The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Comprehension Questions: Chapters 1-4
Answer the following questions in complete sentences. You may refer back to your book if need be.
CHAPTER 1
1. Who is the narrator of The Outsiders? Ponyboy is narrating the story and he is telling the story in first person point of view.
2. What two groups of teenagers does Ponyboy describe? Compare the two groups. The Socs are the socials, they are from the city, they have more money. Greasers aren't that wealthy, they are from the east side, they are considered low-lives. They come from difficult and challenging homes.
3. Why did the Socs beat up Ponyboy? He is a Greaser and he is alone, an easy target, he is easy to beat up.
4. Why did Ponyboy have a hard time with his oldest brother? Darry is the parent figure to Ponyboy, he has high expectations.
5. How are Ponyboy and his friends like you? Different than you? Steve: He is amazing with cars, he doesn't like Ponyboy, Darry's best friend. Keith: Oldest person in the gang, still in high school, He is always joking and has side comments. (Nick). Dally: From New York, toughest of the gang, wild, he's a criminal sort of. Johnny: Youngest and he is the gang's pet. Soda: Ponyboy's older brother, looks the best and is the best. My friends and I have formed a three man wolf-pack, we are brothers and we share the same blood, we have no secrets, no rumors, no one hates each others, we all love each other.
6. Why do you think the author uses non-standard English? He wants us to relate to Ponyboy and to be emerced into his mind and he wants us to live the story.
7. “Greaser” is first used in the first paragraph on page one. How far must you read before you have a good idea of who or what a greaser is? (Reading to the end of a sentence, paragraph, page, or further is one strategy to use when you find a word you don’t know.) Greasers aren't that wealthy, they are from the east side, they are considered low-lives. They come from difficult and challenging homes.
Chapter 2:
1. Where do the Socs and Greasers hand out? What do they do for fun? They go to the drive-ins and they see the nightly doubles.
2. How do the Greasers learn more about the Socs? They talk to the girls and they learn everything from them.
3. What kind of rules do gang members follow in fights? No deadly weapons is a fair fight and weapons like a switch blade is unfair.
4. How could Cherry be a problem for Dally? She could get in trouble with cops or Socs and Dally could get beat up.
5. Why do you think Johnny spoke up to Dally? He is defending the girls because they haven't done anything wrong.
6. Why didn’t Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally pay to get into the drive-in movie? Dally doesn't like to do stuff the right way, he gets a kick out of doing stuff the wrong way.
7. What is Cherry’s real name? Why is she called Cherry? Her hair is the color of a cherry.
8. What did Cherry do when Dally brought her a Coke? Cherry throws the coke in his face because he is being a poopy-head to her.
9. Give three reasons why Cherry and Marcia are not scared of Johnny and Ponyboy even though, like Dally, they are Greasers. They are polite to them and they aren't dirty, they stick up for the girls and dont be poopy-heads.
10. What are two rules Greasers have for themselves? Stick together and to not get caught.
11. How did Johnny get beaten up? He is searching for a football to play with when a Mustang pulls up with 4 Socs and they beat Johnny up.
12. What did Cherry mean when she said, “Things are rough all over”? Everyone has problems no matter who or what they are.
Chapter 3:
1. Why do you think Ponyboy and Cherry become good friends? They talk to each other and they are polite with each other and they are open to one another.
2. Do the characters in this book seam “real”? Why or why not? How does Hinton try to make them believable? It's believable because these events happen in our lives today. He provides dialogue and emotion.
3. Why did Cherry and Marcia leave their dates? She is trying to prevent a fight between Socs and Greasers.
4. Why do you think Darry hit Ponyboy? Ponyboy is out late and he defends Soda and he is picking sides.
5. Why do you think Ponyboy and Cherry told each other things they had never told anyone else before? They trust each other, they are going through the same things in their lives and they can relate to each other.
