The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 7 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where does Holden go immediately after his fight with Stradlater?

   • Correct answer: He goes to Ackley's room looking for companionship and a place to sleep
   • He walks outside to the football field to be alone and cool off
   • He calls Jane Gallagher from the payphone in the dormitory lobby
   • He goes to the headmaster's office to report the incident

   After the fight, Holden goes into Ackley's room, finds him wide awake, turns on the light, and asks if he can sleep in Ely's empty bed for the night.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why does Ackley refuse to let Holden sleep in Ely's bed?

   • Ackley says the bed is broken and cannot support another person
   • Correct answer: Ackley says he can't give anyone permission to use Ely's bed
   • Ackley says the dorm supervisor would punish him for having a guest
   • Ackley is angry at Holden for turning on the light and waking him

   Ackley says, "I can't just tell somebody they can sleep in his goddam bed," even though Ely goes home almost every weekend and won't be back till Sunday night.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What unusual question does Holden ask Ackley while lying in his room?

   • He asks if Ackley would come with him to New York City
   • He asks Ackley if he has ever been in love with someone
   • Correct answer: He asks about the requirements for joining a monastery
   • He asks Ackley to help him write a letter to Jane Gallagher

   Holden asks Ackley "What's the routine on joining a monastery?" and whether you have to be a Catholic, then says he isn't going to join one anyway.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What item causes Holden to become emotional while packing his bags?

   • His red hunting hat, which reminds him of better times in the city
   • A photograph of his brother Allie that he keeps in his drawer
   • A letter from Jane Gallagher he had saved from the previous summer
   • Correct answer: A pair of ice skates that his mother recently sent him as a gift

   The ice skates from his mother upset Holden because they represent her love and the care she put into choosing them, not knowing he has been expelled from yet another school.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why do the ice skates from Holden's mother make him so upset?

   • Correct answer: They make him sad, since she bought them just as he was being expelled again
   • They cost so much that he worries about how his family's money is holding up
   • They are the wrong kind, hockey instead of racing, so she clearly doesn't know him
   • They make him think of the money his grandmother keeps sending him for birthdays

   Holden pictures his mother in Spaulding's "asking the salesman a million dopy questions" while he was being expelled again, and says, "It made me feel pretty sad."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Holden put on before walking out of the dormitory?

   • His roommate Stradlater's hound's-tooth jacket out of spite
   • Correct answer: His red hunting hat, turned with the peak facing backward
   • A winter overcoat and gloves his parents sent with the ice skates
   • A scarf that belonged to his brother Allie as a good-luck charm

   Holden puts on his red hunting hat and turns the peak around to the back, "the way I liked it," just before he yells goodbye.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Holden yell as he takes a last look down the corridor?

   • 'Aah, go back to sleep,' to the whole floor as he heads for the stairs
   • 'Relax. I'm not gonna sleep here,' as he walks out of Ackley's room
   • 'You're a real prince,' as he shakes Ackley's hand on his way out
   • Correct answer: 'Sleep tight, ya morons!' while crying as he leaves the building

   Standing by the stairs, Holden is "sort of crying" and doesn't know why; then he yells 'Sleep tight, ya morons!' and leaves, mixing an insult with a sadness he can't explain.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Did Holden tell Ackley what the fight with Stradlater was really about?

     Didn't happen

     No. Holden tells Ackley the fight was "About you," says he was defending Ackley's honor, and then admits he was only kidding.

   • Did Holden leave Pencey Prep on the scheduled day for Christmas break?

     Didn't happen

     No. Holden was supposed to leave on Wednesday, but he decided to leave that same night (Saturday) after the fight with Stradlater. He planned to stay in a New York hotel until his parents had time to absorb the news of his expulsion.

   • Did Holden cry as he left Pencey Prep?

     Happened

     Yes. Standing by the stairs for a last look down the corridor, Holden says he was "sort of crying" and doesn't know why, then he yells 'Sleep tight, ya morons!'

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does 'monastery' mean in the context of Holden's question to Ackley?

   • A military camp where young men receive basic training and structure
   • A type of boarding school with strict religious discipline and rules
   • Correct answer: A building where monks live in seclusion, withdrawn from the outside world
   • A grand cathedral where a bishop leads the worship services for a whole city

   A monastery is a place where monks live and worship apart from the outside world; Holden asks about joining one but says he was only "sort of toying with the idea."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What is a 'Gladstone' bag as Holden mentions it while packing?

    • A drawstring bag made of cloth, commonly used by schoolchildren
    • A heavy-duty canvas backpack designed for military use and hiking
    • Correct answer: A light traveling suitcase that opens flat into two equal compartments
    • A leather briefcase typically used by businessmen and lawyers

    A Gladstone is a traveling bag that opens flat into two halves; Holden says he "packed these two Gladstones I have" in about two minutes.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Holden's 'Sleep tight, ya morons!' farewell reveal about his character?

    • He wants Stradlater to know that he has not really lost their fight
    • He is quoting a line from a movie he recently watched as an inside joke
    • He is relieved to be leaving and feels nothing but contempt for Pencey students
    • Correct answer: He hides a real sadness he can't explain behind a loud, insulting goodbye

    Holden is "sort of crying" as he takes a last look down the corridor, so the insult he yells covers a sadness he says he can't explain ("I don't know why").

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12. 12

    Question 12. Why does Chapter 7 mark a turning point in Holden's story?

    • Correct answer: It shows Holden deciding to leave Pencey that same night instead of on Wednesday
    • It shows Holden making up with Stradlater before Christmas vacation
    • It introduces the character of Jane Gallagher for the first time in the story
    • It resolves the central conflict between Holden and his parents about school

    Instead of waiting till Wednesday, Holden decides to "get the hell out of Pencey—right that same night" and plans to stay in an inexpensive New York hotel until then.

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