The Outsiders Study Guide
Directions: Fill in the blank with the appropriate response.
1. The setting of the novel is _the 1960s in Tulsa, Oklahoma____.
2. The protagonist of The Outsiders is __Ponyboy______.
3. The antagonist of The Outsiders is __the Socs______.
4. The main conflict of the novel is between the __Greasers___ and the __Socs____.
5. The climax of the novel is _when Johnny dies ______.
Directions: Identify the speaker of the following quotes.
6. “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.” __Johnny______
7. “You know, the only thing that keeps Darry from bein’ a Soc is us.” ____Two-Bit______
8. “Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs.” ______Randy______
9. “I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” ______Ponyboy ______
10. “ I liked you from the start…the way you talked. You’re a nice kid, Ponyboy.” ___Cherry, the Soc ______
11. “ I was…crazy for wantin’ Johnny to stay outa trouble…If he had been like me he’d never have been in this mess.” ___Dally______
12. “Listen, kiddo, when Darry hollers at you…he don’t mean nothin’… He’s just really proud of you ‘cause you’re so brainy.” _____Sodapop______
13. “You could use a bath, greaser. And a good working over. And we’ve got all night to do it.” ______Bob______
Directions: Answer the following short answer questions in complete sentences. Do notstart your response with “because.”
14. What are some examples of irony in The Outsiders?
__An example of irony in The Outsiders is Johnny killing Bob, because Johnny was the quiet one. Another example of irony is that Ponyboy and Cherry become friends even though Ponyboy is a greaser and Cherry is a Soc. A third example is when Randy and Sodapop have a conversation even though they are supposed to be enemies.
15. Why is Darry upset when Pony falls asleep in the lot? __Darry is upset when Pony falls asleep in the lot, because he doesn’t know where Pony is and is worried about him.
16. Why do the Curtises always keep their front door unlocked? __The Curtises always keep their front door unlocked, because they want their friends to be able to have a safe place to go if they need one.
17. Ponyboy started having nightmares when…
___Ponyboy started having nightmares the night of his parents’ funeral. ______
18. How does Dally know about the church? ___Dally’s cousin told him about the hiding spot.
19. Why doesn’t Dally want Johnny to turn himself in? _____Dally doesn’t want Johnny to go to jail.
20. Why does Ponyboy tell Randy that he saved the kids in the church? ____Ponyboy tells Randy that he just went in and that Randy would have done the same thing. ______
21. What does Randy tell Pony that Bob wanted from his parents? ____Bob just wanted someone to say “no” to him and set limits.
22. How are Bob and Johnny alike?
___Bob and Johnny both wanted their parents to pay attention to them.
23. When Pony says, “Greasers don’t have anything to do with it…It’s the individual,” he means… ____Pony means that all people have the ability and freedom to make their own choices, whether they are greasers or they belong to a different social group.
24. Why do the greasers get dressed up before a rumble? __The greasers get dressed up before a rumble to show the Socs that they’re not trash.
25. How are Tim Shepard’s gang and the Brumly boys different from Pony and his gang? ____Pony and his gang don’t think of themselves as “hoods. They want to do something different with their lives.
26. What advice does Johnny give Pony before he dies?___Johnny tells Pony to “stay gold.”
27. Why is Two-Bit relieved when he sees Pony picking up the broken glass? ___Two-Bit was relieved that Pony picked up the glass, because he was afraid that Pony was going to be hardened like Dally.
28. What does Soda mean 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.” __Soda means that Dally was hardened and was not happy and that he didn’t value life.
Directions: Answer the following questions over the main conflicts in the novel.
29. When is Pony and Darry’s conflict resolved? ___In the hospital, Pony realizes that Darry really loves him, and Darry is able to show that he loves Ponyboy.
30. Name an internal conflict that Ponyboy experiences during the novel. ____Ponyboy struggles with himself about not wanting to live like a “hood” his whole life.
31. How is the “Socs” vs “Greaser” conflict attempted to be resolved? Does it work? ___The Socs and Greasers try to resolve the conflict by having a rumble. It does not work, because the Socs and Greasers will continue to fight with each other even though the Greasers were the winners in the rumble.
32. Does Johnny ever resolve the conflict with his parents? Explain. ____Johnny does not ever really resolve the conflict with his parents. He tells the nurse to tell his mother that he does not want to see her, and later he dies without really resolving the conflict.
Directions: Don’t forget to study your definitions for the vocab words!
Ornery – stubborn, ugly, unpleasant
Nonchalantly – indifferent or disinterested
Incredulous – skeptical
Premonition – a feeling about something that will happen in the future
Aloof – cool and casual
Indignant – extreme strong displeasure for something
Eluded – to avoid capture
Gallant – brave, noble-minded, chivalrous
Reluctantly – unwilling or struggling in opposition
Hermit – someone who is removed from society and lives in seclusion
*The test is scheduled for Tues ecember 15h. Mrs. Babb will be available for tutoring Monday morning. Ask her for a pass! *
If you KNOW you are going to be absent on Tuesday tell Mrs. Babb ASAP. You will need to take your test MONDAY AFTERNOON!!!