Chapter 1 Quiz — The Catcher in the Rye

From where does Holden Caulfield narrate the events of the novel?

• A rest facility in California
• His family home in New York City
• A dormitory at Pencey Prep
• A hotel room in Manhattan

Why was Holden expelled from Pencey Prep?

• He got into a fight with another student
• He failed four out of five subjects
• He was caught leaving campus without permission
• He refused to participate in extracurricular activities

What literary work does Holden allude to in the novel's opening line?

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

What does Holden criticize his brother D.B. for doing?

• Dropping out of college
• Moving to Hollywood to write screenplays
• Refusing to visit Holden at school
• Working as a newspaper reporter

What happened when Holden was manager of the fencing team?

• He accidentally broke the team's equipment
• He left all the equipment on the subway
• He forgot to book the team's transportation
• He lost the team's uniforms at the hotel

Where does Holden stand during the football game between Pencey and Saxon Hall?

• In the bleachers with his classmates
• In the parking lot near the bus
• Alone on Thomsen Hill
• In his dormitory room

Who does Holden decide to visit at the end of Chapter 1?

• His brother D.B.
• The school headmaster
• His roommate Stradlater
• His history teacher Mr. Spencer

What is the only subject Holden passed at Pencey Prep?

• History
• English
• Mathematics
• Science

Which of the following events actually happen in Chapter 1?

Which of these details about Holden's situation are revealed in Chapter 1?

What does Holden mean when he calls something 'phony'?

• Physically fake or counterfeit
• Insincere, pretentious, or dishonest
• Confusing or hard to understand
• Old-fashioned or outdated

What is a Bildungsroman?

• A novel written in the form of letters
• A novel dealing with a person's formative years or spiritual education
• A novel that takes place over a single day
• A novel with multiple narrators telling the same story

What does 'colloquial' mean in the context of Holden's narrative style?

• Formal and academic in tone
• Written in verse or poetic form
• Characteristic of ordinary, informal conversation
• Using archaic or old-fashioned language