The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 26 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does Holden refuse to narrate at the beginning of Chapter 26?

   • Correct answer: What happened after the carousel scene with Phoebe
   • The details of his expulsion from Pencey Prep
   • His conversation with Mr. Antolini the night before
   • How he slept on a bench at Grand Central Station

   Holden abruptly stops his narrative and refuses to describe the events following the carousel scene with Phoebe in Central Park, which concluded Chapter 25.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. What does Holden say about the place where he is telling his story?

   • That it belongs to D.B., who is writing a new picture there
   • That it is his family's apartment, where his parents watch over him
   • Correct answer: That he expects to leave it and go back to school next fall
   • That he intends to remain there permanently and never return to school

   Holden never names the place. He says he is supposed to go to a school next fall, "after I get out of here," and that D.B. "drove over" to visit him.

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. What question does D.B. ask Holden when he visits?

   • Whether he has apologized to his parents
   • Whether he would like to live permanently in Hollywood
   • Why he ran away from Pencey Prep
   • Correct answer: What he thinks about 'all this stuff'

   D.B. asks Holden what he thinks about 'all this stuff' -- meaning the experiences Holden has narrated -- and Holden admits he does not know what he thinks about it.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. How does Holden respond when D.B. asks him what he thinks about everything?

   • He gives a detailed explanation of his personal growth
   • Correct answer: He doesn't know what to say or what he thinks about it
   • He changes the subject to the new picture D.B. is writing
   • He tells D.B. to mind his own business

   To D.B., Holden 'didn't know what the hell to say'; he tells the reader, 'I don't know what I think about it.'

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What does the psychoanalyst Holden mentions keep asking him?

   • Correct answer: Whether he is going to apply himself when he goes back to school
   • Whether he has thought about what career he wants after college
   • Whether he wants to talk about his childhood and his brother Allie
   • Why he is so angry at his parents and at his teachers at Pencey

   Holden says a lot of people, "especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here," keep asking whether he is going to apply himself when he goes back to school next September. He calls it "a stupid question": "how do you know what you're going to do till you do it?"

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. Which of the following people does Holden say he misses?

   • Nobody -- he says he regrets telling his story
   • Correct answer: Stradlater, Ackley, and even Maurice
   • Only D.B. and his deceased brother Allie
   • Only Phoebe, Jane Gallagher, and Mr. Antolini

   Holden surprises the reader by admitting he misses everyone he talked about, specifically naming Stradlater, Ackley, and even "that goddam Maurice."

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. What is the final line of The Catcher in the Rye?

   • 'It's such a stupid question, in my opinion.'
   • 'She was pretty affected, but very good-looking.'
   • Correct answer: 'Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.'
   • 'About all I know is, I sort of miss everybody I told about.'

   The novel's famous closing line is 'Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody,' a paradoxical statement about storytelling and human connection.

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. Why is Holden's final line considered a paradox?

   • Because Holden plans to go to a new school despite claiming to hate education
   • Because D.B. is a writer but Holden criticizes storytelling
   • Because Holden says he hates everybody but also misses them
   • Correct answer: Because the advice not to tell anybody anything is itself an act of telling the reader

   The paradox lies in the fact that Holden shares this advice with the reader after spending the entire novel telling his story -- the very warning against telling contradicts the act of giving it.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following events or details are revealed in Chapter 26?

   • Holden mentions "this one psychoanalyst guy they have here."

     Happened

     Holden says a lot of people, especially this psychoanalyst, keep asking whether he will apply himself; he never names the place he is in.

   • D.B. visits Holden and asks what he thinks about his experiences.

     Happened

     D.B. drove over last Saturday and asked Holden what he thought about "all this stuff I just finished telling you about."

   • Holden describes in detail how he got from Central Park back home.

     Didn't happen

     Holden says he could tell what he did after he went home, but he doesn't feel like it.

   • A psychoanalyst asks Holden whether he will apply himself when he goes back to school.

     Happened

     Holden says the psychoanalyst keeps asking if he is going to apply himself "when I go back to school next September."

   • Holden calls Phoebe on the phone to say goodbye.

     Didn't happen

     There is no phone call to Phoebe; the chapter is Holden's short closing account of D.B.'s visit and what people keep asking him.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these statements about the novel's ending are accurate?

    • Holden admits he misses everybody he talked about, even Stradlater, Ackley and Maurice.

      Happened

      Holden says, "I sort of miss everybody I told about," even Stradlater, Ackley, and "that goddam Maurice."

    • Holden gives a clear answer about what he learned from his experiences.

      Didn't happen

      Holden tells us, "I don't know what I think about it."

    • Holden says he is supposed to go to school next fall.

      Happened

      He mentions "what school I'm supposed to go to next fall" but doesn't feel like telling about it.

    • Holden describes making up with his parents after he went home.

      Didn't happen

      Holden says nothing about his parents here; he declines to tell what he did after he went home.

    • Holden expresses regret about having told his story.

      Happened

      Holden says, "I'm sorry I told so many people about it."

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'affected' mean when Holden calls the English actress D.B. brings "pretty affected"?

    • Correct answer: Artificial and showy; putting on airs to impress
    • Shy and uncomfortable around unfamiliar people
    • Genuinely natural, warm, and completely sincere
    • Emotionally moved or disturbed by strong feelings

    Here affected means artificial or showy, as if putting on airs. Holden says the English actress D.B. brought "was pretty affected, but very good-looking."

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. What does it mean to 'apply' yourself, as people keep asking Holden if he will?

    • To abandon an effort and stop trying entirely
    • To formally request admission to a school or college
    • Correct answer: To concentrate and work diligently at a task
    • To spread a substance such as paint onto a surface

    To apply yourself means to concentrate and put real effort into something. People, "especially this one psychoanalyst guy," keep asking Holden whether he is going to apply himself when he goes back to school.

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'psychoanalyst' mean?

    • A scientist who studies the customs and history of ancient peoples
    • Correct answer: A specialist who helps people by having them talk through their thoughts and feelings
    • A person who claims to read minds and predict what will happen
    • An expert who examines a company's money and financial records

    A psychoanalyst helps people by having them talk about their thoughts, feelings, and memories. Holden says "this one psychoanalyst guy" keeps asking him the same "stupid question."

    Read the passage