Questions and Answers with Character Webs

1. THE OUTSIDERS
Chapter Two
Questions & Answers
November 2018
Miss Riddell

2. 1. Ponyboy and Sodapop are the
boys’ actual names. What does this
show you about their parents?
Ponyboy’s parents were definitely original and
perhaps not traditional but they raised three nice
boys who look out for each other. The story is set in
the late 1960’s, which was the time of the Hippie or
Flower Power movement and many parents gave
non-traditional names during this time.

3. 2. Why doesn’t Ponyboy like
referring to Soda pop as a dropout?
In what way does this label fit? In
what way does it not fit?
Pony feels that the word unfairly labels Sodapop.
In a way, it fits because Sodapop has actually dropped out of
school and now works at a gas station, a low-paying job
without much of a future.
It doesn’t fit, though, because Ponyboy says that Sodapop is
smart in his own way and that he has a lot of value in their
world. He’s one of the kindest, most warm-hearted people
that Ponyboy knows.

4. 3. Using a Venn Diagram do a
compare and contrast of the
following:
What happened to Pony and what
had previously happened to Johnny
four months earlier?

5. PONYBOY
*both jumped by a
gang of Socs
*beaten up but
not badly
*rescued by
the gang
*both were alone
*both were
fearful after
*badly beaten
*unconscious when
the gang found
him
*cut up by a
Soc’s rings
*cut by a knife
JOHNNY

6. 4. During the attack, Johnny’s “T-
shirt was splattered with blood.”
What color was his T-shirt originally?
Symbolically, why do you suppose
Hinton made the T-shirt that color
instead of, say, green or black?
Johnny’s T-shirt was white, which is the color of innocence
and purity. With the attack, Johnny’s innocence was lost and
replaced by violence. Also, blood soaking into white cotton
is visually alarming, just as the boys were scared and
sickened when they found Johnny.

7. 5. An allusion is a figure of speech
that refers to a well-known story,
event, person, or object in order to
make a comparison in the readers'
minds.

8. Find an example of an allusion in
the first chapter.
P-1 Paul Newman
P-15 Pip, “Great Expectations”

9. 6. To Ponyboy, what’s the
difference between a gang and a
pack?
A gang is a group, like the Greasers, who stick
together and help each other, no matter what. A
pack is a wild, uncontrollable group of thugs, which
he equates to the Socs. He says they are like
animals, a pack of beasts.

10. 7. Ponyboy is confused about the
different treatment his friends give
toward girls they know and girls
they don’t know. Explain what he
means.
If the guys know a girl either from class or as
a friend/relative, they will be more
respectful. If the girl is a stranger, though,
they’ll be crude and disrespectful as they
check her out.

11. Give an example of how this
holds true in our world today.
This is true today, as well. Once you know
someone’s name and build a friendly relationship,
you’ll be more mindful of your manners. An example
is when we walk past students we don’t know, but
we stop and say hello or wave to the kids that we
know from class. We’re friendly and more open to
people we already know; we’re closed off to
strangers.

12. 8.When Dally brings each of the girls
a soda, what does Cherry do?
Cherry throws the soda in Dally’s face

13. What does Marcia do?
Marcia drinks the soda.

14. Which girl do you think Ponyboy
respects more? If you were one of
the girls, which move would you
make?
Ponyboy seems to respect Cherry more because she’s
brave, even if it’s foolish bravery, and she stands by
her beliefs. Dally was a pig to the girls and Cherry
follows through on exactly what she said she’d do.

15. 19. Explain why Pony is surprised
that he is getting along with
Cherry?
Ponyboy is a Greaser and Cherry is a Soc. The two
classes don’t intermingle and almost always see
each other as enemies. It is hard to believe they
have anything in common. Pony expects Cherry to
think of herself as too good for a Greaser. Plus she
is older and very pretty.

16. 10. To what is Ponyboy comparing
Two-Bit when he calls him a “chessy
cat” on page 27? What two literary
devices are being used?
1. An allusion to “Alice in Wonderland’s” Cheshire
Cat.

17. 2. A simile – Two-Bit, grinning like a Chessy cat.

18. 11. What literary device does
the author use to describe
Johnny’s mugging? (p 31-34)
A flashback.

19. 12. At the end of the chapter,
Ponyboy says that the Socs have it
so easy in life – “good grades, good
cars, good girls, madras, and
Mustangs and Corvairs – Man, I
thought, if I had worries like that
I’d consider myself lucky. I know
better now.”

20. a) How is Ponyboy’s opinion
hypocritical, given his earlier stance
about Sodapop being labeled a
“dropout?”
In the first part of the quote, Ponyboy is being
hypocritical (acting in a way that suggests one has
higher standards or more noble beliefs) because he
hates people who label and make snap judgments
based on outward appearances, yet he’s doing the
exact same thing to the Soc kids.

21. b) Look at the last four words,
“I know better now” which
foreshadow an eventual change in
Ponyboy’s thinking.
In the last four words, Ponyboy seems to have changed his
mind and realized that Socs have troubles, too. You will
likely guess that Ponyboy will get to know some of these
kids, like Cherry, and realize that their lives also have
problems.

22. Give at least two guesses of the
kinds of problems these
wealthier kids might have.
Their parents might have unrealistically high
expectations of them.
They might be the victims of peer pressure.

23. VOCABULARY

24. Page 22 - roguishly
(adjective) playfully mischievous, acting rascally

25. Page 24 - incredulous
(adjective) disbelieving, doubtful

26. Page 25 - nonchalantly
(adjective) cooly unconcerned, indifferent,
unexcited, casual

27. Page 28 - Shanghaiing
(verb) to enroll or obtain (a sailor) for the crew of a
ship by unscrupulous means, as by force or the use
of liquor or drugs

28. CHARACTERS

29. PONYBOY
CURTIS
14 years old
Youngest
Curtis brother,
orphan
Light-brown,
almost red, longer
hair
Skipped a grade,
smart, good at
school
Greenish-gray
eyes
Likes reading,
drawing,
watching
movies
Best friends
with Johnny

30. SODAPOP
CURTIS
16 years old
Middle Curtis
brother,
orphan
Dark gold hair
Dark brown eyes
Tall and slim
Movie star handsome
Dropped out of
school, works at
a DX gas station
Rides horses
and drag races
Doesn’t drink
Best friends
with Steve
Has a girlfriend
named Sandy

31. DARRYL
“Darry”
CURTIS
20 years old
Oldest Curtis
brother,
orphan
Dark brown hair with
a cowlick, cold
green-blue eyes,
6’2” height,
muscular
Works 2 jobs, one
as a roofer
Smart, won an
athletic
scholarship
Played
football, skis,
athletic
Didn’t go to
college so he
could look after
his younger
brothers
Expects a lot
from Ponyboy

32. STEVE
RANDALL
17 years old
Knows everything
there is to know
about cars:
driving, stealing,
fixing
Thick greasy hair,
combed in
complicated swirls,
tall and lean
Smart and
cocky
Thinks
Ponyboy is a
tag along kid
Works at the DX
gas station with
his best friend
Soda
Needs to
blow off
steam
Has a girlfriend
named Evie

33. TWO-BIT
MATTHEWS
18 years old
Rusty coloured
sideburns, gray eyes,
6 feet tall, stocky
build
Likes joking
around, likes to
have the last
word
Is still a Junior
(grade 11) in
high school
Shoplifted his
prized possession a
black-handled
switchblade
Real name is
Keith
Drinks a lot
Smarts off to
the cops

34. DALLAS
“Dally”
WINSTON
18 years old
From New York,
has been in jail
White blond hair
(no oil), blue eyes,
elfish face
Tough, mean,
fearless
Dangerous,
Hates the Socs
Fights, beats up
little kids, drinks,
smokes
Has a rough
background
(has seen a lot
of violence)
Had a
girlfriend
Sylvia

35. JOHNNY
CADE
16 years old
Was beaten up by
the Socs, has a
scar on his face
Black eyes,
dark tanned skin,
jet-black hair
(with bangs),
small for this age
Nervous,
jittery, brave
Very quiet,
smokes, carries
a switchblade
Is the gang’s pet,
Idolizes Dally.
Pony’s best friend
Has a rough home
life, abused at home
(dad beats him, mom
yells at him
Likes football

36. SHERRI
“Cherry”
VALANCE
16 or 17 years old
Is a Soc
Long red hair,
very pretty
Doesn’t like
drunks
Is a cheerleader
and barrel
races
Brave, stands up
for herself
Has a boyfriend
named Bob
Has a friend
named Marcia