6. Do you agree with Johnny that having friends care for you is not the same as having your own folks care about you? Why or why not? Family is more important than friends, it's an unbreakable promise
7. What did Cherry say was the main difference between the Socs and the Greasers? Socs are more sophisticated than the Greasers.
8. What was the name of Sodapop’s horse? What happened to Soda’s horse? Mickey Mouse, he was sold.
9. Why did Ponyboy think that maybe his world and Cherry’s weren’t so different? They watch the same sunset and go through the same situations at home.
10. Why did Johnny stare at the rings on the Soc’s hand? It was the Soc that beat up Johnny.
11. Why did Cherry and Marcia let their drunken boyfriends drive them home? They are avoiding a fight and they don't want to get in trouble.
12. What was the last thing Cherry says to Ponyboy before she leaves in the car? She says that she could fall in love with Dally.
13. How long has it been since Ponyboy’s parents were killed? They have been dead for 8 months.
14. Why was Ponyboy late getting home? He fell asleep at the vacant lot with Johnny.
Chapter 4:
1. Who (Greasers or Socs) do you think was wrong in this situation in this chapter? The Greasers were wrong by stabbing them, they are both wrong.
2. If you had been one of the Socs how would you have felt after Bob was stabbed? If you had been one of the Greasers, how would you have felt after Bob was stabbed? What causes the difference? I would be sad because I would be next, they were all scared of the consequences.
3. Why did Ponyboy turn to Dally for help? He is older and wiser.
4. What does Bob say a Greaser is? Bob says that he is a white trash with long hair.
5. What do the Socs do to Ponyboy? They tried to drown him.
6. What does Ponyboy see when he recovers consciousness? He saw Bob lying there dead.
7. Why did Johnny attack Bob? Bob was drowning and Johnny tried to stop that from happening.
8. Where do Johnny and Ponyboy go when the leave the park? They go to find Dally, he is at Buck's house.
9. What does Dally give Johnny and Ponyboy? He gives them a gun and money and a dry shirt.
10. Where does Dally tell them to go? He tells them to go to the church.
11. How do they get there? They got there by train.
12. How do they find the church? They ask a farmer boy where the church is.
CHAPTER 1
1. Who is the narrator of The Outsiders? Ponyboy is narrating the story and he is telling the story in first person point of view.
2. What two groups of teenagers does Ponyboy describe? Compare the two groups. The Socs are the socials, they are from the city, they have more money. Greasers aren't that wealthy, they are from the east side, they are considered low-lives. They come from difficult and challenging homes.
3. Why did the Socs beat up Ponyboy? He is a Greaser and he is alone, an easy target, he is easy to beat up.
4. Why did Ponyboy have a hard time with his oldest brother? Darry is the parent figure to Ponyboy, he has high expectations.
5. How are Ponyboy and his friends like you? Different than you? Steve: He is amazing with cars, he doesn't like Ponyboy, Darry's best friend. Keith: Oldest person in the gang, still in high school, He is always joking and has side comments. (Nick). Dally: From New York, toughest of the gang, wild, he's a criminal sort of. Johnny: Youngest and he is the gang's pet. Soda: Ponyboy's older brother, looks the best and is the best. My friends and I have formed a three man wolf-pack, we are brothers and we share the same blood, we have no secrets, no rumors, no one hates each others, we all love each other.
6. Why do you think the author uses non-standard English? He wants us to relate to Ponyboy and to be emerced into his mind and he wants us to live the story.
7. “Greaser” is first used in the first paragraph on page one. How far must you read before you have a good idea of who or what a greaser is? (Reading to the end of a sentence, paragraph, page, or further is one strategy to use when you find a word you don’t know.) Greasers aren't that wealthy, they are from the east side, they are considered low-lives. They come from difficult and challenging homes.
Chapter 2:
1. Where do the Socs and Greasers hand out? What do they do for fun? They go to the drive-ins and they see the nightly doubles.
2. How do the Greasers learn more about the Socs? They talk to the girls and they learn everything from them.
3. What kind of rules do gang members follow in fights? No deadly weapons is a fair fight and weapons like a switch blade is unfair.
