English 11 Honors
Chapter Questions
Name_______________________________
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
CHAPTER 1
1. Where did Holden go to school? Why does he have to leave?
2.
Who do you think the you might be in the first line?
3.
Why does he call his brother D. B. a prostitute?
4.
During what time of year does the story begin?
5.
Why does Holden need to have a real “good-by”?
6.
Though he says that he hasn’t gone down to the game is because
he needs to say good-by to “old Spencer,” could there be
another reason that Holden does not go to the game? Explain.
CHAPTER 2
7. What was the only class that Holden passed during the grading
period?
8.
Explain what Holden thinks about the expression “Life is a
game”? Why is his attitude ironic?
9.
How many schools has Holden gone to?
10. What is “ironical” about Holden not acting his age?
11. What word does Holden hate because he thinks it is phony?
12. What does Mr. Spencer read to Holden? Why does Holden say that he
was beginning to hate Spencer?
13. What was he thinking of while shooting the bull with Mr. Spencer?
What do his thoughts imply about what he is saying to Mr.
Spencer?
14. Why did he leave his last school? (Briefly explain)
15.
How much time has elapsed from the day he left Pencey to the
time he tells his story?
CHAPTER 3
16. “I’m the most terrific _____________________________________.
(I will return to his later)
17. What kind of hat did Holden buy in New York? What does he say is
the purpose of the hat? Explain what you think he means.
18. Holden says, “I’m quite illiterate, but I read a lot.” What
does this statement tell us about Holden?
19. What kind of book really knocks him out?
20. Describe Ackley, briefly.
21. How does Holden annoy Ackley?
CHAPTER 4
22. Briefly describe Holden’s roommate?
23. What favor does Stradlater ask of Holden?
24. How did Holden know Stradlater’s date, Jane Gallagher? What does
he remember about her?
25. Why does he seem so bothered by their date?
CHAPTER 5
26. What does Holden’s not throwing the snowball reveal about him?
27. What did Holden write a composition about?
28. How does he describe Allie?
29. How does he react to Allie’s death?
CHAPTER 6
30. What does Holden do with his composition? Why?
31. How does Holden feel about Ed Banky the basketball coach?
32. Why does Stradlater punch Holden? Does Holden deserve to be
punched?
CHAPTER 7
33. If Holden dislikes Ackley as much as he claims to, why does he go
to his room after the fight with Stradlater?
34. What does he tell Ackley the fight is about?
35. What is ironic about Ackley’s comment about Holden “making
cracks” about his religion?
36. What makes Holden sad about packing?
CHAPTER 8
37. How does Holden describe Mrs. Morrow? (Don’t just focus on one
part of the chapter)
38. What lies does Holden tell about Ernie Morrow to his mother?
39. What name does he give her? Why?
40. Holden says that she is “lousy with rocks,” a slang expression
of the day? What does that mean?
41. What kind of operation does he tell Mrs. Morrow he has to have?
CHAPTER 9
42. What does Holden first want to do when he gets to Penn Station?
Why doesn’t he do it?
43. What topic, that he mentioned earlier, does Holden bring up to
the cabdriver?
44. Why does he say the Edmont Hotel is full of perverts and morons?
45. Why does Holden call Faith Cavendish? (keep your answer
appropriate, boys)
46. What does Holden think about sex?
in regards to sex?
What does he say about himself
CHAPTER 10
47. Who is Phoebe and what is she like?
48. What are his observations about the people in the Lavender Room?
49. What does Holden admire about the blond (of the three girls) in
the Lavender Room? How does he criticize her?
50. What alias does he give them?
name?
Why doesn’t he tell them his real
51. Why doesn’t he care that he is stuck paying for all the drinks?
CHAPTER 11
52. What does Holden mean when he says he knew Jane “quite
intimately”?
53. Why do you think this chapter is dedicated to Jane?
CHAPTER 12
54. When Holden asks Horowitz the cab driver about duck in the park,
what does Horowitz talk about instead?
55. Why is Holden so annoyed Ernie and the people clapping at him?
How is Ernie like D.B.?
56. Holden seems very judgmental. (In fact, he doesn’t like anyone
in the novel so far). Explain why Holden is such a hypocritical
and pessimistic person.
CHAPTER 13
57. When does Holden seem to wear his red hat? Why does he wear it?
58. Holden describes himself as one of those very yellow guys. What
does that mean? Briefly describe how Holden proves to us that he
is yellow.
