The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. From where does Holden Caulfield narrate the events of the novel?

   • A hotel room in Manhattan
   • Correct answer: A place not far from Hollywood
   • His family home in New York City
   • A dormitory at Pencey Prep

   Holden says he came "out here" to "take it easy" after getting run-down, and that Hollywood "isn't too far from this crumby place"; he never names the place.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why was Holden expelled from Pencey Prep?

   • He was caught leaving campus without permission
   • He refused to participate in extracurricular activities
   • He got into a fight with another student
   • Correct answer: He was flunking four subjects and not applying himself

   Holden says he was "flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all," so he is not supposed to come back after Christmas vacation.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What literary work does Holden allude to in the novel's opening line?

   • Correct answer: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
   • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
   • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
   • Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

   Holden dismisses 'all that David Copperfield kind of crap,' referencing Dickens's autobiographical novel to reject conventional storytelling.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Holden criticize his brother D.B. for doing?

   • Working as a newspaper reporter
   • Dropping out of college
   • Correct answer: Moving to Hollywood to write screenplays
   • Refusing to visit Holden at school

   Holden says D.B. "used to be just a regular writer," but now he's "out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute" — and Holden hates the movies.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What happened when Holden was manager of the fencing team?

   • Correct answer: He left all the equipment on the subway
   • He forgot to book the team's transportation
   • He lost the team's uniforms at the hotel
   • He accidentally broke the team's equipment

   Holden accidentally left all the fencing team's equipment on the New York subway, so the meet with McBurney School never took place.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Where does Holden stand during the football game between Pencey and Saxon Hall?

   • In the bleachers with his classmates
   • In the parking lot near the bus
   • Correct answer: Alone on Thomsen Hill
   • In his dormitory room

   Holden watches from Thomsen Hill, separated from the rest of the school, symbolizing his alienation and isolation.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Who does Holden decide to visit at the end of Chapter 1?

   • His brother D.B.
   • The school headmaster
   • His biology teacher Mr. Zambesi
   • Correct answer: His history teacher Mr. Spencer

   Holden decides to visit Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, to say goodbye before leaving Pencey Prep.

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8. 8

   Question 8. On Thomsen Hill, what memory finally helps Holden "feel some kind of a good-by"?

   • Sitting beside Selma Thurmer on the bus from Agerstown
   • Correct answer: Tossing a football with two friends until it got dark
   • Finding his camel's-hair coat stolen from his room
   • Getting frequent warnings to start applying himself

   He remembers chucking a football around one October evening with Robert Tichener and Paul Campbell until they could hardly see the ball, and that memory gives him the goodbye he wants.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following events actually happen in Chapter 1?

   • Holden watches the football game from Thomsen Hill.

     Happened

     He stands "way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill," next to the old cannon, looking down at the game.

   • Holden attends the football game and sits in the bleachers.

     Didn't happen

     He stays up on Thomsen Hill instead; practically the whole school except Holden is down at the game.

   • Holden loses the fencing team's equipment on the subway.

     Happened

     He left the foils and equipment on the subway in New York that morning, so the meet with McBurney School never happened.

   • Holden gets into a physical fight with a teammate on the train.

     Didn't happen

     There is no fight; the whole team "ostracized" him the whole way back on the train.

   • Holden mentions his brother D.B. lives in Hollywood.

     Happened

     He says D.B. is in Hollywood, not too far from where Holden is now, and visits him practically every weekend.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these details about Holden's situation are revealed in Chapter 1?

    • Holden says he came out here for checkups after he nearly got tuberculosis.

      Happened

      He says growing six and a half inches is "how I practically got t.b. and came out here" for checkups.

    • Holden says he has left schools before without knowing he was leaving them.

      Happened

      He says, "I've left schools and places I didn't even know I was leaving them," which is why he wants a real goodbye this time.

    • Holden wears his camel's-hair coat up on Thomsen Hill.

      Didn't happen

      Someone stole that coat, with his fur-lined gloves in the pocket, the week before; he has on only his reversible and no gloves.

    • Holden's teammates gave him the silent treatment after he lost the fencing equipment.

      Happened

      After he left the foils on the subway, the whole team would not have anything to do with him on the train ride back from New York.

    • Holden calls his parents to tell them about his expulsion.

      Didn't happen

      He calls no one in this chapter; he crosses Route 204 and heads to Mr. Spencer's house to say goodbye.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Holden mean when he calls something 'phony'?

    • Correct answer: Insincere, pretentious, or dishonest
    • Confusing or hard to understand
    • Old-fashioned or outdated
    • Physically fake or counterfeit

    'Phony' is Holden's signature word for anything he perceives as insincere or pretentious. It is central to his worldview and becomes a recurring motif throughout the novel.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Holden says his parents would have "about two hemorrhages apiece" if he told anything personal about them. What are hemorrhages?

    • Fits of loud, angry shouting
    • Spells of fainting or dizziness
    • Correct answer: Episodes of heavy bleeding
    • Attacks of sudden chest pain

    A hemorrhage is a burst of heavy bleeding; Holden exaggerates to say how upset his touchy parents would be if he told anything pretty personal about them.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does Holden mean by "crumby" when he calls where he is now "this crumby place"?

    • Crowded with noisy people
    • Covered with crumbs and messy
    • Snug, warm, and very comfortable
    • Correct answer: Shabby, lousy, or second-rate

    Crumby is Holden's spelling of crummy, meaning shabby, cheap, or lousy; it is his word for the place not too far from Hollywood where he is telling the story.

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