The
OutsidersStudy
Guide
Test Review
&
Vocabulary Review
Ch. 1
Who is the narrator of The Outsiders?
◦Ponyboy
◦First person, subjective point of view
◦Unreliable narrator
What two groups of teenagers does Ponyboy
describe? Compare the two groups.
◦Socs and Greasers
◦Socs –rich, live on the West side, “jet set,” have beer
blasts, dress preppy, jump Greasers for fun, wreak houses,
sophisticated, hide their emotions
◦Greasers –poor, live on the East side, steal for fun, look
like hoods, grease their long hair, wear jeans and T-shirts,
leather jackets, feel their emotions violently
Why
did the Socs beat up Ponyboy?
◦He was alone and a Greaser, their idea of fun
Why
did Ponyboy have a hard time with his
oldest brother?
◦Darry was very protective and acted like a parent because
their parents are dead; because he is young, Darry makes
mistakes, like yelling at and hitting Pony
Why
does the author use non-standard English?
◦SE Hinton captures the real language of teenagers of the
time period; it makes the story very realistic
Ch. 2
Where
do the Socs and Greasers
hang out?
◦Greasers hang out at Dingo and Jay’s; Socs
hang out at Way Out and Rusty’s
What
do they do for fun?
◦Both enjoy movies
How
do the Greasers learn more
about the Socs?
◦From Cherry
What
kind of rules do gang
members follow in fights?
◦No weapons, just fists; even numbers of
both sides –fair
How
could Cherry be a problem for
Dally?
◦She is a Soc and he is a Greaser; Greasers
don’t date “nice” girls
Ch. 3
Why
do you think Ponyboy and Cherry
become good friends?
◦They have a lot in common and both enjoy
sunsets
How
does the author make the
characters believable?
◦Their speech (slang)
◦Their actions
Why
did Cherry and Marcia leave their
dates?
◦The boys were drinking and Cherry and
Marcia disapproved
Why
do you think Darry hit Ponyboy?
◦He was very late getting home and Darry was
very worried and upset
Which
Greaser steals for fun?
◦Two Bit steals for fun; Dally steals to break
the rules
Ch. 4
Who
(Greasers or Socs) do you
think was wrong in the situation in
this chapter (the tragic incident at
the park)? Why?
◦Socs were out of their territory and had
been drinking and were very violent in how
they treated Pony; Johnny was defending
his friend, who was drowning; review what
our eyewitness (Randy) says about the
incident in Ch. 11
Why
do Ponyboy and Johnny turn to
Dally for help?
◦Dally has experience with this kind of thing
–he would have a gun and a plan; Darry
would be very upset; the boys just want to
get away and Dally seems like their best
hope for help; Pony says Dally can do
anything
Ch. 5
Do
you think hiding out was the
best thing for Johnny and Pony to
do? Why or why not?
◦Maybe if they hadn’t left, the Socs
wouldn’t have declared war; there will
be a big rumble as a result
What
Dally?
did Johnny admire about
◦He shows gallantry and loyalty; he took
the rap for something Two-Bit did, for
example
Why
did the boys cut their hair?
◦To disguise themselves
Does
the length of hair mean
much to the boys?
◦It shows identity and membership in
their group
Ch. 6
Why
do you think Cherry chose
to associate with –and later help
–Johnny and Pony? Is she a spy?
◦She hated the fighting and wanted it to
stop; yes, she is a spy
Why
do you think Johnny decide
they should turn themselves in?
◦He thought he would get off easy –he
had no record, it was self defense, and
he didn’t want to stay at the church
anymore; he wanted to end the violence
What
Darry?
did Pony learn about
◦He learned that Darry was trying to
make something of himself and Darry
loved him and missed him
Ch. 7
How
were the boys injured?
◦Trying to save the children in the fire
Why
could they be considered
heroes?
◦They risked their lives to save the
children
What
additional problem did the
brothers face after Pony’s return?
◦The courts could separate them and
put them in special custody
What
did Randy say kids want
from their parents?
◦Parents should say no –it shows they
care; they should set limits to keep kids
safe; they should give kids something
to stand on like values and rules
Ch. 8
How
did Johnny feel about dying?
