The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 25 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where does Holden go to sleep after he leaves Mr. Antolini's apartment?

   • The lobby of the Edmont Hotel
   • Correct answer: A bench at Grand Central Station
   • A bench beside the lagoon in Central Park
   • A booth in an inexpensive East Side restaurant

   Holden doesn't want to spend Phoebe's dough on another hotel, so he takes the subway to Grand Central, where his bags are, and sleeps on a bench in the waiting room until around nine. He wakes with a headache that is even worse.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What sensation does Holden experience while walking along Fifth Avenue?

   • He thinks he sees Allie walking beside him at every corner
   • He feels as though everyone is watching him
   • He becomes physically nauseous from hunger
   • Correct answer: He feels he will disappear every time he steps off a curb to cross a street

   Holden develops a terrifying sensation that every time he steps off a curb, he will go 'down, down, down' and never reach the other side of the street -- that he will simply disappear.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Who does Holden talk to while crossing streets?

   • Phoebe
   • Mr. Antolini
   • Correct answer: His dead brother Allie
   • Jane Gallagher

   Holden makes believe he is talking to his dead brother Allie, pleading 'Allie, don't let me disappear' and thanking him each time he makes it safely across the street.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What is Holden's plan for running away?

   • Correct answer: He will hitchhike West and pretend to be a deaf-mute
   • He will stow away on an ocean liner traveling to Europe
   • He will go and live with D.B. out in Hollywood
   • He will relocate to California and become a movie actor

   Holden plans to hitchhike out West, get a job at a gas station, and pretend to be a deaf-mute so no one will try to have conversations with him. He imagines building a cabin near the woods.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does Holden go to Phoebe's school?

   • Correct answer: To leave a note asking her to meet him so he can return her Christmas money and say goodbye
   • To hide from Maurice, the elevator operator, who Holden fears is still searching for him
   • To speak with her teacher about the school play in which Phoebe is supposed to be Benedict Arnold
   • To look for the two nuns, who had told him they came to New York to become schoolteachers

   Holden goes to Phoebe's school to leave a note asking her to meet him at the Museum of Art so he can return her Christmas money and say goodbye before heading West.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Holden discover written on the wall at Phoebe's school?

   • A love note between two students
   • A list of basketball scores from recess
   • Correct answer: An obscenity scrawled on the wall
   • His own name written by Phoebe

   Holden finds an obscenity written on the wall by the school stairs and rubs it off, afraid that Phoebe and the other little kids will see it. On another staircase he finds a second one, scratched on with a knife or something, that won't come off.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why can't Holden remove the second instance of graffiti at the school?

   • It is written in red crayon, which only smears when he rubs at it
   • A teacher discovers him rubbing at it and orders him out of the building
   • It is written too high on the stairway wall for him to reach
   • Correct answer: It is scratched into the wall with a knife or something, so it won't come off

   The second one, on a different staircase, was scratched on "with a knife or something" and wouldn't come off. Holden decides it's hopeless: "If you had a million years to do it in," you still couldn't rub out even half of them in the world.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Phoebe bring when she meets Holden at the museum?

   • The luggage Holden had left in a strong box at the station
   • Correct answer: A packed suitcase, announcing she is coming West with him
   • Her Benedict Arnold costume from the school play
   • A letter from their parents begging Holden to come home immediately

   Phoebe arrives at the museum dragging a packed suitcase, announcing that she has decided to go West with Holden. Soon afterward Holden tells her, "I'm not going away anywhere. I changed my mind."

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does Holden say about children reaching for the gold ring on the carousel?

   • Correct answer: He says you have to let them do it, and if they fall off, they fall off
   • He says the gold ring is never worth the danger of falling off a horse
   • He says only the older children should be permitted to reach for the ring
   • He says parents should grab the ring for them to protect them from injury

   Holden says that if kids want to grab the gold ring, "you have to let them do it, and not say anything"; if they fall off, they fall off. He is afraid Phoebe will fall but says and does nothing.

