The Outsiders: Chapter Questions
Please answer in full sentences in pen or typed.
Chapter 1 & 2
1. Who are the Socs? Who are the Greasers?
2. How is Ponyboy different from the other members of his gang?
3. How does Ponyboy's relationship with Darry and Sodapop differ? Explain.
4. What do we learn about what happened to Johnny before the story began?
5. What happens to Ponyboy when he walks from the movies?
6. How does Steve Randle feel about Ponyboy? Why?
7. How does Ponyboy relate to Pip from Great Expectations?
8. Explain what argument occured at the drive-in.
9. Why doesn't Ponyboy like referring to Sodapop as a "dropout"?
10. What does Pony boy mean when he says, "I lie to myself all the time?" Do you ever lie to yourself? Why?
Chapter 3 &: 4
1. What does Cherry explain is the difference between the Socs and the Greasers?
2. Who is Mickey Mouse and what did he mean to Soda?
3. What does Ponyboy mean when he says "Johnny and I understood each other without saying anything?" Why is this important?
4. What happens when Ponyboy comes home late after his curfew?
5. Why does Johnny say he likes it better when his father is hitting him?
6. Who circles the park and why?
7. Why does Johnny react so violently to the Socs?
8. To whom do Johnny and Ponyboy turn to for help? What does he give them and what does he tell them to do?
9. Where do the boys go hide and how do they get there?
10. What would your advice have been if Ponyboy and Johnny came to you for help instead?
Chapter 5 & 6
1. What does Johnny suggest they do to disguise themselves? What issue does Ponyboy have with this plan and why?
2. Why does Johnny think Dally is a hero? Do you think he is a hero based on this?
3. What book do the boys read? What part does Johnny like best and why?
4. What poem is referred to in these chapters? Who wrote the poem?
5. Who is the Soc spy for the Greasers and why does this person decide to become a spy?
6. What is the purpose of the Socs and Greasers having a rumble?
7. Why doesn't Dally want Johnny to turn himself in? Why does Johnny insist on confessing?
8. What happens at the church?
9. Why was Johnny hurt so bad? What did his family do?
10. What does Ponyboy realize about Darry at the end of chapter 6?
Chapter 7 & 8
1. What condition are Dally and Johnny in at the start of Chapter 7?
2. The doctor says that Johnny will be crippled if he survives. Why is this worse for Johnny than it would be for someone else?
3. Why does Darry never lock the front door to the house and what does this say about the Greasers?
4. How are Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally portrayed in the newspaper article?
5. Why did everyone go silent when Ponyboy asked Soda if he would take Sandy to the party?
6. What was Bob's real problem, according to Randy?
7. How does Ponyboy's perspective on the Socs start to change after his conversation with Randy? Why does he start to see things differently?
8. Why doesn't Johnny want to see his mother?
9. What was it about Darry that made him different from the rest of the gang?
10. What was the reason for Cherry not going to the hospital to see Johnny? Do you believe she was justified in her reasoning? Why or why not?
Chapter 9 & 10
1. Why do Soda, Darry and Steve each like to fight? Why is Darry hesitant about letting Ponyboy fight?
2. What is the difference between Tim Sheppard's gang and Ponyboy's? Explain why Ponyboy thinks this difference gives his group the advantage.
3. Who does Darry first take on in the rumble? Why is this person significant?
4. Why do Dally and Ponyboy go to the hospital after the fight?
5. Why is Johnny's death so difficult for Dally?
6. How does Dally make a difference according to Ponyboy?
7. On the bottom of page 132, when Ponyboy asks what kind of a world it is, why is this questioning to Ponyboy's character development?
8. What do you think Johnny's last words to Ponyboy mean? Explain why this message is important to the novel.
9. Why was Ponyboy concerned about whether or not he had asked for Darry while he was sick?
10. The climax of The Outsiders occurs during these chapters. Explain what happens during the climax and why this is considered the climax of the novel.
Chapter 11 & 12
1. Why would Ponyboy rather have someone's hate than someone's pity?
2. Why does Randy come to visit Ponyboy? What does he discover through their conversation?
3. What is Ponyboy's reaction when someone said Johnny was dead?
4. What is the judge's final decision concerning Ponyboy?
5. Explain how Darry and Ponyboy's actions affect Sodapop.
6. Why did Johnny feel it was worth going into the church?
7. What did Johnny want Ponyboy to tell Dally? Why?
8. What does Ponyboy end up doing for his English assignment?
9. Discuss the changes in Ponyboy from the beginning of the novel compared to his reaction to the Socs approaching him in Chapter 12. What do you think caused this change?
10. Discuss the importance of first person narrative point of view in the novel.