The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 9 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where does Holden arrive at the beginning of Chapter 9?

   • Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan
   • Correct answer: Penn Station in New York City
   • The Port Authority Bus Terminal
   • LaGuardia Airport on Long Island

   Holden arrives at Penn Station in New York City after taking the late train from near Pencey Prep.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Holden accidentally tell the cab driver?

   • He tells the driver he has no money left to pay the taxi fare
   • He gives the driver his real name instead of inventing a phony one
   • He tells the driver he was recently expelled from Pencey Prep
   • Correct answer: He gives the driver his parents' home address instead of the hotel

   Out of habit, Holden gives the cab driver his regular address instead of a hotel, then asks him to turn around and go back downtown.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What question does Holden ask the cab driver?

   • Correct answer: Where the ducks in the Central Park lagoon go when the water freezes in winter
   • Whether the driver can recommend a better hotel in town than the Edmont
   • How long the driver has been operating a taxi in Manhattan
   • Whether the driver can recommend a restaurant that stays open after midnight

   Holden asks where the Central Park ducks go when the lagoon freezes, then admits it was "only one chance in a million" the driver would know.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Holden choose to stay at the Edmont Hotel instead of going home?

   • His father has already forbidden him to come home until the vacation begins
   • His parents are traveling for Christmas, and the apartment is empty until vacation
   • Correct answer: He does not want to be home when his parents first get the news that he was expelled
   • His brother D.B. reserved a room for him there before returning to Hollywood

   Back in Chapter 7, Holden decided to stay in a cheap New York hotel until Wednesday so he would not be home when his parents first got the school's letter. Here he plans to "shack up in a hotel for a couple of days" and not go home until vacation starts.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Holden do with his red hunting hat before entering the Edmont?

   • Correct answer: He takes it off so people won't think he's crazy
   • He hides it inside his suitcase so no one will see it
   • He gives it to the cab driver as a tip
   • He puts it on backward as a statement of defiance

   Holden takes the hat off because he "didn't want to look like a screwball," though he adds that the hotel, as he saw it, was "full of perverts and morons."

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6. 6

   Question 6. Who is Faith Cavendish?

   • A student at B.M. whom Holden considers calling while pretending to be her uncle
   • A woman Holden observes through a window on the other side of the Edmont
   • A girl Holden used to date who invited him to decorate her Christmas tree
   • Correct answer: A woman whose address Holden got from a Princeton student named Eddie Birdsell

   Faith Cavendish is a woman Holden has never met. He got her address from Eddie Birdsell, a Princeton student who described her as promiscuous.

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7. 7

   Question 7. How does Faith Cavendish respond to Holden's late-night phone call?

   • She agrees to meet him immediately for cocktails near the Stanford Arms
   • She hangs up angrily the moment he mentions Eddie Birdsell's name
   • Correct answer: She declines to meet that night but offers to meet the following day
   • She invites him up to her apartment, since her roommate is away

   Faith says it is late and that her roommate is ill, but she suggests cocktails tomorrow; Holden answers, "I can't make it tomorrow," and then calls himself a dope for saying it.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What voice does Holden use when calling Faith Cavendish?

   • An English accent, to seem older, worldly, and more experienced
   • Correct answer: A deep, mature voice to sound older and more sophisticated
   • A high-pitched, playful voice to seem humorous and charming
   • A quiet whisper so neighboring hotel guests cannot overhear

   Holden deepens his voice on the phone to sound older and more sophisticated, another example of his tendency to adopt personas rather than present his authentic self.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following events actually happen in Chapter 9?

   • Holden stands in a phone booth at Penn Station considering whom to call.

     Happened

     He stands in the booth for about twenty minutes thinking of people to call, then ends up not calling anybody.

   • Holden calls Phoebe from Penn Station.

     Didn't happen

     He rules it out because Phoebe goes to bed around nine and one of his parents would answer the phone.

   • Holden accidentally gives the cab driver his parents' home address.

     Happened

     Out of habit he gives the driver his regular address, then asks him to turn around and go back downtown.

   • The cab driver enthusiastically discusses the Central Park ducks with Holden.

     Didn't happen

     The driver just asks, "What're ya tryna do, bud?" and says nothing more about the ducks.

   • Holden sees a man dressing in women's clothing from his hotel window.

     Happened

     He sees a gray-haired man put on women's clothes and a tight black evening dress, then walk up and down his room.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these statements about Holden's time at the Edmont Hotel are true?

    • Holden removes his red hunting hat before checking in.

      Happened

      He puts the red hunting cap on in the cab but takes it off before checking in so he won't look like a screwball.

    • Holden watches a man and a woman on the other side of the hotel squirting water at each other.

      Happened

      In a window on the other side of the hotel, a man and a woman take turns squirting water out of their mouths at each other; Holden guesses it "probably was highballs."

    • Faith Cavendish agrees to meet Holden for a drink that same night.

      Didn't happen

      Faith says it is late and suggests they get together for cocktails tomorrow instead.

    • Holden tells Faith Cavendish he is leaving town the next day.

      Didn't happen

      He never says he is leaving town; he tells her, "I can't make it tomorrow," and says tonight is the only time he can.

    • The cab driver accepts Holden's invitation for a cocktail.

      Didn't happen

      The driver turns him down: "Can't do it, Mac. Sorry."

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'incognito' mean as Holden uses it when he tells the cab driver how he is traveling?

    • In luxurious style, as a wealthy, important person
    • Without any definite plan, purpose, or destination
    • Correct answer: With one's true identity hidden or disguised
    • In a confused state, unaware of one's surroundings

    Incognito means with one's true identity hidden. Holden tells the cab driver, "I'm traveling incognito," then admits he hates saying corny things like that.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'suave' mean as Holden uses it about the way he talks to Faith Cavendish on the phone?

    • Awkward, timid, and uneasy in social situations
    • Correct answer: Smoothly charming, confident, and polished in manner
    • Sly, deceptive, and secretly dishonest with others
    • Showy, boastful, and eager to attract attention

    Suave means smoothly charming and polished. Holden uses "this very mature voice" with Faith Cavendish and says he spoke "suave as hell," though she still thinks he sounds young.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'ironic' mean as Holden uses it about taking off his red hunting cap before checking in?

    • Correct answer: Turning out the opposite of what one would expect
    • Rigid and unyielding, like a solid bar of iron
    • Intended to mock or insult another person cruelly
    • Happening by coincidence at precisely the same moment

    Ironic describes something that turns out the opposite of what was expected. Holden calls it "really ironic" that he worried about looking like a screwball in a hotel where, he says, there were "Screwballs all over the place."

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