59. What would he rather do than punch someone in the face?
Why?
60. What does the guy in the hotel elevator ask Holden?
61. How do Holden’s preparations for his “date” reflect his
innocence?
62. How old is Sunny?
63. What things about Sunny make Holden depressed?
64. What excused does Holden give for declining? What is the real
reason he declines?
CHAPTER 14
65. Holden tells two more truths about himself.
66. Why does Maurice come to Holden’s room?
is so bad about this situation?
What are they?
What does Holden feel
67. How does Holden make himself feel better after the altercation
with Maurice?
68. Holden considers jumping out of the window, but doesn’t. Why
not?
CHAPTER 15
69. What are Holden’s plans after he leaves the Edmont hotel?
70.
Again, what is the one word that Holden hates?
71. Finally, we hear about Holden’s parents. Describe them.
72. According to Holden, what do a person’s suitcases have to do
with how he gets along with them?
73. What was Holden’s favorite part of Romeo and Juliet? Why do you
think that he liked this part the best?
74. Why does Holden apologize to the two nuns?
CHAPTER 16
75. What record does Holden buy? Why does he like the song so much?
76. What does Holden witness and hear that makes him less depressed?
77. Where does he go after buying the theater tickets? What is it
about this place he likes? (I do not mean the park)
CHAPTER 17
78. Why does Holden say he is crazy in regards to Sally?
79. After seeing the play, and going skating, Holden opens up and
talks honestly to Sally about what he wants to do. What is her
response and what is disappointing about it?
80. What is the difference between Holden and Sally’s ideas about
the future?
81. What does he call her? What is her response?
CHAPTER 18
82. Why do you think Holden likes Jane as much as he does, even
though he has not seen her in quite some time?
83. Where does Holden go to spend time before meeting Carl Luce?
What is the significance of this location?
84. How does he feel about war and the army?
CHAPTER 19
85. What does Holden want to talk to Carl about-what he calls a
“typical Holden Caulfield conversation”?
86.
Why does Luce get irritated at Holden’s topic, even though
Holden has already told us that this subject was a favorite of
Luce’s when they went to Whooton together? Has Luce become a
phony? What does that mean?
87. What does Carl recommend to Holden? What will it help him
realize?
88. Why does Holden ask Luce to “have just one more drink” if he
was “strictly a pain in the ass”?
CHAPTER 20
89. What does Holden do when he’s drunk at the bar that he has done
before?
90. Who does Holden call after the bar? Why?
91. When Holden imagines his funeral, what does he see as the one
good thing?
92. Where does he go at the end of the chapter?
CHAPTER 21
93. Where is Phoebe when Holden gets home?
94. Why does Holden “feel good for a change” when he finally gets
home and is near his sister?
95. Why does she hit him?
CHAPTER 22
96. When Phoebe asks Holden to tell her one thing that he likes, what
does he tell her he does like?
97. Why does James Castle jump out of the window? Does Holden have
anything in common with James?
98. Explain what Holden means when he tells Phoebe that he wants to
be a “catcher in the rye.” What might Holden be trying to save
the kids from?
99. Who does he call from home?
CHAPTER 23
100.What does Holden seem to respect about Mr. Antolini?
101.How does Phoebe protect Holden? What does her mother’s reaction
to Phoebe’s smoking tell you about their family?
102.Why do you think it is okay for Holden to give up his red hunting
hat now?
103.Why does Holden cry before he leaves?
CHAPTER 24
104.What does Holden’s and Mr. Antolini’s talk about digression
mimic the style of the novel and Holden himself?
105.Explain why Holden is “headed for a fall.”
106.What does Mr. Antolini tell Holden are the benefits to education?
(p. 189-90)
107.What exactly does Holden awake to find Mr. Antolini doing?
CHAPTER 25
108.Where does Holden sleep?
109.What does he read that makes him feel worse?
110.Why does Holden say Allie don’t let me disappear?
111.What is Holden’s plan for his future?
112.What does he see that drives him crazy?
113. Where does he wait for Phoebe?
114.Why does she cry?
115.Why do you think Holden is happy when he sees Phoebe on the
carousel?
Chapter 26
116.In Chapter 3, Holden said that he was a terrific liar. After
reading the book, do you think that he is a liar? Explain.
117.Explain what Holden may mean when he says “Don’t ever tell
anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
Genre questions:
118.Define bildungsroman:
119.Define modernism:
120.Define psychological novel: