Catch-22 Quiz

Name: Catch-22
Author: Joseph Heller

Question 1

Why does Yossarian's attempt to get grounded for insanity fail according to the logic of Catch-22?

Accepted Answer

Asking to be grounded proves he is sane, which disqualifies him from being grounded.

Answer

The military doctors refuse to examine him because they are overworked.

Answer

Colonel Cathcart personally blocks all requests for medical discharge.

Answer

Yossarian is not actually insane, so the doctors can see through his act.

Question 2

What does Milo Minderbinder do that reveals how the military system protects profit over soldiers' lives?

Accepted Answer

He contracts with the Germans to bomb his own airfield and faces no punishment because the syndicate is profitable.

Answer

He steals supplies and sells them on the black market without consequences.

Answer

He falsifies mission reports to make his squadron look better to headquarters.

Answer

He refuses to supply food to soldiers who criticize him.

Question 3

How does Major Major Major Major respond to his unexpected promotion to major?

Accepted Answer

He becomes completely inaccessible, only meeting people through his office window when he himself is not there.

Answer

He works harder than anyone else to prove he deserves the rank.

Answer

He requests a transfer to a different squadron to avoid the responsibility.

Answer

He uses his new authority to protect his soldiers from dangerous missions.

Question 4

What is the significance of Snowden's death in the novel?

Accepted Answer

It is revealed in fragments throughout the book and finally shown in full near the end, stripping away the absurdist comedy to show the war's true cost.

Answer

It convinces Yossarian to follow orders and complete his remaining missions.

Answer

It causes Colonel Cathcart to lower the mission count out of sympathy for the squadron.

Answer

It happens early in the novel and is quickly forgotten by the other characters.

Question 5

Why does Yossarian reject the deal offered by Colonel Cathcart and Lieutenant Colonel Korn?

Accepted Answer

He understands that accepting it would make him complicit in the same system that has been killing his friends.

Answer

He realizes the deal would require him to lie about his combat record.

Answer

He wants to continue flying missions to prove his courage.

Answer

He fears that Cathcart will break his promise and send him back to combat anyway.

Question 6

What does Orr's escape to Sweden reveal about the novel's ending?

Accepted Answer

It gives Yossarian a concrete example of escape outside the system and a reason to desert.

Answer

It proves that the military's rules are actually fair and that soldiers can escape if they work hard enough.

Answer

It shows that Yossarian's friend was incompetent and lucky rather than skilled.

Answer

It demonstrates that the war is nearly over and soldiers will soon be sent home anyway.

Question 7

How does the novel treat Yossarian's selfishness and desire to survive?

Accepted Answer

It frames his refusal to accept the mission count and his constant complaints as rational responses to a system designed to kill him.

Answer

It condemns him as a coward who abandons his duty.

Answer

It shows him as mentally unstable and unable to handle the stress of combat.

Answer

It presents his survival instinct as weakness compared to soldiers who accept their fate.

Question 8

What happens to Doc Daneeka that illustrates the military's indifference to individual reality?

Accepted Answer

His name appears on the manifest of a crashed plane, and he is officially listed as dead despite being alive, with no amount of evidence convincing the Army to reverse the paperwork.

Answer

He is killed in combat and his death is properly recorded in the official records.

Answer

He is promoted to a desk job where he never has to fly again.

Answer

He is dishonorably discharged for refusing to treat wounded soldiers.

Question 9

What does the novel suggest about the relationship between capitalism and war through Milo's character?

Accepted Answer

War creates demand and removes accountability, allowing economic logic to justify any atrocity, even bombing one's own men for profit.

Answer

Capitalism prevents war by making it economically inefficient.

Answer

Capitalism and war are completely separate systems that do not influence each other.

Answer

War is more important than profit, and soldiers should always prioritize military objectives over financial gain.

Question 10

How does Yossarian's final decision to desert differ from his earlier attempts to escape the military?

Accepted Answer

He rejects the system entirely and runs, which Heller frames as the first genuinely free act in the entire book.

Answer

He finally accepts the deal with Cathcart and agrees to stop causing trouble.

Answer

He tries to get grounded for insanity one more time and succeeds.

Answer

He requests a transfer to a safer position where he will not have to fly combat missions.