The Outsiders Chapter 5

Vocabulary: Find the meaning for the following words and write one paragraph that uses all 6 words correctly.

reluctantly- Unwilling or resistant

sullen- Gloomy, silent, dismal, mourning

eluded- To escape the understanding

imploringly- To urgently beg for aid or mercy

gallant- Brave and/or noble minded

indignant- Expressing a strong displeasure at something that is unjust, offensive or insulting

The gallant policeman arrested a burglar who tried to escape. He pretended to act as if the reason as to why he was being arrested eluded him but nobody believed him. The burglar was reluctant but was soon imploring to the cop. The cop was indignant to this and soon the burglar was in jail with a sullen expression.

1. Why does Pony have a problem with Johnny's idea to disguise themselves?
Ponyboy has a problem with Johnny's idea of disguising themselves because they will both have to cut their hair. Ponyboy didn't like this idea because he would have to cut his hair that took him a long time to grow and them bleach it blond so they could not fit the descriptions.

2. What does Pony mean when he says, "I was supposed to be the deep one"?
When Ponyboy says that he was suppose to be the deep one in the group he means that he usually understood meanings of things deeper than what some other people would think they meant.

3. Why does Johnny think he is a hero? Do you think Dally is a hero based on what he did?
Johnny thinks that Dally is a hero because he will take the blame for things that he did not do. Like the time that he was blamed for braking the schools windows and he knew it was Two- Bit but he took the blame for it anyway. Yes. I think Dally is a hero because he took the blame for something someone else did and never complained about it or turned in his friend. That is a hero. He stuck up for his best friend.

4. Why does Pony realize he doesn't like Dally? Can you explain what he means by this?
Ponyboy realizes that he doesn't like Dally because he didn't have Soda's understanding or dash, or Two-Bit's humor, or even Darry's superman qualities. He means that Dally didn't care about what happened to himself, he almost had no feelings and that's what scared Ponyboy.

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?
I think that the Poem is saying that whatever is good and pure on the earth can never stay. Like Ponyboy and Johnny. Everyone thought that they were the nicest greasers or the group and that they would get somewhere in life, but Johnny died because he save children's lives. He was part of mother natures gold. That's why the Poem says that nothing gold can stay.

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?
I am most like my father. I have his height and some of his facial features. But i do have my mom's eyes.

7. What does Pony mean when he says he drinks Pepsi's like a fiend?
When Ponyboy says that he drinks Pepsi like a fiend he means that he is addicted to it and can't stop drinking it. He loves it that much.

8. What's a 'heater'? Why does Dally have one?
A heater is a gun. Dally has one just in case he gets into a rumble and and needs to make a bluff if it becomes and unfair fight.

9. Why are the socs and the greasers going to fight in the vacant lot?
The Socs and greasers are going to fight in the vacant lot because each group is fighting for someone how died in their group. The fight will go on until one group flees or gives up.

10. Who's the spy for the greasers? Does this surprise you? Why or why not?
The spy for the greasers is Cherry Valance. This does not surprise me because I think that she felt bed that Ponyboy and Johnny got jumped and she wanted to help and make it up to them because it was her boyfriend who got stabbed.

The Outsiders Chapter 4

Vocabulary: Find the meaning for the following words in this chapter and write one paragraph that uses all 3 words correctly.

ruefully- Showing feeling, or expressing sorrow or pity

hermit- A person living seclusion or alone

premonition - A feeling or anxiety over a future event

The young hermit had a rueful expression on his face about the premonition he had earlier that day.

1. What does Pony mean when he says the socs were "reeling pickled" on page 54?
When Ponyboy says that the socs were "reeling pickled" he means that they were drunk and ready to fight.

2. What major event happens in this chapter?
The major event that happens in this chapter is that Ponyboy and Johnny get jumped by five socs and they begin to drown Ponyboy. In self defence Johnny pulled out his switchblade and stabbed the soc until he died.

