Name: _________________________________________
6B- _____
Date: _________________________________
Reading: Guided Reading for The Outsiders: Ch. 1
Directions: USE PENCIL. After reading chapter 1, answer the following questions in
complete sentences, echoing the question in your answer. Write at least 6 lines for
each answer. Highlight quotes.
Chapter 1:
1. Ponyboy Curtis, or Pony for short, is the narrator of this novel. Describe him.
What makes Pony unique? How do you expect a person like Pony to view the
world? As a reader, do you think you’ll be able to rely on him to tell you a fair
version of the events of this story? If yes, why? If not, why not? Explain your
answer using specific details and at least one QUOTE from the story.
2. Describe the Greasers and describe the Socs. How are they different from each
other? Use specific details from the story to explain your answer.
3. Assign a character trait (personality adjective) to each of the following
characters. Then provide a text detail, with a page number, to support your trait.
Character
Trait
Supporting Detail
Ponyboy (Pony) Curtis
(pg. _____)
Darrel (Darry) Curtis
(pg. _____)
Sodapop (Soda) Curtis
(pg. _____)
Dallas (Dally) Winston
(pg. _____)
Keith (Two-Bit )Matthews
(pg. _____)
Johnny Cade
(pg. _____)
(over)
4. In terms of constructing a plot, what does SE (Susan Eloise) Hinton establish in
chapter one? How might this chapter contribute to the rest of the story? Explain
your answer using details from the story.
5. Characters, like real people, tend to act according to their motivations. In other
words, people behave in a way that reflects their values, passions, goals, desires,
and ambitions. Basically, we do what we do for a reason; this reason is our
motivation. In the table below, list each character’s motivation. For a
character’s motivation, state his desire in general terms. For the supporting
detail, provide a specific detail from the text to support the motivation.
Example:
Character
Mr. Hilpert
Character
Motivation
Wants to win Teacher of the
Year.
Motivation
Supporting Detail
Pays students to attend class.
You’re about as likely to get paid as I am to get an award…
Supporting Detail
Darrel (Darry)
Curtis
(pg. _____)
Dallas (Dally)
Winston
(pg. _____)
Johnny Cade
(pg. _____)
6. Write a definition or a synonym for the following words, either in your own
words or copied from a dictionary definition. If you use your own definitions or
synonyms, check them in a dictionary.
Asset (p. 3): ______________________________________________________________________________
Loping (p. 7): _____________________________________________________________________________
Sympathetic (p. 8): ______________________________________________________________________
Unfathomable (p. 10): __________________________________________________________________
(next)
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Rarities (p. 11): __________________________________________________________________________
Savvy (p. 17): ____________________________________________________________________________
Sarcasm (p. 17): _________________________________________________________________________
Pony, from Francis Ford Coppola’s film version of The Outsiders, smoking a cigarette…
3