing and humorous), tells us more about Holdens character, shows how misguided he is,
etc.)