The Outsiders – Study Guide #3
Chapters 10-12
Vocabulary
Acquitted: to discharge completely
Concussion: a stunning, damaging, or shattering effect from a hard jar to the head
Daze: to stupefy; stun
Delirious: characteristic of mental disturbance
Flinching: to withdraw or shrink from as if in pain
Hazy: dim or cloudy
Idolized: to worship
Stupor: a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense
Vaguely: indistinctly; obscurely
Veered: to change direction or course
1. Why was Johnny’s death so difficult for Dally to handle?
2. Why do you think Dally would have wanted to die?
3. Why did Pony keep repeating that Johnny wasn’t dead?
4. Why did Pony believe that other Greasers would end up like Dally?
5. Discuss the following quote: “Two friends of mine died that night: one a hero, the other a hoodlum.”
What does Pony mean by this? Explain which person is which and if his description is accurate.
6. Explain why Pony might rather anyone’s hate than their pity.
7. Do you think Randy was “cold-blooded mean” for coming to visit Ponyboy? Why or why not?
8. Was it important that Darry called Pony “little buddy?” Why or why not?
9. Why is Dally’s death almost sadder than Johnny’s?
10. How have Pony’s ideas about life changed since the beginning of the story and since the start of the
rumble?
The Outsiders – Study Guide #3
Chapters 10-12
11. Why doesn’t Pony feel scared when the Socs approach him and he threatens them with a broken bottle?
How is this a dramatic change from the Pony we have seen up until this point?
12. What does Darry mean when he says, “you don’t just stop living because you lose someone”?
13. How do we know Sandy didn’t love Soda as much as he loved her?
14. What does Pony end up doing for his English assignment?
15. What happened at the hearing? Why did the judge’s questions surprise Pony? What decision did the
judge make?
16. Two-Bit responds with, “Ponyboy, listen, don’t get tough. You’re not like the rest of us and don’t try to
be.” What do you think he means by this comment?
17. How does Johnny’s note help Pony change his attitude toward himself, his future, and his friends?
18.
Explain what Soda means when he says, “If you don’t have anything, you end up like Dallas…and I don’t
mean dead either. I mean like he was before. And that’s worse than dead.”