The Outsiders
By
S.E. Hinton
Literature Study
Student Copy
Chapter One
1. Describe each of the characters and their relationship with one another.
Character
Pony Boy Curtis
Johnny Cade
Darry Curtis
Dally Winston (Dallas)
Two Bit Matthews
Soda Pop Curtis
Steve Randle
Age
Physical Appearance
Personality
2. Who are the Socs?
3. Who are the Greasers?
4. How do Ponyboy's relationships with Darry and Sodapop differ? Explain.
5. Why is the 'gang' important to Johnny?
6. Do you think Darry loves Ponyboy? Why does he treat Ponyboy the way he
does? (2 separate questions, requires 2 answers )
Chapter 2
Vocabulary - Find the meaning for the following words in this chapter:
incredulous p. 24, _______________________________________________
“she gave him an incredulous look”
nonchalantly p. 25. ______________________________________________
“OK, I said, nonchalantly”
vaguely p.33, __________________________________________________
‘I wondered about it vaguely”
1. Who is the fuzz? (p. 20)
2. Are the names Ponyboy and Sodapop nicknames? Explain.
3. Who are Cherry and Marcia?
4. Why doesn't Ponyboy like referring to Sodapop as a dropout?
5. What is "a weed" slang for in 1967?
6. Why does Dally look sick now (p. 33)?
7. What literary device does the author use to describe Johnny's mugging (pgs. 31-34)?
Chapter Three
Vocabulary - Find the meaning for the following words in this chapter.
aloof p. 38 _____________________________________________________
“Socs were behind a wall of aloofness”
impersonally p. 38 _______________________________________________
“The Socs fought coldly … and impersonally”
ornery p. 39 ____________________________________________________
“I’ve go me an ornery pony”
resignedly p. 44 _________________________________________________
“Well, Cherry said, resignedly, they’ve spotted us”
1. What does Cherry explain as the difference between the Socs and the Greasers?
2. What does Ponyboy mean on p. 39 when he says "Johnny and I understood each other without
saying anything"?
3. When and how did Pony's parents die?
4. What happens when Pony comes home after his curfew?
5. Why does Johnny like it better when his father is hitting him?
6. At the end of the chapter, how does the author foreshadow that bad things are to come?
Chapter 4
Vocabulary:
ruefully p. 60 ___________________________________________________
“He rubbed his side ruefully”
hermit p. 65 ____________________________________________________
“so we’d have to be hermits for the rest of our lives”
premonition p. 67 ________________________________________________
“What do you call it? A premonition?”
1. What does Pony mean when he says the Socs were "reeling pickled" on page 54?
2. What major event happens in this chapter?
3. How did the author foreshadow that Johnny would use his knife in chapter 2?
4. What would your advice be to Johnny and Ponyboy if they'd come to you for help instead of
Dally? Explain.
Chapter Five
Vocabulary:
reluctantly p. 71 _________________________________________________
“I put the book down reluctantly”
imploringly p. 72 _________________________________________________
“I looked at Johnny imploringly”
sullen p. 73 _____________________________________________________
“I leaned back next to him sullenly”
gallant p. 76 ___________________________________________________
“…because they were gallant”
eluded p. 78 ____________________________________________________
“but it eluded me”
indignant p. 80 _________________________________________________
“Johnny was so indignant, he nearly squeaked”
1. Why does Pony have a problem with Johnny's idea to disguise themselves?
2. What does Pony mean when he says, "I was supposed to be the deep one" (p. 75)?
3. Who does Johnny think is a hero (p. 76)? Do you think this person is a hero based on what
he did?
4. Why does Pony realize he doesn't like Dally? Can you explain what he means by this?
5. Examine Robert Frost's poem, Nothing Gold can Stay. What do you think the poem is
saying? How might this apply to the characters in the novel?
6. On page 78, Johnny compares Pony and his brothers to their parents. Which one of your
parents are you most like? What similarities do you share?
7. What does pony mean when he says he drinks Pepsi like a fiend (p.78)?
8. What's a 'heater'? Why does Dally have one?
9. Why are the Socs and the Greasers going to fight in the vacant lot?
10. Who's the spy for the Greasers? Does this surprise you? Why or why not?
Chapter Six
Vocabulary
bewildered p. 88 ____________________________________________________
“he stared at the dashboard with such hurt and bewilderment”
1. Do you think Dally's parents have influenced the way he is; his personality? Explain.
2. Why doesn't Dally want Johnny to turn himself in?
3. What "other side" of Dallas is revealed in this chapter?
4. What's your own definition of a hero? Do the three boys prove themselves to be heroes,
according to your definition? Explain.
5. Why do you think Johnny wasn't scared, despite the obvious danger, on page 92?
Chapter Seven
1. Explain what Pony means when he says Soda "reminds me of a colt" on p. 101.
2. What condition is Johnny in after the fire?
3. Why would being crippled be worse for Johnny than someone else?
4. What is a juvenile delinquent (p. 107)?
5. Why would Two-Bit think Johnny, Dally, and Pony were heroes all along; before they saved
the kids?
6. What was Bob's 'real' problem, according to Randy (p.116)?
7. Why did Pony think it was better to see Socs as "just guys" on p. 118? What do you think he
means by this?
Chapter 8
1. How does what the doctor first says, on page 119, foreshadow Johnny's condition?
2. "We needed Johnny as much as he needed the gang. And for the same reason" (p.121). What
do you think Pony means, and what is the reason?
3. What does Pony mean on p. 123 when he says, "we could get along without anyone but
Johnny"?
4. If Darry didn't have Soda and Pony, why would he be a soc?
5. What does Cherry mean when she says Bob "wasn't just anyone" on p.129?
Chapter Nine
1. On the bottom of p.132, when Pony asks what kind of a world it is, what comment is he making
about how society judges people?