◦Scared, used to think about suicide, but
now feels like he has too much to do yet…
What
did Johnny want the boys to
get for him in the hospital?
◦Grease for his hair and a copy of Gone with
the Wind
Why
were these things important?
◦The grease confirms his identity in the
group; the book connects to his feelings
about loyalty and gallantry
How
close to the truth was Johnny
when he said he didn’t want to see
his mother?
◦He rejects his mom the way she’s rejected
him –maybe he wished that she insisted on
seeing him to prove she loves him
Ch. 9
What
were the reasons that the
various boys gave for fighting?
◦Darry –pride
◦Steve –hatred
◦Soda –fun to fight
◦Two-Bit –conformity (fitting in)
Why
did Dally take Pony to see
Johnny after the rumble?
◦He wanted Johnny not to get hard like
he was
What
did Johnny mean when he
told Pony to “stay gold”?
◦It means to stay sensitive and kind;
make something of himself (good, pure,
new, fresh)
Ch. 10
Why
does Dally rob the store?
◦He wants to die; his gun isn’t
loaded, and he draws the police to
him and positions himself in a pool
of light before drawing the unload
gun out of his pocket
What
happens to our narrator?
◦He collapses; he is sick; he is
hospitalized, which he forgets; he
sleeps for days without waking up
and remembering
Ch. 11
Why
did Randy come to visit
Pony when he was ill?
◦He was concerned about the hearing in
court; he wanted to tell Pony that he
was an eyewitness and saw the incident
at the park and that Pony wasn’t to
blame
Why
did Pony not care that
Randy was seeing his house in a
messy condition?
◦He accepted Randy as a buddy and
didn’t mind him seeing the house
Why
do you think Pony said he
killed Bob and that Johnny wasn’t
dead?
◦He is in denial –he thought it wouldn’t
hurt as much if he pretended (p. 177)
Ch. 12
Why
was the court hearing important? What
were the possible decisions of the court?
◦The boys could be separated if Darry can’t
support/supervise them; Pony is acquitted and the case
closed
Why
do you think Pony’s life was still troubled
after the court hearing?
◦He shows that he is still troubled when the Soc boys
confront him and he breaks the bottle… but then he cleans
up the glass (see page 171)
What
message did Johnny leave in the book?
◦Johnny says he doesn’t mind dying now; it was worth it to
save the children
◦Pony should “stay gold” and not become jaded; Pony still
has time to make something of his life and there is still
good in the world
Why
is Soda upset?
◦He gets bad news from Sandy; he fights with his brothers;
he feels the need to stick together
Why
does Pony tell this story? What does the
title refer to?
◦For all outsiders –people who feel left out or alienated
What
genre of book is it?
◦Realistic fiction
Essay Topics
Reflect on the following topics and be prepared
to write a brief essay on two of them in class.
Essay Topic #1
You
are Ponyboy’s English
teacher. What is the next
assignment you will give Pony?
Why? What would you hope he
would learn from completing
the assignment?
Essay Topic #2
Dally
makes a choice when he
robs the store and shows the
police he has a gun. What if he
had not been killed? How could
the ending of the novel be
changed?
Essay Topic #3
Explain
how either Johnny or
Ponyboy change during the
course of the novel. Be sure to
cite examples.
Essay Topic #4
Write
an article for the local
paper about the role gangs
play in the community.
Vocabulary we used
Fiery
–easily provoked, hot tempered
Incredulous –disbelieving
Irresistibly –impossible to resist
Nonchalant –acting cool, w/o a care
Rebellious –opposing authority
Resignedly –give up w/o resistance
Stalk –walk stiffly, haughtily
Suffocate –deprive of oxygen, smother
Suspicious –causing mistrust, doubt
Vaguely –subconsciously, indefinitely
Aghast –struck with terror or amazement
Aloof –lack of friendliness, stuck up
Divert-distract
Fiend –addict, devil
Gorge –eat greedily
Racking -painful
Hysterics –excessive emotion
Indignant –anger aroused by injustice
Falter -hesitate
Inhalation –breathing in
Mimic –to imitate, copy
Ruefully –causing sympathy or pity