The Catcher in the Rye Summative Test

Multiple Choice:

1.) Why had Holden just returned to Pencey from New York at the beginning of the novel?
a.) he had gone to the movies in New York with his friend Stradlater
b.) he had taken a trip with the fencing team
c.) he was bored in school and wanted to take a break to ride the subway to New York
d.) he went home to visit his family for a few days

2.) What is the greatest contrast between Jane Gallagher and Sally Hayes?
a.) Sally is outgoing, Jane is reserved
b.) Sallys relationship with Holden is stronger than Janes
c.) Sally exhibits a sense of conformity, Jane exhibits individuality
d.) Sally is very chipper and friendly, Jane is snobby

3.) Following Allies death, Holden recalls, I broke all the 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 (Salinger 39).
Which of the following rhetorical strategies is employed in the quote above?
a.) ethos
b.) pathos
c.) logos
d.) none of the above

4.) Holdens repetition of his hatred for films is stressed throughout the novel, and he quickly
lets readers know that, If theres one thing I hate, its the movies. Dont even mention
them to me (Salinger 2).
What do the movies symbolize to Holden?
a.) conformity and superficiality
b.) poignancy
c.) carelessness and recklessness
d.) youthfulness and childhood

5.) What is the relationship between Holdens views towards his brother, Allie, and his views
towards virtually all other people he meets? Why do these views contrast so sharply?
a.) Holdens compassion for Allie illustrates his love for family and distrust of strangers
b.) Holden adores all children, including Allie, and disproves of everyone else
c.) Allies death served as a casement causing Holden to glorify his brothers actions
eternally, while judging the constantly changing people he knows
d.) Allies death made Holden feel bitter about his brother, yet he remains friendly and
loving towards everyone else he meets

6.) Holden expresses great interest in the Museum of Natural History, saying, The best
thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was
Nobodyd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you (Salinger
121).
What is the significance of the museum?
a.) the museum represents hope for Holdens future education
b.) the museum serves as a symbol of Holdens depression because of its monotony
c.) the museum represents a world Holden yearns for, where simplicity dominates
d.) the museum is a place where Holden hopes he can visit with all of his family
someday

7.) What you should be is not yellow at all. If youre supposed to sock somebody in the jaw,
and you sort of feel like doing it, you should do it (Salinger 89).
What can the underlined word be interpreted to mean?
a.) golden
b.) cowardly
c.) aggressive
d.) patient

8.) What is the function of the event where Holden wakes up to find that Mr. Antolini was
sitting on the floor right next to the couch, in the dark and all, and he was sort of petting
me on the head. Boy Ill bet I jumped about a thousand feet (Salinger 192).
a.) to illustrate Holdens excitement at being shown compassion by Mr. Antolini
b.) to characterize Holden to the reader as a light sleeper
c.) to show that Holden is a naturally jumpy person
d.) to illustrate Holdens mistrust of adults and irrational concern about Mr. Antolinis
perverted behavior

9.) How would you adapt the following quote about Holdens parents to create a more
emotionally appealing, heartfelt tone?
Theyre quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. Theyre nice and allIm not saying that- but theyre also touchy as hell (Salinger 1).
a.) Im really not fond of my parents touchiness- they get on my last nerve.
b.) Im sick and tired of the way my parents react to everything.
c.) My parents are genuinely kind people, but their tendency to be overdramatic can be
overbearing sometimes.
d.) My parents are so annoying, and tremendously critical of everything I say.

10.) Which statement from Holdens viewpoint would best support the idea that Holden
could be dealing with mental illness rather than normal juvenile angst?
a.) they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the
windows in the garage (Salinger 38).
b.) I was too depressed to care whether I had a good view or not (Salinger 61).
c.) I was surrounded by jerks. Im not kidding (Salinger 85).
d.) Thats the whole trouble. You cant ever find a place thats nice and peaceful,
because there isnt any (Salinger 204).

11.) What was unique about Allies old baseball glove?

12.)

What changes to the following excerpt would best improve the overall diction of
the
passage?
Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can (Salinger 73).

a.) lengthen the sentences to avoid choppiness and user broader vocabulary to
explain how girls drive you crazy
b.) omit the line, Jesus Christ, and use a more descriptive word in place of crazy
c.) make the entire excerpt one sentence in order to eliminate the choppy composition
of the lines
d.) leave as is

13.)

How could the plot be modified to include greater rhetorical usage of logos in the
novel?
a.) provide more background on Holdens past and precise accounts of events leading
to his mental deterioration, along with explanations

b.) change Holdens word choice throughout the novel in order to create a sense of
emotional depth
c.) eliminate a significant amount of pathos usage to give the reader a more objective
view towards Holden
d.) the plot already includes many rhetorical devices using logos
14.)

How could the following quote be used to show that Holden has changed since
his
time in a mental institution?
Dont ever tell anybody anything. If you do, youll start missing everybody
(Salinger 214).

a.) he misses his family immensely and has grown lonely without his brothers and
sister around
b.) he hasnt changed- hes still depressed and hates all of the phonies in the world
c.) hes committed himself to do well in school and strive for success in his personal
life
d.) he has come to care for the people he ordinarily viewed as phony, and is able to
find more similarities to them than he thought

15.)

How is the diction in the following quote related to the theme of childhood and
innocence in the novel?
Well, you know all the ducks that swim around in the springtime and all? Do you
happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by any chance? (Salinger 81).
a.) the inquisitive word choice illustrates Holdens loss of childhood
b.) the simple, non-complex word choice portrays Holden as inherently innocent
c.) the sophisticated style of words parallels Holdens transition to adulthood
d.) the monotonous word choice demonstrates Holdens depression over losing his
innocence

16.)

The primary rhetorical function of Salingers use of his voice to depict a

a.) appeal to the ethical point of view of readers to convince them of Holdens
credibility through an improved ability to relate to him
b.) give a logical explanation as to why Holden acts the way he does
c.) characterize Holden in a way that is descriptive and meaningful to readers
d.) back up Holdens personality with logical reasoning for his actions

17.)

The tone established when Holden talks to Phoebe about Allie, saying, I know
hes dead! Dont you think I know that? I can still like him though, cant I? Just
because somebodys dead, you dont just stop liking them, for Gods sake, (Salinger
171) is
a.) defensive
b.) devastated
c.) nonchalant
d.) exuberant

18.)

What would most likely have resulted if Holden had followed through with his
thought that, Id go away. I decided Id never go home again and Id never go away
to another school again (Salinger 198)?
a.) he would have forgotten all about his depression and hatred for phoniness
b.) his mental health wouldve continued to deteriorate, as his move away from home
wouldnt have made him any happier

c.) he wouldve decided to start at another school because of his love for learning
d.) he would miss Phoebe greatly, but would be very happy with his new life

Short Answer:

19.)

Holden is tormented by the great divide between childhood and adulthood

20.)

What judgment would you make about Jane Gallagher based on her reaction of
silently crying and refusing to speak after her alcoholic father asked her if there were
cigarettes in the house? Why did Jane react in the manner that she did?