3. How did the author foreshadow that Johnny would use his knife in Chapter 2?
The author foreshadowed that johnny would use his knife in the second chapter when Ponyboy says that "Johnny hasn't had to use his switchblade yet but he would if he had to. Nobody was going to jump him again, not over his dead body"

4. What would your advice be to Johnny and Ponyboy if they'd come to you for help instead of Dally? Explain.
I would tell them that if they did get caught by the police that they should tell the truth about what happened to the police and tell them that Johnny stabbed him in his own self defence. I would tell them this because if they were to avoid the law they could get charged for more then they should be charged for.

The Outsiders Chapter 3

Vocabulary - Find the meaning for the following words in this chapter and write one paragraph that uses all 4 words correctly:

aloof - Distant, Fake. never meaning what they say

impersonally- Without emotion or character traits

ornery- Unpleasant, Bad tempered or stubborn

resignedly- Submissive, gives in to a situation

The girls' sister was very ornery one day and was very aloof from her family. She seemed very impersonally and her parents eventually resigned and just said that she was having a bad day.

1. What does Cherry explain as the difference between the socs and the greasers?
Cherry explained that only part of the difference between Greasers and Socs is the money but not all of it. Part of it is because of the different sets of values and emotions. She explained that the Greasers were more emotional and the Socs were more sophisticated and had no emotion. That is the difference between Greasers and Socs.

2. What does Ponyboy mean on p. 39 when he says "Johnny and I understood each other without saying anything"? Have you ever had a relationship with someone who you understood, or who understood you, without having to say anything?
When Ponyboy says that the Johnny and him understood each other without saying anything he meant that him and Johnny

3. When and how did Pony's parents die?
Ponyboys parents died in a terrible car accident eight months before this story takes place.

4. What happens when Pony comes home after his curfew?
When Ponyboy come home after his curfew he finds Darry sitting on the chair reading the paper and Soda asleep on the couch. When he walks in the door Darry jumps out of his chair and begins to yell at Ponyboy about coming home late and that they were worried something happened to him. Ponyboy tried to explain that Johnny and him had fallen asleep in the vacant lot. Darry didn't want to hear what he had to say and Soda was trying to stand up for Ponyboy. This is when Darry really got mad and told Soda to stop telling him how to raise his little brother. Ponyboy has gotten mad now and when he tells Darry not to yell at Soda. Darry has had enough and he turns around and hits Ponyboy hard in the face. Everything went quiet and that's when Ponyboy had had enough of Darry's complaints about him and he ran out the door and ran away.

5. Why does Johnny like it better when his father is hitting him?
Johnny says that he likes it better when his father is hitting him because he says that at least his father knows who he is and that he exists.

6. At the end of the chapter, how does the author foreshadow that bad things are to come?
At the end of this chapter the author foreshadows that bad things are to come by writing Ponyboy saying that things can't get any worse. But he was wrong.

The Outsiders Chapter 2

Chapter Two
Vocabulary - Find the meaning for the following words in this chapter and write one paragraph that uses all 3 words correctly:
incredulous - To express ones disbelief in an others actions.

vaguely - Unclear, not thought through completely.

nonchalantly- Unconcerned, casually, coolly.

When the boy broke into the gas station, he did it nonchalantly and vaguely thought of what he was doing or what the consequences might be. When he told me about what had happened I was incredulous to what he did.

1. Who is the fuzz?
When Ponyboy begins to talk about the "fuzz" he means the cops or police.

2. Are the names Ponyboy and Sodapop nicknames? Explain.
No. The names Ponyboy and Sodapop are not nicknames but their real names from birth. Their father was an original person and did not want names that were commonly used. These names are real and are found on their birth certificate.


3. Who are Cherry and Marcia?
Cherry and Marcia are two wealthy girls who live on the west- side. Johnny and Ponyboy met them at the movies when Dally began to bother them. Johnny told Dally to back off and the girls began to talk to them.