4. How could Cherry be a problem for Dally? She could get in trouble with cops or Socs and Dally could get beat up.
5. Why do you think Johnny spoke up to Dally? He is defending the girls because they haven't done anything wrong.
6. Why didn’t Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally pay to get into the drive-in movie? Dally doesn't like to do stuff the right way, he gets a kick out of doing stuff the wrong way.
7. What is Cherry’s real name? Why is she called Cherry? Her hair is the color of a cherry.
8. What did Cherry do when Dally brought her a Coke? Cherry throws the coke in his face because he is being a poopy-head to her.
9. Give three reasons why Cherry and Marcia are not scared of Johnny and Ponyboy even though, like Dally, they are Greasers. They are polite to them and they aren't dirty, they stick up for the girls and dont be poopy-heads.
10. What are two rules Greasers have for themselves? Stick together and to not get caught.
11. How did Johnny get beaten up? He is searching for a football to play with when a Mustang pulls up with 4 Socs and they beat Johnny up.
12. What did Cherry mean when she said, “Things are rough all over”? Everyone has problems no matter who or what they are.
Chapter 3:
1. Why do you think Ponyboy and Cherry become good friends? They talk to each other and they are polite with each other and they are open to one another.
2. Do the characters in this book seam “real”? Why or why not? How does Hinton try to make them believable? It's believable because these events happen in our lives today. He provides dialogue and emotion.
3. Why did Cherry and Marcia leave their dates? She is trying to prevent a fight between Socs and Greasers.
4. Why do you think Darry hit Ponyboy? Ponyboy is out late and he defends Soda and he is picking sides.
5. Why do you think Ponyboy and Cherry told each other things they had never told anyone else before? They trust each other, they are going through the same things in their lives and they can relate to each other.
6. Do you agree with Johnny that having friends care for you is not the same as having your own folks care about you? Why or why not? Family is more important than friends, it's an unbreakable promise
7. What did Cherry say was the main difference between the Socs and the Greasers? Socs are more sophisticated than the Greasers.
8. What was the name of Sodapop’s horse? What happened to Soda’s horse? Mickey Mouse, he was sold.
9. Why did Ponyboy think that maybe his world and Cherry’s weren’t so different? They watch the same sunset and go through the same situations at home.
10. Why did Johnny stare at the rings on the Soc’s hand? It was the Soc that beat up Johnny.
11. Why did Cherry and Marcia let their drunken boyfriends drive them home? They are avoiding a fight and they don't want to get in trouble.
12. What was the last thing Cherry says to Ponyboy before she leaves in the car? She says that she could fall in love with Dally.
13. How long has it been since Ponyboy’s parents were killed? They have been dead for 8 months.
14. Why was Ponyboy late getting home? He fell asleep at the vacant lot with Johnny.
Chapter 4:
1. Who (Greasers or Socs) do you think was wrong in this situation in this chapter? The Greasers were wrong by stabbing them, they are both wrong.
2. If you had been one of the Socs how would you have felt after Bob was stabbed? If you had been one of the Greasers, how would you have felt after Bob was stabbed? What causes the difference? I would be sad because I would be next, they were all scared of the consequences.
3. Why did Ponyboy turn to Dally for help? He is older and wiser.
4. What does Bob say a Greaser is? Bob says that he is a white trash with long hair.
5. What do the Socs do to Ponyboy? They tried to drown him.
6. What does Ponyboy see when he recovers consciousness? He saw Bob lying there dead.
7. Why did Johnny attack Bob? Bob was drowning and Johnny tried to stop that from happening.
8. Where do Johnny and Ponyboy go when the leave the park? They go to find Dally, he is at Buck's house.
9. What does Dally give Johnny and Ponyboy? He gives them a gun and money and a dry shirt.
10. Where does Dally tell them to go? He tells them to go to the church.
11. How do they get there? They got there by train.
12. How do they find the church? They ask a farmer boy where the church is.