Seitz 1

Paige Seitz
Wilson 2
16 May 2016
Catcher in the Rye Test
Knowledge Questions
1.

What color was Holdens hat?

a. Red
b. Blue
c. Black
d. Red & Green
2. How many classes was Holden failing?
a. 2
b. 5
c. All of them
d. 4
Comprehension Questions
3. Why do you think Holden feels sorry for Mr. Spencer and what background
information makes him feel this way?
4. Who is the you to whom Holden is always referencing? Where do you think
Holden is when he is telling this story? and explain why you think that.
5. Interpret in your own words how Holdens emotional state effects and
prompts the novel.
Application Questions
6. Holden referenced himself as a pacifist. What supports this being a
description of how he would handle the glove thief or is Holden just
yellow?
7. What do you think the meaning of this quote is? Dont ever tell anybody
anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.?
8. What point does Holden try to make about people when he talks about
Stradlater and the "commas" and Ackley's description of the basketball player
9. Holden curses quite a lot, so why do you think he was so worked up when
bad words were written on the wall of the school?
10.What is the carrousel a symbol of? And why is it symbolic?
Analysis Questions
11. All of the encounters Holden has with other people make up the plot. So how
do Holden and Ackleys encounters play into the plot and into Holdens
character?
12. What evidence can you provided in chapter 8 for Holden trying to make the
leap from school to the adult world?
13. Distinguish what way Holden does not understand even his own feelings.
14. Analyze the significance of the title and infer how the book would be
different if the title were changed.
15. Infer why Holden cannot make himself have sex with the prostitute.
Synthesis Questions

Seitz 2
16. The center of this novel is Holden, an adolescent male in what ways can
women relate to this novel? What about Holden is specific to gender and what is
generic
17. Holden is very concerned with saving kids innocence but why do you think
he doesnt really care about his own?
18.What is the tone at the end of Catcher in the Rye?
Evaluation Questions
19. Holden denies knowing James Castle when he is who he thinks of when
Phoebe ask him to name one thing, why do you think this is? What does it tell
us about Holden when he says, "Just because somebody's dead, you don't
just stop liking them, for God's sake---especially if they were a thousand
times nicer than the people you know thatre alive and all"?
20.What do you think Holden means when he says, "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"?