Brittany Reid 1

Blooms
Level of
Questioning
Knowledge
Questions

Test Questions

1. How did Allie die?

a. Leukemia
b. World war II
c. Polio
d. A car accident
2. Which prep school did Holden NOT attend?
a. Elkton Hills
b. Pencey
c. Whooton
d. Andover
Comprehens
3. Which quote best shows Holden using his red
ion
hat to comfort and protect him?
a. I took off my coat and my tie and
Questions
unbuttoned my shirt collar, and then I put on
this hat that Id bought in New York that
morning(17)
b. Anyway, I was sitting on the washbowl next
to where Stadlater was shaving, sort of
turning the water on and off. I still had my
red hunting hat on, with the peak around to
the back and all. I really got a bang out of
that hat(27)
c. Then I got up. I couldnt find my goddam
hunting hat anywhere. Finally I found it. It
was under the bed. I put it on, and turned
the old peak around to the back, the way I
liked it, and then I went over and took a look
at my stupid face in the mirror(45)
d. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the
peak around to the back, the way I liked it,
and then I yelled at the top of my goddam
voice(52)
4. Which word best defines the tone in this
passage
Where you girls from? I asked her.
What? she said.
Where you girls from? Dont answer if you
dont feel like it. I dont want you to strain yourself.
Seattle, Washington, she said. She was
doing me a big favor to tell me.
Youre a good conversationalist, I told her.
You know that?
a. Sarcastic

Skill
Addressed

Word
Choice/
Quotation

Tone/
Quotation

Brittany Reid 2

Application
Questions

b. Tired
c. Angry
d. Thankful
5. Which word best describes how he views most
people?
a. Silly
b. Annoying
c. Phony
d. Understanding
6. What does Holden mean, Im quite illiterate,
but I read a lot?
a. He isnt as well educated as he thinks he
ought to be, but he does like to read
b. His friends tell him to read, but he doesnt
listen
c. He wants to do his school work, but hes too
busy thinking about the ducks
d. He wants to be smart like Allie
7. Which rhetorical element is used in the following
excerpt?
"I certainly began to feel like a prize horse's ass,
though, sitting there all by myself" (86).
a. Alliteration
b. Metaphor
c. Simile
d. Imagery
8. Compare and contrast the two possible tones
represented in the following quote.
I took her dress over to the closet and hung it up
for her. It was funny. It made me feel sort of sad
when I hung it up. I thought of her going in a store
and buying it, and nobody in the store knowing she
was a prostitute and all. The salesman probably
just thought she was a regular girl when she
bought it. It made me feel sad as hellI don't know
why exactly.
a. Rude and elated
b. Cynical and compassionate
c. Bitter and serene
d. Forceful and friendly
9. Which rhetorical element is used in the
following excerpt?
It's really ironical, because I'm six foot two and a half
and I have gray hair. I really do. The one side of my
headthe right sideis full of millions of gray hairs(9).

Word Choice

Meaning/
Quotation

Rhetorical
Element/
Quotation

Compare
and
contrast/
Quotation

Rhetorical
Element/
Quotation

Brittany Reid 3
a. Metaphor
b. Imagery
c. Hyperbole
d. Personification
10. What does Mr. Antolini mean when saying the
following to Holden?
I have a feeling that you're riding for some kind of
terrible, terrible fall"(187).
a. Holden should learn more about the "human
condition" and confront or accept it, not just run
away from it
b. Holden is failing on purpose and doesnt care
about his grades
c. Holden is riding his bike through the city and is
about to steer off the road
d. Holden wants people to notice him so he can get
attention

Analysis
Questions

11. Analyze the following quote. Then pick the

letter choice that best describes the tone.
Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.
a. Desperate
b. Frustrated
c. Selfish
d. Harsh
12. What is Holdens definition of the bolded term?
I was surrounded by phonies...They were coming
in the goddam window.
a. The people in the hotel
b. His peers
c. Only little kids
d. Almost everyone except for his family members
13. Analyze the following quote and determine the
tone.
Dont ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you
start missing everybody.
a. Outraged
b. Melancholy
c. Forceful
d. Doubtful
14. Analyze the following quote:
Certain things they should stay the way they are.
You ought to be able to stick them in one of those

Meaning/
Quotation

Tone/
Quotation

Meaning/
Quotation

Tone/
Quotation

Quotation

Brittany Reid 4

Synthesis
Questions

big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know

that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway.
What things does he want to stay the same?
a. The buildings and street signs
b. The way technology is effecting everyone
c. the innocence in the young children
d. The way Mr. Spencer teaches
15. What does innocence mean for Holden?
a. Not growing up
b. Never making a mistake
c. Being smarter than his classmates
d. Living independently
16. Compare and contrast how the novel might be
different if the main character was a female.

Compare
and contrast

17. How much can we trust Holden's descriptions of

other people? Is Ackley really as pimply and disgusting
as we're told he is? Is Phoebe really so smart and
wonderful?

Evaluation
Questions

18. Read the quote below:

Boy, it began to rain like a bastard. In buckets, I
swear to God. All the parents and mothers and
everybody went over and stood right under the roof of
the carrousel, so they wouldn't get soaked to the skin
or anything, but I stuck around on the bench for quite
a while. I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck
and my pants.
Does Holden stick out from the crowd? Does he do it
on purpose? What is his relationship like with his
parents, are they there for him? Or does he try to
avoid them?

Quotation

19. One main conflict throughout this book is man vs.

society. Compare and contrast the pros and cons to
this lifestyle. Explain why this might be a problem for
Holden.

Compare
and contrast

20. While Holden is wondering around New York City,

he asks many people what happens to the ducks when
the pond freezes. What does the repetition of this
question symbolize?

Brittany Reid 5

Answer Key
1. A
2. D
3. C
4. A

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5. C
6. A
7. B
8. B
9. C
10. A
11. D
12. D
13. B
14. C
15. A
16. Having a female as the main character, different challenges will be faced but similar emotions as
Holden is just a teenager trying to grow up.
17. The book is only told from Holdens perspective and we view his as a somewhat negative person.
When he makes negative remarks they are probably exaggerated, but when complimenting someone like
his sister, we can see the sincerity and truthfulness in the way he talks about her.
18. Holden sticks out because thats all hes used to; he doesnt know how to act otherwise. His parents
arent mentioned much but when they are, he says he doesnt want to disappoint them. Thats why he
tries to avoid going home early; his parents have high expectations for him but focus their attention on
their daughter Phoebe at home.
19. Holden is ultimately struggling to maintain his own innocence in a fight that only involves himself. In a
way he uses his hat as a buffer or security blanket to hide his true self because he is afraid and insecure.
His fight with society deals with him being alone not having anyone that relates to him besides Jane and
Phoebe everyone else is just a phony trying to manipulate him.
20. The repetition of this question symbolizes what Holden is truly asking for himself. He isn't trying to find
out what will happen to the ducks, he is really finding out about himself by using the ducks symbolically.
He wants to know what will happen to him when the weather gets brutally cold. He is pondering on
whether or not to go home, which he is deftly afraid of doing, or stay outside and freeze.