Study Questions
1. How did Mr. Antolini feel about D.B. going to Hollywood?

2. Why does Mrs. Antolini not want Holden to look at her when she enters the room with the coffee and cake?

3. What criteria does Holden say one must meet in order to get a good grade in Oral Expression?

4. Why does Holden like Richard Kinsella’s speeches better than anyone else’s?

5. Holden admits that there were times when he hated both Stradlater and Ackley. What else does Holden say about them?

6. What is the sense of the quote from Wilhelm Stekel which Mr. Antolini writes down for Holden?

7. What does Mr. Antolini say that Holden will do once he decides what to do with his life?

8. What does Mr. Antolini say that a good academic education will do for Holden?

9. What excuse does Holden give Mr. Antolini for having to go to the train station to get his money?

10. While awaiting the elevator, what does Holden say to Mr. Antolini?

Answers
1. Mr. Antolini was opposed to D.B. going to Hollywood. He said that anyone who could write as well as D.B. should not go to Hollywood.

2. Mrs. Antolini does not want Holden to look at her because her hair is in curlers and she had removed her makeup.

3. Holden says that to get a good grade in Oral Expression, one must stick to the topic all of the time.

4. Holden finds Richard’s speeches exciting because he digresses from his topic and speaks about more interesting subjects.

5. Holden says that, if he did not see them for a period of time, he actually missed both Stradlater and Ackley.

6. The sense of the quote is that the foolish man wants to die for a cause, while the wise man is willing to live for it.

7. Mr. Antolini says that Holden will begin to apply himself in school once he decides what to do with his life.

8. Mr. Antolini says that a good academic education will enable him to express himself more clearly, have a passion for following his thoughts through to the end, and possess more humility than the uneducated man.

9. Holden says that he needs to go to the train station to get his money because it belongs to his mother.

10. Holden tells Mr. Antolini that he is going to read some good books.