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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 say about money?

2. What hotel is the Wicker Bar in?

3. Who does Holden call at the beginning of Chapter 15?

4. Where does Holden take Sally after the show?

5. What do Holden and Phoebe do when he goes back to D.B.'s room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Holden like the kettledrum player in the orchestra?

2. Why is Holden so upset when Phoebe tells him to shut up?

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

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

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

6. Why is Holden drawn to the boy singing as he walks down the street?

7. Why is Phoebe angry when she realizes Holden got kicked out of Pencey?

8. Why does Holden imagine he was shot by Maurice?

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

10. Why does Holden want to be the “catcher in the rye?”

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify and define the elements of a story arc. Identify the major plot points in The Catcher in the Rye that coordinate with those elements.

Essay Topic 2

Explain Holden's view of women, particularly as they relate to intimate relationships and sex. How does Holden react when faced with the prospect of sex? How does Holden express genuine affection for women? What women in the novel does he care about? How can you tell?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Holden's relationship with Jane Gallagher. Why is Jane important to Holden? How can you tell? What role does Jane play in the novel? How does she affect Holden's decisions in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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