Catch-22, Chapter 8: Lieutenant Scheisskopf quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where does Chapter 8 of Catch-22 take place?

   • Pianosa, Italy
   • Correct answer: Santa Ana, California
   • Rome, Italy
   • Washington, D.C.

   The chapter flashes back to the cadet training school in Santa Ana, California, before the men were sent overseas.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What is Lieutenant Scheisskopf's primary obsession?

   • Gaining a promotion to colonel
   • Correct answer: Winning the weekly parade competitions
   • Training effective combat soldiers
   • Enforcing strict discipline in the barracks

   Scheisskopf devotes all his energy to winning the interunit parade competitions, caring about nothing else in his duties.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What extreme idea does Scheisskopf consider to improve his squadron's marching?

   • Making the men march barefoot
   • Correct answer: Nailing the cadets' hands to their thighs
   • Having the men practice 12 hours a day
   • Replacing the weaker marchers with transfers

   Scheisskopf considers physically nailing the men's hands to their thighs to prevent independent arm movement, showing how he views soldiers as objects rather than people.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Scheisskopf reject the idea of nailing the cadets together?

   • His wife convinces him it is inhumane
   • A superior officer forbids it
   • Correct answer: A procession of hobbles would not look impressive
   • The cadets threaten to mutiny

   Scheisskopf abandons the idea solely because a procession of unsteady hobbles would not be impressive enough to win — not because of any concern for the men's well-being.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which of the following is NOT one of the charges against Clevinger at his Action Board trial?

   • Listening to classical music
   • Being a smart guy
   • Correct answer: Desertion
   • Mopery

   Clevinger is charged with absurd offenses including listening to classical music, being a smart guy, and mopery, but desertion is not among them.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Who does Yossarian have affairs with during the training period in Santa Ana?

   • Mrs. Scheisskopf and Nurse Duckett
   • Dori Duz and Luciana
   • Correct answer: Mrs. Scheisskopf and Dori Duz
   • Nately's whore and Mrs. Scheisskopf

   In Chapter 8, Yossarian carries on affairs with both Lieutenant Scheisskopf's wife and her friend Dori Duz during the training period.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What literary technique does Clevinger's trial most closely resemble?

   • Stream of consciousness
   • Correct answer: Kafkaesque absurdism
   • Magical realism
   • Naturalistic realism

   The trial is a masterpiece of Kafkaesque absurdism, with circular logic and a closed system designed to find the defendant guilty regardless of his responses.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What alternative material does Scheisskopf consider using instead of nails?

   • Leather straps
   • Correct answer: Copper wire
   • Rope
   • Steel chains

   After rejecting nails, Scheisskopf considers stringing the cadets together with copper wire to achieve synchronized marching.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Clevinger successfully defends himself at the Action Board trial.

     Didn't happen

     Clevinger's every attempt at self-defense is twisted into further evidence of guilt. The trial is a kangaroo court with a predetermined outcome.

   • Scheisskopf's squadron wins the parade competition.

     Happened

     Despite (or because of) his obsessive drilling, Scheisskopf's squadron does win parade competitions, which only reinforces his fanatical behavior.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does the word 'mopery' mean as used in Clevinger's list of charges?

    • A serious military offense involving insubordination
    • Correct answer: A vague or nonsensical legal charge used for absurd effect
    • An act of sabotage against military equipment
    • A form of dereliction of duty

    'Mopery' is a vague or essentially meaningless legal term, sometimes defined absurdly as exposing oneself to a blind person. Heller includes it to emphasize the nonsensical nature of the charges.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'monomaniacal' mean in the context of Scheisskopf's behavior?

    • Violently aggressive toward subordinates
    • Correct answer: Excessively focused on a single subject or idea
    • Suffering from clinical depression
    • Prone to rapid mood changes

    'Monomaniacal' means obsessively devoted to one thing. Scheisskopf is monomaniacal about parade competitions, unable to focus on anything else.

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12. 12

    Question 12. In the context of this chapter, what does 'tribunal' refer to?

    • A military award ceremony
    • Correct answer: A court or forum of justice
    • A type of military formation
    • A training exercise

    A 'tribunal' is a court or forum of justice. In this chapter, it refers to the Action Board that puts Clevinger on trial, though the proceedings are a parody of real justice.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What theme does Scheisskopf's desire to physically connect the cadets most directly illustrate?

    • The corruption of wartime economies
    • Correct answer: The dehumanization of soldiers
    • The futility of combat
    • The loss of religious faith

    Scheisskopf's fantasy of nailing or wiring men together makes literal the military's tendency to treat soldiers as interchangeable parts rather than individual human beings.

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