1
Reading Road Map - The Outsiders
Use these questions to guide your reading and understanding of the novel.
Preview the questions before you begin reading each chapter.
List your responses in the space provided after each section.
Chapter 1 p. 1-18
1. What does Ponyboy think about his brother Darry? Provide text evidence to support your
answer.
2. How does Ponyboy describe his other brother, Sodapop? Provide text evidence to support your
answer.
3. Compare the Greasers to the Socs. Complete the Venn Diagram below to illustrate their
likenesses and differences.
Greasers
Both
Socs
4. Why is Johnny Cade special to his friends?
5. In what ways does Dallas Winston differ from his friends?
6. What is the author’s purpose in this chapter?
Summarize Chapter 1:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 2 p. 19-36
7. Why does Cherry Valance interest Ponyboy?
8. What does Ponyboy tell Cherry when she remarks that Johnny seems to have been “hurt bad
sometime”?
9. What does Cherry tell Ponyboy in defense of the Socs?
10. Why can’t Ponyboy accept her opinion of the Socs?
Summarize Chapter 2:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 3 p. 37-52
11. According to Cherry, what makes the Socs different from the Greasers?
12. What does the episode about Mickey Mouse tell you about Sodapop and Ponyboy?
13. Why is Darry angry when Ponyboy returns home, and how does he express his anger?
14. How does Johnny try to comfort Ponyboy when Ponyboy returns to the vacant lot?
Summarize Chapter 3:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 4 p. 53-67
15. Why do the Socs attack Ponyboy and Johnny in the park?
16. What is the result of the attack?
17. How does Dallas help Ponyboy and Johnny?
18. Describe how Ponyboy feels when he and Johnny reach the church on Jay Mountain?
Summarize Chapter 4:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 5 p. 68-85
19. How do Ponyboy and Johnny pass the time while hiding in the church?
20. What does Ponyboy think of the poem he recites to Johnny at sunrise? What does Johnny
think of it?
21. What news from home does Dally bring to his friends at the church?
Summarize Chapter 5:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 6 p. 85-99
22. Why does Johnny decide to turn himself in to the police?
23. What do Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally do when they discover that the church is on fire?
24. What discovery does Ponyboy make about Darry when his brothers arrive at the hospital?
25. Why does Jerry Wood’s treatment of Ponyboy surprise Ponyboy?
Summarize Chapter 6:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 7 p. 100-118
26. What do the newspapers report about the fire and the three Greasers who were on the scene?
27. Why is Darry concerned about Ponyboy’s dreams?
28. What is Randy’s reaction to the reports about the fire?
29. How does Ponyboy react to Randy’s explanation?
Summarize Chapter 7:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 8 p. 119-130
30. What is Johnny’s reaction to being so ill?
31. What is Dally’s reaction to the news about Johnny’s condition?
32. Why is Ponyboy rude to Cherry?
Summarize Chapter 8:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 9 p. 131-149
33. What different attitudes do Soda, Steve, Darry, and Ponyboy have about the rumble before it
begins?
34. What advice does Dallas give Ponyboy on the way to the hospital?
35. What advice does Johnny give Ponyboy? What do you think he means?
Summarize Chapter 9:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapters 10-11 p. 150-166
36. After Dallas confronts the police at the vacant lot, why does Ponyboy say, “I knew that was
what Dallas wanted”?
37. Why doesn’t Ponyboy want to think about Dallas or Johnny?
38. How does looking at an old school yearbook affect Ponyboy?
39. In their conversation, what worries do Randy and Ponyboy confess to each other?
40. Why does Ponyboy insist that Johnny is not dead?
Summarize Chapter 10:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Summarize Chapter 11:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…
Chapter 12 p. 167-180
41. What is the outcome of the hearing?
42. Why does Two-Bit tell Ponyboy, “You’re not like the rest of us, and don’t try to be”?
43. What does Ponyboy realize about his past relationship with Sodapop?
44. How does Johnny’s note help change Ponyboy’s attitude toward himself, his future, and his
friends?
45. Suppose the story had been told from a different character’s point-of-view. Select one of the
other characters and explain how the story would have changed if told from his or her
perspective.
Summarize Chapter 12:
The chapter began when…
What happened next was…
The chapter ended when…