The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 5 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where do Holden, Ackley, and Mal Brossard go on Saturday evening?

   • They drive to New York City for the evening
   • They attend a basketball game at a rival school
   • Correct answer: They take a bus into Agerstown for hamburgers
   • They walk over to watch a Pencey wrestling meet

   Holden, Mal Brossard and Ackley ride the bus into Agerstown, but because Brossard and Ackley have already seen the picture, they just eat hamburgers and play pinball.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why does Holden invite Ackley to join them for the evening?

   • Ackley offers to pay for the movie tickets
   • Correct answer: Ackley just stays in his room every Saturday night
   • Mal Brossard insists that they bring Ackley along
   • Stradlater suggests Holden invite Ackley to keep him busy

   Holden says he asked because Ackley "never did anything on Saturday night" except stay in his room and squeeze his pimples.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Holden write about for Stradlater's English composition?

   • A fictional story about a boy running away from school
   • A detailed description of his room at Pencey Prep
   • His family's summer house in Maine where they vacation
   • Correct answer: His deceased brother Allie's baseball mitt with poems on it

   Unable to think of a room or a house to describe, Holden writes about Allie's left-handed fielder's mitt and copies down the poems written on it.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What color ink did Allie use to write poems on his baseball mitt?

   • Correct answer: Green ink, covering the fingers and pocket of the mitt
   • Black ink, which stood out against the leather
   • Blue ink, his favorite color since childhood
   • Red ink, matching the color of his hair

   Holden says Allie had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket of the mitt, in green ink.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What type of mitt did Allie have?

   • A standard catcher's mitt with extra padding
   • A right-handed first baseman's glove from his team
   • A batting glove that he wore during practice sessions
   • Correct answer: A left-handed fielder's mitt covered in poems

   Holden says Allie was left-handed and had a left-handed fielder's mitt with poems written all over it.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Which of the following does Holden tell about in Chapter 5?

   • Ackley refuses to go into Agerstown with Holden and Mal Brossard
   • Holden calls Jane Gallagher from the pay phone in the dorm
   • Correct answer: Holden punches out all the garage windows the night Allie dies
   • Stradlater reads the composition and thanks Holden for writing it

   Holden remembers sleeping in the garage the night Allie died and breaking all its windows with his fist; the other three events do not occur in this chapter.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Which of the following is true about Allie Caulfield as described in this chapter?

   • Correct answer: He had red hair and died of leukemia on July 18, 1946
   • He was Holden's twin brother who attended Pencey Prep
   • He was quiet and shy and never spoke to his teachers
   • He was the oldest of the Caulfield children and a star athlete

   Holden says Allie had very red hair, was two years younger than he was, and died of leukemia in Maine on July 18, 1946.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What lasting physical consequence did Holden suffer from punching the garage windows?

   • He injured his shoulder so badly he could never play golf again
   • Correct answer: He broke his hand so badly he could never make a proper fist
   • He damaged his wrist and had to wear a brace for years
   • He cut his face on the glass and needed stitches across his forehead

   Holden says his hand was already broken that night, that it still hurts when it rains, and that he "can't make a real fist any more" (not a tight one).

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9. 9

   Question 9. In the context of Chapter 5, what does the word 'monotonous' mean?

   • Rapid and excited, with words spilling out quickly
   • Harsh and grating, like a sound that hurts the ears
   • Correct answer: Dull and unvarying, staying on one tone throughout
   • Consisting of a single syllable or a single word

   Ackley talks to Holden "in this very monotonous voice," a dull voice that never changes its tone.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'psychoanalyzed' mean as used in Chapter 5?

    • Disciplined with strict rules meant to correct careless or bad behavior
    • Correct answer: Treated using psychological therapy that explores unconscious thoughts
    • Given medication to control impulsive and aggressive reactions
    • Examined by a medical doctor for signs of a hidden physical illness

    Holden says that when he was thirteen "they were going to have me psychoanalyzed" after he broke the garage windows, meaning treated by a therapist who explores the unconscious mind.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Why did Allie write poems on his baseball mitt?

    • Correct answer: He wanted to have something to read in the field when nobody was at bat
    • He was decorating the mitt as a gift for his brother Holden
    • He was practicing his handwriting as part of a school assignment
    • His English teacher required him to memorize poetry daily

    Holden explains that Allie wrote the poems on his mitt so he would have something to read in the field when nobody was up at bat.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of the following did NOT happen in Chapter 5?

    • Ackley lies down on Holden's bed and picks at his pimples
    • A snowball fight breaks out on the Pencey grounds
    • Holden writes a composition about Allie's baseball mitt
    • Correct answer: Holden throws a snowball from his window at a parked car

    Holden starts to throw his snowball at a parked car and then at a hydrant, but they look "so nice and white" that he never throws it, and the bus driver makes him throw it out.

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13. 13

    Question 13. How does Holden describe Allie compared to the rest of the Caulfield family?

    • Allie was the quietest and most withdrawn of the Caulfield children
    • Allie was the most rebellious and frequently got into trouble at school
    • Allie was the most athletic and competitive of all the siblings
    • Correct answer: Allie was the most intelligent and the nicest member of the family

    Holden says Allie was the most intelligent member of the family and "also the nicest, in lots of ways."

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14. 14

    Question 14. What did Holden's parents consider doing after he broke the garage windows?

    • Sending him to a strict military boarding school upstate
    • Correct answer: Having him psychoanalyzed to address his emotional reaction
    • Grounding him for the entire summer and taking away privileges
    • Making him pay for the window repairs from his own savings

    Holden says "they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all" because he broke the garage windows, and adds that he doesn't blame them.

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15. 15

    Question 15. What does Allie's baseball mitt seem to stand for in Chapter 5?

    • Correct answer: Allie's gentle, creative nature and how much Holden still misses him
    • The Caulfield family's wealth and their ability to buy expensive equipment
    • Holden's desire to become a professional baseball player someday
    • The competitive pressure that boarding school places on students

    Allie's mitt, covered in his poems, stands for his gentle and creative nature, and Holden's choice to keep it in his suitcase and write about it shows how much he still misses his brother.

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