View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Holden say is the only “dumb” child in his family?

2. Whose car did Stradlater use for his date?

3. What does Holden write the composition about?

4. Who does Holden run into at Ernie's?

5. How much does Holden give Sunny?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Holden feel bad about not telling Mrs. Morrow his real name?

2. Why does Stradlater criticize Holden's composition about Allie's baseball mitt?

3. Why does Holden like writing about Allie's baseball mitt?

4. Why does Holden refer to D.B.'s writing in Hollywood as prostitution?

5. Why does Holden get nervous when he talks to Stradlater in the bathroom?

6. Why does Holden decide not to have sex with Sunny? What does he tell her?

7. Why does Ackley grunt a response when Stradlater says hello to him?

8. Why do the girls say they have to leave the Lavender Room so abruptly? Why do they really leave?

9. What two reasons does Holden give for not talking about his early childhood?

10. How is Allie's baseball mitt described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Identify and define the three different types of narration used in literature. What type of narrator is Holden? How can you tell? How does Holden's role as this type of narrator affect the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Holden's concern for the ducks in the lagoon. What is his concern? Why is he concerned? How does Holden address his concern? What does this concern reveal about his character?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 579 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample