The Catcher in the Rye
Multiple Choice Quiz Test 1
_____ 1. The title refers to Holden Caulfield’s wish to
A. protect children
B. imitate his dead brother Allie
C. prove his worth to his parents
_____ 2. Which is not true of the novel?
A. It is narrated in the first person
B. The actions of the hero are more important than his thoughts
C. It is told in a flashback
_____ 3. Holden feels that
A. Antolini is his only adult friend
B. his brother D. B. has “prostituted” himself in Hollywood
C. James Castle was wrong to commit suicide
_____ 4. The novel opens and closes
A. in Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania
B. in Holden’s home in New York
C. in a “rest home” in California
_____ 5. More than anything else, Holden hates
A. old people
B. phonies
C. baseball players
_____ 6. Which pair of characters play similar roles in Holden’s life?
A. Phoebe and Sally Hayes
B. Spencer and Antolini
C. Carl Luce and Jane Gallagher
_____ 7. Holden is beaten up by
A. Ward Stradlater and Maurice
B. Ackley
C. the taxi driver
_____ 8. There us irony in
A. Holden’s love for Phoebe and his refusal to take her with him
B. Holden’s contempt for movies and his apparent familiarity with films
C. Holden’s expulsion from school and his excellent grades
_____ 9. Which is true of Holden?
A. He respects Mr. Ossenburger for his philanthropy
B. He feels the red hat brings him luck
C. He likes an author whom you would feel like telephoning
_____ 10. Holden does not go directly home from Pencey Prep because
A. he is afraid to face his parents until school officially closes for the holidays
B. he is anxious for a few days of freedom in New York
C. he is seriously considering going out West
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The Catcher in the Rye
Multiple Choice Quiz Test 2
_____ 1. A question that is on Holden’s mind and is the subject of several
conversations is
A. Why did the children in the museum choose to visit the Egyptian mummies?
B. What happens to the ducks in Central Park during the winter?
C. Why aren’t the exhibits in the American Museum of Natural History changed more often?
_____ 2. According to Holden, Ernie the piano player, the Lunts, and Laurence Olivier
A. confuse art and entertainment
B. are the best performers in their respective fields
C. leave him cold
_____ 3. “Then all of a sudden, I got in this big mess” introduces the episode
A. of Holden’s expulsion from school
B. of his drunkenness at the hotel
C. of his encounter with the prostitute
_____ 4. After Maurice and Sonny leave Holden,
A. he considers suicide but rejects it in favour of revenge
B. he counts his money to see how much they have stolen
C. he fantasizes that he has been shot
_____ 5. The meeting with the nuns reminds Holden of
A. his change of heart about religion
B. an incident with his roommate’s suitcase at Elkton Hills School
C. his loneliness and estrangement from his family
_____ 6. Holden buys a record for Phoebe and
A. brings it home to her although it is broken
B. loses it at Grand Central Station
C. apologizes to her for such a meagre gift
_____ 7. Holden’s date with Sally ends
A. with an innocent kiss
B. in an argument
C. with his proposing to her
_____ 8. Holden says,
A. “Maybe all bores have some secret talent”
B. “I hate when kids ask you to tighten their skates for them”
C. “It’s depressing to think I’ll probably end up a lawyer like my father”
_____ 9. Holden shows he may have arrived at a point of maturity when he
A. determines to “make it” on his own
B. decides to return home with Phoebe
C. says he will never miss the people he has been talking about
_____ 10. Which is not true of Phoebe?
A. She lies to her mother about smoking
B. She gives Holden all her money
C. She is frightened of the carousel
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