Chapter 5 Quiz — The Catcher in the Rye

by J.D. Salinger

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 5

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

  • They take a bus to Agerstown to see a movie
  • They walk into town to eat at a restaurant
  • They drive to New York City for the evening
  • They attend a basketball game at a rival school

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

  • Ackley offers to pay for the movie tickets
  • Holden feels sorry for Ackley because nobody else has invited him
  • Mal Brossard insists that they bring Ackley along
  • Stradlater suggests Holden invite Ackley to keep him busy

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

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

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

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

What type of mitt did Allie have?

  • A left-handed fielder's mitt covered in poems
  • 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

Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter 5?

  • Holden punches out all the garage windows the night Allie dies
  • Stradlater reads the composition and thanks Holden warmly
  • Ackley refuses to go to the movies with Holden and Mal
  • Holden calls Jane Gallagher from the pay phone in the dorm

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

  • He was the oldest of the Caulfield children and a star athlete
  • 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

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

  • He cut his face and needed stitches across his forehead
  • He injured his shoulder and could not play sports again
  • 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

In the context of Chapter 5, what does the word 'grippe' mean?

  • A strong emotional feeling of sadness or melancholy
  • An old-fashioned term for influenza or a similar illness
  • A type of winter coat worn to keep warm in cold weather
  • A slang word meaning a complaint or persistent grievance

What does 'psychoanalyzed' mean as used in Chapter 5?

  • Punished severely by school authorities for bad behavior
  • Sent away to a military academy for troubled young men
  • Treated using psychological therapy that explores unconscious thoughts
  • Given medication to control impulsive and aggressive reactions

Why did Allie write poems on his baseball mitt?

  • His English teacher required him to memorize poetry daily
  • He wanted to have something to read in the outfield 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

Which of the following did NOT happen in Chapter 5?

  • A snowball fight breaks out on the Pencey grounds
  • Holden writes a composition about Allie's baseball mitt
  • Stradlater comes back from his date and fights with Holden
  • Holden, Ackley, and Mal Brossard go to a movie in Agerstown

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

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

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

  • Sending him to a strict military boarding school upstate
  • 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

What does the baseball mitt symbolize in the context of the novel?

  • Holden's desire to become a professional baseball player someday
  • The competitive pressure that boarding school places on students
  • Allie's innocence, creativity, and Holden's unresolved grief over losing him
  • The Caulfield family's wealth and their ability to buy expensive equipment

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