Rachana Sangem

Catcher in the Rye Test

1. Who was Holdens roommate at Elkton Hills?
a. Ward Stradlater
b. Herb Gale
c. Arthur Childs
d. Dick Slagle
2. Then what she did-it damn near killed me-she reached in my
coat pocket and took out my red hunting hat and put it on my head
(Salinger 212). What makes this significant to Holden?
a. It shows that Phoebe appreciates his uniqueness
b. It shows that Phoebe cares about him
c. It shows that Phoebe forgives him
d. It shows that Phoebe doesnt want his gifts
3. Whose mother does Holden meet on the train?
a. Edgars mother
b. Eddies mother
c. Ernests mother
d. Elys mother
4. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the
goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to
break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but
my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I
couldnt do it. It was a very stupid thing to do, Ill admit, but I hardly
didnt even know I was doing it, and you didnt know Allie (Salinger
39). The primary rhetoric of this passage is
a. Ethos
b. Logos
c. Pathos
d. Somnos
5. Now hes out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute. What does
Holden mean by prostitute (Salinger 2)?
a. Having intercourse for money
b. Giving in to a corrupt cause
c. Stooping to a low level
d. Getting paid for bad deeds

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6. Though Holdens tone and The Catcher in the Ryes tone are the
same in the novel, what specific tone(s) can be found in the following
excerpt? I took the dress over to the closet and hung it up for her. It
was funny. It made me feel sort of sad when I hung it up. I thought of
her going in a store and buying it, and nobody in the store knowing she
was a prostitute and all. The salesman probably just thought she was a
regular girl when she bought it. It made me feel sad as hell-I dont
know why exactly (Salinger 188).
a. Compassionate
b. Cynical
c. Judgemental
d. All of the above
7. Which of these best compares Holdens relationship with Sally
versus his relationship with Jane?
a. Sally is much prettier than Jane and Jane is a
bookworm, therefore Holden has a much better time with Sally
b. Both Jane and Holden lost and loved Allie and Sally
likes stupid things like Hollywood, therefore Holden and Jane
have an emotional connection
c. He is too lonely and desperate, therefore no real
relationship is formed between either of the girls and Holden
d. Jane shares his interests and Sally is too materialistic,
therefore Holden enjoys Janes company much more
8. Which fact would you select to show why Holden like the
Museum of Natural History so much?
a. That everything always stayed right where it was
b. That no goddam phonies ever went there
c. That this one crazy Indian always reminds [him] of
Allie
d. That the birds look exactly like the ducks in the
lagoon
9. Explain what is happening in the scene with Sally where Holden
says, How would you like to get the hell out of here (Salinger 125)?
a. He wanted a fresh start, and someone to go with him
b. He realized he loves Sally and wanted to be with her
forever

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c. He had a moment of insanity and wished to run away
d. He wants to see more of the world and have an
adventure
10.
D.B. isnt as bad as the rest of them, but he keeps asking
me a lot of questions, too. He drove over last Saturday with this English
babe thats in this new picture hes writing (Salinger 213). What
inference can you make from this?
a. Holden is in Hollywood with D.B.
b. Holden is in Hollywood near D.B.
c. Holden is in California with D.B.
d. Holden is in California near D.B.
11.
For the audience that read the novel when it was
published, Holdens use of slang and the style in which he states his
arguments wouldve appealed to their
a. Ethos
b. Logos
c. Pathos
d. Somnos
12.
Thats all Im going to tell about. I could probably tell you
what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what
school Im supposed to go to school next fall, after I get out of here,
but I dont feel like it. I really dont. That stuff doesnt interest me too
much right now (Salinger 214). What changes would best improve the
grammatical errors in this paragraph?
a. More pronoun variation
b. Delete filler words
c. Avoid run-on sentences
d. Use better vocabulary
13.
What is the relationship between Holdens hat and his
outward appearance?
a. He wears the hat to look younger
b. He wears the hat to look older
c. He wears the hat to stick out
d. He wears the hat to hide in plain sight

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14.
Had Holdens parents and Phoebe not intervened, what
could have been the outcome of the novel?
a. Holden would have run away
b. Holden wouldnt have changed
c. Holden would have wandered New York forever
d. Holden wouldnt have ever realized that change is
alright
15.
Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell
(Salinger 113). What conclusion about Holden can you draw from this?
a. He doesnt like being rich
b. He wishes he was poor
c. He thinks money is corrupting society
d. He isnt able to buy happiness
16.
When talking about Ernie, Holden complains that if you do
something too good, then, after a while, if you dont watch it, you start
showing off. And then youre not as good anymore (Salinger 126).
What do you think is the reason Holden dislikes Ernie?
a. Hes jealous of Ernies talent
b. He thinks Ernie has sold himself out
c. He thinks Ernie acts too slick and cool
d. He thinks Ernie acts very full of himself
17.
How might one adapt the novel and create a better writing
style for it, and how would this change the novel?
a. Make it a diary, so there would be a more defined
time range
b. Make it all in the past tense, so it would be clear that
Holden is somewhere else
c. Make it have less digression, so the plot would be
clearer
d. Have Holden be telling the novels story to another
character to allow for an additional perspective
18.
People never notice anything (Salinger 9) . Because of
Holdens use of the word people, what theme is most clearly
expressed here?
a. Holdens loneliness
b. Holdens anger

