The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 16 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What record does Holden buy for Phoebe in Chapter 16?

   • A Beethoven symphony recording
   • Correct answer: 'Little Shirley Beans' by Estelle Fletcher
   • A Broadway show soundtrack
   • 'Just One of Those Things' by Buddy Singer's band

   Holden buys 'Little Shirley Beans' by Estelle Fletcher, a jazz recording about a girl who lost her two front teeth. He wants it because he knows "it would knock old Phoebe out," and he finds it in the first record store he tries.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What song does the little boy walking by the curb sing that cheers Holden up?

   • A religious hymn from the service his family attended
   • 'Jingle Bells' because it is near Christmas
   • Correct answer: 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye'
   • 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'

   The boy keeps singing "If a body catch a body coming through the rye," and Holden says, "It made me feel not so depressed any more."

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Holden say he did not enjoy Sir Laurence Olivier as Hamlet?

   • Correct answer: He played Hamlet like a general, not "a sad, screwed-up type guy"
   • Olivier looked clumsy and awkward whenever he was walking or dueling
   • His voice was too feeble and unimpressive for such a demanding role
   • The movie eliminated the scene of Ophelia teasing her brother

   Holden says Olivier "was too much like a goddam general" instead of a sad, troubled Hamlet, and that when an actor is really good, "you can always tell he knows he's good, and that spoils it."

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Holden say about Estelle Fletcher's singing on the record?

   • Fletcher hums it softly, just for the hell of it, like the little boy singing in the street
   • Fletcher performs it in a sweetly sentimental way that makes the little girl adorable
   • Fletcher sings it in a sophisticated, dry Broadway style, like the shows Sally likes
   • Correct answer: Fletcher sings it in a raw, authentic 'Dixieland and whorehouse' style rather than a cute, sentimental way

   Holden says Estelle Fletcher sings it "very Dixieland and whorehouse, and it doesn't sound at all mushy," while a different singer would make it sound cute.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What museum does Holden reflect on in Chapter 16?

   • Correct answer: The Museum of Natural History
   • The Guggenheim Museum
   • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
   • The Museum of Modern Art

   Holden walks toward the Museum of Natural History and reflects extensively on his childhood visits there, remembering the unchanging glass display cases.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Holden notice about the museum exhibits?

   • They are rearranged every year, so different scenes replace the familiar old ones
   • Correct answer: They never change -- the same scenes are frozen behind glass on every visit
   • They have been removed and replaced with modern paintings and sculpture
   • They are interactive exhibits that visitors are encouraged to handle

   Holden remembers that the displays -- an Eskimo fishing through a hole in the ice, a Native American woman weaving a blanket, deer at a water hole -- were always exactly the same. The only thing that changed was the visitor.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Does Holden go inside the Museum of Natural History?

   • Yes, and he spends the entire afternoon exploring the exhibits in the Indian Room
   • Yes, but he leaves almost immediately when he discovers Phoebe is absent
   • Correct answer: No, he decides not to enter and takes a cab to meet Sally Hayes instead
   • No, because the security guards announce the museum is closed on Sundays

   When he gets there, Holden says he "wouldn't have gone inside for a million bucks" and that "If Phoebe'd been there, I probably would have." He takes a cab to the Biltmore to meet Sally Hayes.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Whom does Holden try to phone from a drugstore after he buys the record?

   • Sally Hayes
   • Phoebe
   • Faith Cavendish
   • Correct answer: Jane Gallagher

   Holden calls Jane from a phone booth in a drugstore, but her mother answers, so he hangs up without asking whether Jane is home.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does the Museum of Natural History stand for in Holden's thinking in this chapter?

   • Correct answer: Holden's wish that certain things could stay the way they are, like the glass cases
   • Holden's admiration for the teacher who took his class there every Saturday
   • Holden's longing to go back to school and finally succeed in his classes
   • Holden's fascination with science and the history of the natural world

   Holden loves that in the museum "everything always stayed right where it was." Thinking of Phoebe, who would "be different every time she saw it," he says, "Certain things they should stay the way they are."

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of the following events actually happen in Chapter 16?

    • Holden buys a record called 'Little Shirley Beans' for Phoebe.

      Happened

      Holden finds "Little Shirley Beans" in the first record store he tries and pays five bucks for it.

    • Holden hears a small boy singing 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye.'

      Happened

      A little boy walking by the curb keeps singing the line, and Holden says, "It made me feel better."

    • Holden enters the Museum of Natural History and looks at the exhibits.

      Didn't happen

      When he reaches the museum, Holden says he "wouldn't have gone inside for a million bucks."

    • Holden buys two theater tickets for a show with the Lunts in it.

      Happened

      He buys "two orchestra seats for I Know My Love," knowing Sally likes shows "with the Lunts and all."

    • Holden gives the record to Phoebe in this chapter.

      Didn't happen

      Holden looks for Phoebe near the bandstand on the Mall, but he does not find her there.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Which of these statements about Holden's reflections in Chapter 16 are true?

    • Holden remembers that the museum exhibits never changed between his childhood visits.

      Happened

      Holden says the best thing about the museum "was that everything always stayed right where it was."

    • Holden recalls visiting the museum with Miss Aigletinger's class.

      Happened

      Holden remembers that Miss Aigletinger "took us there damn near every Saturday."

    • Holden believes the singing boy is performing for attention from his parents.

      Didn't happen

      Holden says the boy "was just singing for the hell of it," and that "his parents paid no attention to him."

    • Holden observes that 'The only thing that would be different would be you.'

      Happened

      Holden thinks the exhibits would always be the same, and "The only thing that would be different would be you."

    • Holden decides not to enter the museum when he arrives.

      Happened

      At the museum it "just didn't appeal" to him, so he takes a cab to the Biltmore instead.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'swanky' mean when Holden says the nuns never went "anywhere swanky for lunch"?

    • Quiet, peaceful and out of the way
    • Crowded, noisy and full of tourists
    • Inexpensive, plain and shabby
    • Correct answer: Stylish, expensive and fashionable

    Swanky means stylish and expensive. Holden pictures Sally's mother quitting her collecting to "go someplace swanky for lunch," and he likes that the nuns "never went anywhere swanky for lunch."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'mutinying' mean in the Columbus movie Holden remembers, with "the sailors mutinying on him"?

    • Wandering off course on the ocean
    • Correct answer: Rebelling against the person in command
    • Becoming seasick during a long voyage
    • Celebrating loudly for their leader

    Mutinying means rebelling against those in command, as sailors do against a captain. In the Columbus movie at the museum, the sailors were always "mutinying on him."

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14. 14

    Question 14. What does 'charitable' mean when Holden says his aunt is "pretty charitable"?

    • Strict and harsh in judging other people
    • Careful to dress well and look fashionable at all times
    • Correct answer: Generous in giving help or money to people in need
    • Cheerful, chatty and friendly with total strangers

    Charitable means generous in helping people in need. Holden says his aunt "does a lot of Red Cross work," but he cannot picture her collecting money in black clothes with no lipstick.

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