The Catcher in the Rye Quiz

[ernesto thaddeus m. solmerano]

The Catcher in the Rye Quiz

1. Where does the title of the novel come from?
a. a game that Holden and Allie would play
b. a reference to Greek mythology
c. a poem by Robert Burns
d. the title of Holden's favorite song
2. What is the name of the benefactor of Holden's dormitory wing?
a. Fawcett
b. Weiss
c. Merriman
d. Ossenburger
3. What is Phoebe's favorite movie?
a. The Doctor
b. The 39 Steps
c. Gone With the Wind
d. The Wizard of Oz
4. After his fight with Stradlater, Holden claims that he is a/an ________.
a. sadist
b. anarchist
c. wimp
d. pacifist
5. Holden tells the girls he saw ________ at the Lavender Room.
a. Laurence Olivier
b. Alfred Lunt
c. Gary Cooper
d. Peter Lorre
6. What is one of Holden's least favorite words?
a. indeed
b. grand
c. phony
d. fabulous
7. Which prep school did Holden NOT attend?
a. Pencey
b. Andover
c. Whooton
d. Elkton Hills
8. How did Allie die?
a. a car accident
b. World War II
c. polio
d. leukemia
9. Which of the following things does Holden NOT like?
a. The nuns at Grand Central
b. Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms"
c. Allie Caulfield
d. James Castle
10. What smell permeates Mr. Spencer's home?
a. Potpourri
b. Cigar Smoke
c. Alcohol
d. Vicks Nose Drops
11. Which of these statements is not true?
a. Holden dislikes Stradlater because he is a "secret slob."
b. Holden dislikes Dick Slagle because of his cheap suitcases.
c. Holden dislikes Ernest Morrow because he is so well-respected.
d. Holden dislikes Ackley because he is a slob.
12. In what month does the novel take place?
a. January
b. December
c. November
d. May
13. Why does Holden believe that everyone mistakes him for an older person?
a. He has a perpetual five-o'clock shadow.
b. He uses obscure French words and phrases.
c. He has prematurely graying hair.
d. He is 6'4".
14. Which sentence about Carl Luce's girlfriend is not true?
a. She is Chinese.
b. She is older than Carl.
c. She lives in Brooklyn.
d. She is a sculptress.
15. According to Holden, which item shows that Stradlater is a phony?
a. his hound's-tooth jacket
b. his baseball mitt
c. his suitcases
d. his razor
16. Why does Holden dislike museums?
a. Museums remind him of Allie
b. Never changing, they remind Holden of other changes
c. Only phonies who want to appear intellectual visit museums
d. Holden's mother works in a museum
17. Which of the following was not one of Holden's teachers?
a. Vinson
b. Luce
c. Spencer
d. Antolini
18. After Holden fights Stradlater, what does he think about?
a. Joining a monastery.
b. Jumping out a window.
c. Shooting Stradlater.
d. Moving to a ranch in Colorado.
19. Which character does Holden talk to during the course of the novel?
a. Jane Gallagher
b. D.B. Caulfield
c. Faith Cavendish
d. Hazle Weatherfield
20. Where does Holden get drunk?
a. Wicker Bar
b. Ernie's
c. Lavender Room
d. Edmond Hotel
21. Which of the following characters symbolizes childhood innocence for Holden?
a. Robert Ackley
b. D.B. Caulfield
c. Allie Caulfield
d. Lillian Simmons
22. Which of the following items best symbolizes adulthood for Holden?
a. Little Shirley Beans record
b. Red hunting hat
c. Vicks Nose Drops
d. Toenail clipper
23. What is the significance of Stradlater's razor?
a. shows how the conceited Stradlater is actually a slob
b. symbolizes the violence of adulthood
c. foreshadows how Holden will attempt suicide
d. symbolizes adulthood
24. Who does not symbolize Holden's views of sex?
a. Faith Cavendish
b. Mrs. Antolini
c. Sunny
d. the guests at the Edmond Hotel
25. Which of the following statements about Jane Gallagher is not true?
a. She represents innocent gender relations for Holden.
b. She represents Holden's contempt for phoniness.
c. Her relationship with her stepfather represents Holden's distrust of adult authority.
d. She represents Holden's inability to conceive of women as anything but entirely pure or entirely corrupt.