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c. Holdens invisibility
d. Holdens differences
19.
Though Holden watches Phoebe riding the carousel from
afar instead of riding it himself, does this necessarily mean that he has
matured as a person and character? Explain why or why not along with
three instances supporting your claim and a counterargument that also
proves your claim correct.

20.
Consider the following as symbols for the novel: Pencey
Prep, Holdens red hunting hat, the ducks in Central Park, and the
Museum of Natural History. State what these symbols represent, assess
their meaning to Holden, and explain their importance in the novel.

Rachana Sangem
Answer Key
1. D: On page 108, Holden clearly states that he used to room with
Dick Slagle.
2. A: This is significant to Holden because it shows that Phoebe is
alright with him expressing his unique self, as his hunting hat is a way
for him to stand out from the crowd.
3. C: He meets Ernest Morrows mother, as is stated on page 54.
4. C: The primary rhetoric of the passage is pathos because it
makes the audience feel sorry for Holden and appeals to the emotion.
5. B: Holden means D.B. is giving in to a corrupt cause because he
is selling his art to phonies, or prostituting it.
6. D: The passage contains all of the tones because Holden is
showing his compassion when he says he feels sad about Sunnys
troubles, but he is still judgemental and cynical when he considers it to
be funny.
7. C: Salinger generally italicized the phrases or syllables that
needed emphasis, much like we do when speaking casually, and was
able to do this due to the fact that it was dialogue coming from a not
very well-spoken teenager.
8. A: Holden doesnt seem to appreciate any change whatsoever,
and says on page 121 that the fact that the museum wouldnt change
was the best thing.
9. A: In this scene, Holden simply realized that he was unhappy with
his life, and since Sally was right next to him, asked her to come along.
However, he seemed quite insulted when she adamantly refused.
10.
D: You can inference this because we know D.B. is in
Hollywood, but since he has to drive to Holden, Holden must not be
living with him there, but is still in a nearby area.
11.
A: This appeals to the audiences ethos because it appeals
to their credibility, and Holdens argument is nothing if not credible.
The slang usage was probably also relatable to those who read it when
it first came out.
12.
B: Deleting the filler words would be best for this
paragraph because nearly the entire run-on sentence is filler, as are
the last two words.
13.
A: Holden usually wears his hat when he wants to blend in,
but also when he wants to look younger or more innocent. This is
probably because it covers up his grey hairs and the red matches

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Phoebe and Allies hair colors, and they are both innocent and genuine,
according to Holden.
14.
B: Had his family not intervened, Holden would probably
still be the same person who fails his classes, skips school to do what
he wants, complains about others and their phoniness, all while still
being a hypocritical, phony teenager.
15.
D: After watching him hire prostitutes, try to score drinks in
multiple bars, and spend money on others like Sally and Phoebe, one
can assume that Holden is not finding happiness with his money,
because when he does things for himself, it doesnt work out, and
when he tries spending money on others, it still backfires and saddens
him more.
16.
B: It looks like Holden dislikes Ernie for the same reason
that he dislikes D.B. The two of them have great talent, but as time
passed, they began using the talent for money, and not just
appreciating the art, and they both prostituted, or sold, their talent
and work.
17.
C: When Holden speaks about Oral Expression, it seems to
directly correlate to the novel because the entire book has been him
rambling about his thoughts, and occasionally telling us irrelevant
things, and going off on tangents because he wasnt really sure what to
tell the reader. If there was less digression, the plot would be clearer,
and it would be a more ideal Oral Expression.
18.
D: Holdens differences are most clearly expressed here
because when he refers to the others as just people, it doesnt feel
like he is including himself. By separating himself from them, he has
become different, a main theme of the book as well.
19.
Answer needs:
a. A statement explaining which side they are on
b. Example
c. Example
d. Example
e. Counterargument
20.
Answer needs:
a. What Pencey Prep means in the novel and to Holden
b. What the red hunting hat means in the novel and to
Holden
c. What the ducks in Central Park mean in the novel
and to Holden
d. What the Museum of Natural History means in the
novel and to Holden
e. The importance of the symbols in the novel