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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Holden get for breakfast?

2. Where does Holden initially look for Phoebe?

3. Where does Holden decide to go at the end of the chapter?

4. Who goes into the men's room while Holden is there?

5. What does Carl order at the Wicker Bar?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Holden end the novel where he does?

2. Why does Holden wish he could change his memory of Allie and the BB guns?

3. Why does Holden have so much respect for Mr. Antolini?

4. Why does Holden say he would volunteer to sit on an atomic bomb if there is another war?

5. Why does Holden call Sally when he is drunk?

6. Why does Holden second-guess his reaction to Mr. Antolini patting his head?

7. Why does Carl suggest Holden see a psychoanalyst?

8. Why is Holden upset by seeing vulgarities written on the walls of the museum and school?

9. Why did it bother Holden that the boys in his Oral Expression class yelled “Digression!” during speeches?

10. Why does Holden start to cry when he is saying goodbye to Phoebe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the role of Holden's creativity on his character. What does he say about film, music, and literature? What does he think of each? Why? How does Holden's creativity affect his character?

Essay Topic 2

Explain Holden's use of fantasy throughout the novel. What scenes and situations does he imagine? Why does he create these fantasies for himself? How do these fantasies affect the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the importance of perception in literature. How does the author use perception to affect the reader's interpretation of events in the novel? Give one example from The Catcher in the Rye that shows the importance of perception. Is this an effective use of perception? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 595 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample