The Outsiders Chapter One

Questions and Answers
Grade 9 ELA

1. THE OUTSIDERS CHAPTER ONE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS November 2018 Miss Riddell

2. 1. Which character?

3. 1. “He has big black eyes and a dark tanned face…” Johnny Cade

4. 2."Leave my kid brother alone, you hear?" (Who's talking?) Sodapop Curtis

5. 3. "He gets drunk on plain living..." Sodapop Curtis

6. 4. "He would've run away a million times if we hadn't been there." Johnny Cade

7. 5. "He would be real handsome if his eyes weren't so cold." Darryl (Darry) Curtis

8. 6. "I liked ________ only because he was Soda's best friend." Steve Randall

9. 7. Thinks Pony is a tag-along and a kid... Steve Randall

10. 8. Got out of the "cooler" early for "good behavior" Dallas (Dally ) Winston

11. 9. Scared of his own shadow... Johnny Cade

12. 10. Always has to have the last word... Two-bit Matthews

13. 11. "understands everybody" Sodapop Curtis

14. 12. Has a car. Two-bit Matthews

15. 2. True or false? And why? Pony says that the Greasers sometimes deserve the treatment they get from other people. True – they steal and cause trouble False – they can’t control the fact they are poor

16. 3. Which quote is the reason Pony gives for the behaviour of Soda and Steve? “too much feeling with no way to blow it off”

17. 4. Describe Sodapop , Darry and Ponyboy’s home life? Darry and Soda work full-time . Darry is the father figure and head of household. They are allowed to stay together so long as they stay out of trouble. Their parents were killed in a car crash. There is a lot of visiting from the gang. Darry has strict rules for Ponyboy and less for Soda, but he is the ruler of the house.

18. 5. Using the stereotype of a “Greaser”, make a web of a “typical” member of the Greasers.

19. GREASERS Wear their hair longer and use hair oil. Wear t-shirts, jeans, leather or jean jackets, boots or tennis shoes. Drive souped up cars. Have rumbles (gang fights), steal, sneak into movies. Belong to a gang. Girls wear lots of make-up and short, tight skirts. Swear. Some drink or do drugs. Come from the poorer side of town.

20. 6. What makes Ponyboy different from the rest of his Greaser crew? Ponyboy is younger, only 14, and not really a full member of the gang. He is book smart, gets good grades, and is a deep thinker. He prefers to go to movies alone so he can fully escape into the film and think about it. He enjoys drawing and writing stories.

21. Why are these good traits for a narrator to have? For a narrator, you want someone, like Ponyboy , who is innocent and open-minded. Ponyboy isn’t jaded yet, so he can still see/believe in a time when fighting between the social classes will end. It’s also good to have a smart narrator, a thinker, so we can hear all of his deep thoughts about this world.

22. 7. Use the stereotype of a “ Soc ” (Social), make a web of a “typical” member of the Socs .

23. SOCS They are in trouble with the law one day and praised the next. Dress preppy in madras shirts/jackets, khaki pants and loafers. Drive expensive cars. Corvairs and Mustangs. They fight and jump people. Go out in groups. Girls wear less make-up and dress more modestly. Some drink. Come from the richer side of town. Socially elite.

24. 7. Explain the difference between “tuff” and “tough”. Tuff = cool, sharp Tough = rough

25. 8. Vocabulary

26. Madras (page 5) ( noun) a strong, fine-textured cotton fabric, typically patterned with colorful stripes or checks

27. (page 6) cowlick (noun) a lock of hair that grows in a direction different from the rest and that resists being combed flat

28. (page 10) unfathomable (adjective) incapable of being fully explored or understood

29. (page 17) savvy (verb) know or understand

30. 9. How do Ponyboy’s relationships with Sodapop and Darry differ? Explain. Ponyboy is closer with Soda because Soda is kind, funny, and easy-going. Pony is also closer in age to Soda and they share a bedroom. Ponyboy feels like Darry is always disappointed or irritated by him. Darry is the oldest and is under a lot of stress. He often snaps at Pony, making Pony feel like Darry doesn’t love him. This isn’t true of course.

31. 10. What has Johnny learned from the gang that he couldn’t learn from his parents? What’s the irony in this? Johnny’s parents are abusive and don’t take care of him. The gang cares for him and teach him about love and affection. It is ironic because the public sees the “Greasers” as public menaces but the group is the exact opposite. Instead of promoting hate the gang provides love and acceptance for each other.

32. 11. As they are falling asleep, how does Pony react to what Soda tells him about Darry? He pretends to agree with Sodapop and understand that Darry is tough on him out of love, but he doesn’t really agree or understand. He doubts Darry’s love but he keeps that to himself.

33. 13. Do you think Darry loves Ponyboy ? Why does he treat Pony the way he does? Yes, Darry definitely loves Pony but he’s exhausted from working two jobs and he’s stressed. Sometimes parents (or parental figures) use tough love to try and protect and help the ones they love. And, sometimes, those parents get tired and frustrated. Darry isn’t soft and warm, but he does love his brothers. If he didn’t love them he wouldn’t work so hard and hassle them like he does.

34. 14. At the end of the chapter, Ponyboy says, “I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” Explain what he means. In this scene, Ponyboy is telling himself that he won’t love his older brother, Darry, anymore, but he also knows this is a lie. Of course, he’ll always love his brother even if they may not always get along.

35. In what ways is this idea true for you, as well? Everyone lies to themselves while being aware of what we’re really doing. If you make a promise to get better grades, but deep-down you know you won’t change your actual behaviours to make this happen, that’s an example of what Pony is talking about. We also lie to ourselves when we choose to believe something that we know isn’t true just to make our lives easier in the short-term. We call this denial and it is a classic defense mechanism.