4. Why doesn't Ponyboy like referring to Sodapop as a dropout?
Ponyboy doesn't like to refer to Sodapop as a dropout because it made him think of some poor dumb-looking hoodlum breaking out street light. He thought it did not suit his happy go lucky brother at all.

5. What is Ponyboy comparing Two-Bit to when he calls him a "chessy cat" on page 27? What figure of speech is this besides a simile?
When Ponyboy calls Two-Bit a "chessy cat" he is just saying that he is smiling wildly or has a big grin on his face because he scared Ponyboy and Johnny.

6. What is "a weed" slang for in 1967?
In 1967 a weed is slang for a smoke or a cigarette. In the book the greasers use it to calm their nerves, restore colour to their faces after a scare or just to look cool.

7. Why does Dally look sick now?
Dally looked sick after he saw how badly Johnny had gotten beaten up after he was jumped by five Socs. Although Dally had seen people get beaten up murdered and mugged in the streets of New York City he looked sick now because Johnny was just like the gangs pet and he was the only thing that Dally cared about. This is why Dally looked so sick when he saw that, Johnny had gotten beaten up so badly.

8. What literary device does the author use to describe Johnny's mugging?
The literary device that the author uses in this chapter is characterization and context.

The Outsiders Chapter 1

1. Describe each of the characters in this chapter and their relationship with one another.
Ponyboy- youngest brother of Sodapop and Darry, light brown, almost red hair,greenish grey eyes, fourteen years old.
Sodapop- High school dropout, Ponyboy's and Darrys brother, handsome, dark gold hair, dark brown eyes,
Darrel (Darry)- Soda's and Ponyboys brother, oldest brother, muscular, dark brown hair, tough cool and smart.
Dallas Winston (Dally)- Elfish face, high cheek bones, icy blue eyes, arrested at ten years old, tough, cold and mean.
Steve Randal- Sodas best friend, helps run gas station with soda, seventeen, tall, lean, cocky and smart.
Keith (Two-Bit Mathews)- Shoplifts, always has to put his two-bits worth in.
Johnny Cade- Shy, beaten by his parents, big eyes dark tanned face and jet black hair.

2. Who are the Socs? Who are the Greasers?
the Socs are a group of rich kids who live on the West-side. They jump the greasers for fun and try to hurt them just to get a laugh. The greasers are a group of kids living on the East-side or poor side of town. They steal, drive souped up cars, hold up gas station and have gang fights. But the one thing that the greasers do is stick together like a family.

3. How do Ponyboy's relationships with Darry and Sodapop differ? Explain.
Ponyboys relationship with Darry his older brother is weak. Darry works a lot and tries to take care of his brothers. He does not like it when his brothers cry because it shows that their weak and that is why Ponyboy and Darry are not close. Sodapop and Ponyboy are closer because Soda lets Ponyboy hang out with Steve and him and they get along better.

4. Why is the 'gang' important to Johnny?
The "gang" is important to Johnny because his father is always beating him and his mother ignores him or yells at him when something small happens. Johnny would have run away many times but he knew that the gang was like the family he never had.

5. How does Ponyboy react to what Sodapop tells him about Darry?
When Sodapop tells Ponyboy that Darry only treats him badly because he cares about him, Ponyboy thought that Soda was just saying that to make him feel better but somewhere inside Ponyboy knew he was right.

6. Do you think Darry loves Ponyboy? Why does he treat Ponyboy the way he does? Yes. I think that Darry loves Ponyboy. He is only a little tougher on him because he wants him to have a good life. Darry does not want Ponyboy to become a dropout like his brother and wants him to be able to grow up and have a normal life without getting in trouble with the law.

7. What does Ponyboy mean on page 8 when he says, "I lie to myself all the time"? Do you ever lie to yourself? Why?
When Ponyboy says that he lies to himself all the time he means that he tries to make something better even in a bad situation or he tells himself something is OK when its not. No. I do not lie to myself because after a long time of doing so you begin to believe in your own lies.