1. Describe Each of the Characters and Their Relationship with One Another

The Outsiders

By

S.E. Hinton

Literature Study

Student Copy
Chapter One

1. Describe each of the characters and their relationship with one another.

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

Acquittedto relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty

Aloofat 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 signal.

A'woofin'Kidding or teasing

Bewilderedcompletely puzzled or confused; perplexed.

BopperRumbler, or fighter, to the Brumly gang

Booze-hound [Slang] a drunk.

Buckskin a yellowish-gray horse.

BumUsed 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-poneyUnsophisticated, corny

Corvair a Chevrolet automobile model.

CrockedDrunk

Cur a dog of mixed breed; mongrel.

DigUnderstand, 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

Hermitany person any person living in seclusion; recluse.

Holler uncleGive up

Indignantly expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust

Impersonallacking human emotion or warmth

Imploringlyto beg urgently or piteously, as for aid or mercy;

Incredulous1. 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.

Nonchalantlycoolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited; casual

One-horseSmall 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.

PickledDrunk

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.

RankUsed as an adjective to mean inferior

ReformatoryA correctional institution for minors

Reluctantly Unwilling

Resignedlyto give (oneself) over without resistance

Ruefullymournful or regretful

Savvy [Slang] to understand; get the idea.

Robert Frost (1874–1963) U.S. poet.

SnookerA 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 from 2 to 7).

SoftDelicate, 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 from shock.

Sullengloomily or resentfully silent

SwitchShort for switchblade, a type of pocketknife.

T-bird a Ford Thunderbird

TagalongA person who follows another's lead.

TuffDifferent from "tough," which means rough; "tuff" means "cool,

sharp."

Vaguelynot 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.