2. What is each of boy’s reasons for fight? Why is Pony different?
3. What is the difference between Tim Sheppard's gang and Ponyboy's? Explain how Pony
feels this difference might give his group the upper hand?
4. What do you think Johnny's last words to Pony mean?
Chapter Ten
Vocabulary
indignantly p.159 _________________________________________________
“Soda looked back at him indignantly “
1. How does Pony's dreaming, or lying to himself, finally work in this chapter?
2. Why was Johnny’s dying so difficult for Dally to handle?
3. Why do you think Dally would have wanted to die?
Chapter Eleven
Vocabulary
acquitted p.168 __________________________________________________
“Then he said I was acquitted”
1. Explain why Pony might rather anyone's hate than their pity (p.162)?
2. What do you think is going on with Ponyboy when he says, "Johnny didn't have anything to do
with Bob's getting killed" (p.166)?
Chapter Twelve
1. To what 'circumstances' is Ponyboy’s teacher referring? To what circumstances does
Ponyboy think his teacher is referring?
2. Why doesn't Ponyboy feel scared when the Socs approach him and he threatens them with a
broken bottle (p.170-171)?
How is this a dramatic change from the Ponyboy we have seen up until this point?
3. What does Darry mean when he says, "you don't just stop living because you lose someone"
(p.173)?
4. How do we know Sandy didn't love Soda as much as he loved her?
5. Explain how Darry and Ponyboy play tug of war with Soda.
6. What do we learn was so special about Johnny (p.178)?
7. What does Ponyboy end up doing for his English assignment?
The Outsiders
Glossary of Terms
Acquitted
to relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty
Aloof
at a distance, especially in feeling or interest; apart.
Amplifier
1 a person or thing that amplifies
2 Electronics a device, especially one with electron tubes or
semiconductors, used to increase the strength of an electric
A'woofin'
Kidding or teasing
Bewildered
completely puzzled or confused; perplexed.
Bopper
Rumbler, or fighter, to the Brumly gang
Booze-hound
[Slang] a drunk.
Buckskin
a yellowish-gray horse.
Bum
Used as an adjective to mean wretched, worthless
Chessy cat
[Slang] Cheshire cat, a proverbial grinning cat from Cheshire,
England, especially one described in Lewis Carroll's Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland.
Conformity
the condition or fact of being in harmony or agreement;
correspondence; congruity; similarity.
Contemptuously
in a manner full of contempt; scornfully; disdainfully.
the Cooler
[Slang] jail.
Corn-poney
Unsophisticated, corny
signal.
Corvair
a Chevrolet automobile model.
Crocked
Drunk
Cur
a dog of mixed breed; mongrel.
Dig
Understand, appreciate
Doggedly
not giving in readily; persistent; stubborn.
Elude
to avoid or escape from by quickness, cunning, and so on; evade.
Exploit
an act remarkable for brilliance or daring; bold deed.
the Fuzz
[Slang] a policeman or the police.
Gallant
1 showy and lively in dress or manner
2 brave and noble; high-spirited and daring.
Groggy
shaky or dizzy, as from a blow; sluggish or dull, as from lack of
sleep.
Guardian
1 a person who guards, protects, or takes care of another
person, property, and so on; custodian
2 a person legally placed in charge of the affairs of a minor or
of a person of unsound mind.
Hank Williams
(born Hiram Williams) (1923–53) U.S. country music singer and
composer.
Heater
[Slang] Gun
Hermit
any person any person living in seclusion; recluse.
Holler uncle
Give up
Indignantly
expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust
Impersonal
lacking human emotion or warmth
Imploringly
to beg urgently or piteously, as for aid or mercy;
Incredulous
1. skeptical
2. showing unbelief
Indignant
feeling or expressing anger or scorn, especially at unjust, mean,
or ungrateful action or treatment.
JD
short for juvenile delinquent
Madras
a fine, firm cotton cloth, usually striped or plaid, used for
shirts, dresses, and so on.
Nonchalantly
coolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited; casual
One-horse
Small and insignificant
Ornery
1 having an ugly or mean disposition
2 obstinate
Paul Newman
(b. 1925) popular actor known for his good looks and blue eyes.
Peroxide
hydrogen peroxide, a liquid used to bleach hair.
Perry Mason
a television drama from the l960s that featured a lawyer by
the same name.
Pickled
Drunk
Premonition
1 a warning in advance; a forewarning
2 a feeling that something, especially something bad, will
happen; foreboding; presentiment.
Quarter
short for "quarter horse," any of a breed of light, muscular
horse of a solid, usually dark color: because of its quick
reactions, it is much used in Western range work and in rodeos.
Rank
Used as an adjective to mean inferior
Reformatory
A correctional institution for minors
Reluctantly
Unwilling
Resignedly
to give (oneself) over without resistance
Ruefully
mournful or regretful
Savvy
[Slang] to understand; get the idea.
Robert Frost
(1874–1963) U.S. poet.
Snooker
A game that is a variant of pool, played with 15 red balls (with a
point value of 1) and 6 balls of other colors (with point values
2 to 7).
Soft
Delicate, not a good fighter
Soused
[Slang] intoxicated.
Stupor
a state in which the mind and senses are dulled; partial or
complete loss of sensibility, as from the use of a narcotic or
shock.
Sullen
gloomily or resentfully silent
Switch
Short for switchblade, a type of pocketknife.
T-bird
a Ford Thunderbird
Tagalong
A person who follows another's lead.
Tuff
Different from "tough," which means rough; "tuff" means "cool,
sharp."
Vaguely
not clearly defined, grasped, or understood
Weed
[Informal] a cigar or cigarette.
Will Rogers
(born William Penn Adair Rogers) (1879–1935) U.S. humorist and
actor.
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