The Catcher in the Rye – Quiz 1
• Why is Holden standing at the top of
Thomsen Hill instead of being down at the
football game? (2 reasons)
• Why did it make Holden nervous that
Stradlater was going out with Jane
Gallagher?
• Why did Holden write about Allie’s glove?
• Why did Holden's parents want to have
him psychoanalyzed?
• What does Holden do right after he gets up
from his fight with Stradlater?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 1-3
• Why is Holden standing at the top of
Thomsen Hill instead of being down at the
football game? (2 reasons)
• Who is Mr. Spencer and why is Holden
going to see him?
• What advice does Spencer give Holden and
what does he make Holden reluctantly do?
• Who is Ackley and what’s so bad about
him?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 3-4
• Who is Stradlater and what does he tell
Holden that enthuses him?
• Of what Holden remembers about Jane
Gallagher, which memory of her does
Holden fixate on?
• What does Holden repeatedly say he
should do while talking with Stradlater,
but just doesn’t feel like it?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 5-6
• What does Holden choose to write about
for Stradlater’s composition and what
makes it special?
• What does Holden do with the
composition? Why?
• Starting out playful, at what point does
Holden’s confrontation with Stradlater
become truly physical?
• What putdown does Holden repeatedly say
to provoke Stradlater? Why?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 7-9
• Why doesn’t Holden sleep in Ely’s bed in
Ackley’s room and, instead, decide to leave
in the middle of the night?
• On page 52, Holden mentions that the
skates his mother gave him made him sad.
Why?
• Who sits down next to Holden on the
train? What does he lie to her about?
Why?
• In what sort of hotel does Holden stay?
What sorts of “perverts” are there? Why
doesn’t he just go home?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 9-11
• Who is the first person Holden calls? Why
do you suppose he doesn’t arrange to meet
her the next day as she suggests?
• Who does Holden meet in the nightclub of
the hotel? Why do these women depress
him? Why does he spend time with them
then?
• What is Phoebe like? How can you tell
that Holden adores her?
• Holden remembers the time Jane cried
and he kissed her. Why does he think she
was crying?
DO NOW:
Add these questions to your notes if you are
keeping track of them.
• What is Phoebe like? How can you tell
that Holden adores her?
• Holden remembers the time Jane cried
and he kissed her. Why does he think she
was crying?
• Why is Holden so preoccupied with where
the ducks go in the wintertime?
• Why doesn’t Holden have a good time at
Ernie’s?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 12-13
• Why is Holden so preoccupied with where
the ducks go in the wintertime?
• Why doesn’t Holden have a good time at
Ernie’s?
• Why does Holden start thinking about
what a coward he is? Is he a coward?
• Holden talks about his “terrific capacity”
for holding liquor. Can he really drink? Is
he exaggerating? Is an alcoholic?
• Why does Holden approve Maurice’s
proposal?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 13
• What effect does Sunny have on Holden?
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 13
May I suggest Rule 63:
Rule 63 (on the internet): For any given
male character, there is a female version
of that character, and vice-versa.
Sunny and Holden wouldn’t
really apply because their
not exactly the same. Plus,
Rule 63 is really just to
accommodate cosplayers.
Objectives
• SL.10.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades
9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• RI.10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 15-16
• Why is it important that the nuns didn’t ask
him if he was Catholic?
• After buying theater tickets, Holden recalls
seeing Hamlet with D.B. and Phoebe. What
did he not like about Olivier’s portrayal?
What moments of the performance did he
actually enjoy? Why?
• Why does Holden go to the museum? What
does he like about the museum?
• In his halfhearted search for Phoebe, how
does Holden interact with children and what
might that reveal?
DO NOW
Please copy the instructions below for the Personal
Narrative assignment, due Friday, Dec. 6th :
In preparation for the upcoming research paper, we need
to explore more non-fiction, so let’s start with creative
non-fiction in the form of a personal narrative essay.
• In 2 to 3 pages (typed, 12pt. font, double-spaced),
compose a first person essay discussing an aspect or
piece of modern technology (e.g. social media, smart
phones, advanced medicine, photoshop, Smart cars,
the internet, etc.) that you have a strong opinion about
or have been personally affected by.
• This is not fiction. You need to write about a real-life
experience with the topic, sharing your real opinions.
• Use standard English rules and engage your reader.
• Oh, and write in the voice of Holden Caulfield.
The Catcher in the Rye – Ch. 16-17
• Throughout his date with Sally, what
things does she do that are phony or
annoying to Holden?
• Why does he like Sally so much if she does
phony and annoying things?
• What does his argument with Sally
reveal?
• Holden admits that he probably wouldn’t
have taken Sally on the trip even if she had
agreed to go. Why did he ask her then?
Closure Activity
Ticket-Out-The-Door
• Taking the ideas discussed today into
account (the song, the museum, Holden’s
interaction with children, and his date with
Sally), compose a complex thesis
statement (2-3 sentences) that asserts and
briefly supports a claim answering the
following prompt:
What is Holden Caulfield’s emotional or psychological
age? Where is he developmentally? An adult? A child?
Neither/both? Why? (Briefly support)