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does Holden feel watching Phoebe on the carousel in the rain?

    • Bored, and impatient to return to the station for his luggage
    • Worried that she will catch a terrible cold in the pouring rain
    • Irritated that the rain is ruining their afternoon in the park
    • Correct answer: Overwhelmingly happy -- 'damn near bawling' from happiness

    Holden sits on the bench in the pouring rain watching Phoebe go around and around, and he says 'I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy.' He doesn't know why: 'It was just that she looked so damn nice.'

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11. 11

    Question 11. Which of the following events actually happen in Chapter 25?

    • Holden sleeps at Grand Central Station.

      Happened

      Holden takes the subway down to Grand Central, where his bags are, and sleeps on a bench in the waiting room until around nine.

    • Holden talks to Allie while crossing streets, begging him not to let him disappear.

      Happened

      At the end of every block Holden makes believe he is talking to Allie, saying "Allie, don't let me disappear," and thanks him when he reaches the other side.

    • Holden calls Jane Gallagher and finally has a conversation with her.

      Didn't happen

      Holden thinks about giving Jane a buzz from a phone booth before he leaves, but he isn't in the mood, so he doesn't call her.

    • Holden finds an obscenity written on a wall at Phoebe's school.

      Happened

      On the stairs Holden sees an obscenity written on the wall and rubs it off, afraid that Phoebe and the other little kids will see it.

    • Holden successfully erases all the graffiti from the school walls.

      Didn't happen

      He rubs out the first one, but the second, scratched on "with a knife or something," won't come off, and he finds yet another in the museum's tomb.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of these statements about Chapter 25 are true?

    • Phoebe arrives at the museum with a packed suitcase, wanting to go West with Holden.

      Happened

      Phoebe drags Holden's old suitcase across Fifth Avenue, packed with her clothes, and says, "I'm going with you. Can I? Okay?"

    • Holden agrees to let Phoebe come with him.

      Didn't happen

      Holden tells her she can't come and finally says, "I'm not going away anywhere. I changed my mind."

    • Holden takes Phoebe to the Central Park Zoo and then to the carousel.

      Happened

      Phoebe follows Holden on the other side of the street to the zoo, where they watch the sea lions and the bears, and then they walk to the carousel.

    • Phoebe reaches for the gold ring while riding the carousel.

      Happened

      All the kids on the ride keep trying to grab for the gold ring, "and so was old Phoebe."

    • Holden grabs Phoebe off the carousel to prevent her from falling.

      Didn't happen

      Holden is afraid she'll fall off the horse but says and does nothing, because if kids want to grab the gold ring, "you have to let them do it."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'stationery' mean?

    • Inexpensive toys, games, and novelties sold to children
    • Remaining motionless or fixed in one position
    • Correct answer: Writing paper, envelopes, and other writing supplies
    • A location where trains or buses regularly stop

    Stationery means writing paper and supplies (not to be confused with stationary, which means standing still). Holden goes into a stationery store and buys "a pad and pencil" so he can write Phoebe a note.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What does 'unsanitary' mean?

    • Lacking in seasoning or flavor; bland
    • Correct answer: Dirty and likely to spread germs or disease
    • Unreasonably expensive for what it really is
    • Too rich or heavy to digest comfortably

    Unsanitary means dirty and likely to spread germs. When Holden nearly vomits on the street, he says, "I hadn't eaten anything unsanitary or like that."

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15. 15

    Question 15. What does 'casual' mean?

    • Nervous, emotional, and quite likely to burst into tears
    • Correct answer: Relaxed and unconcerned, as if nothing much matters
    • Stubbornly determined to get one's own way
    • Cold, cruel, and completely without sympathy

    Casual means relaxed and unconcerned. Holden pictures coming home at about thirty-five while his mother cries and begs him to stay, and says, "I'd be casual as hell."

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