Name: _____________________ Block:_______ Date: _____________
The Outsiders: Check for Understanding
Characterization Questions:
1.
Soda always makes sure that Ponyboy is safe. What character trait would best describe
Soda?
a.
b.
c.
d.
2.
Ponyboy gets good grades in school and has a high IQ. What character trait would best
describe Ponyboy?
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
Dead beat
athletic
nervous
responsible
“I could see [Johnny] was trembling. He was never so jumpy.” What character trait
would best describe Johnny?
a.
b.
c.
d.
5.
confident
quick-witted
dangerous
intelligent
Darry’s main concern is to make sure his family stays together and out of trouble. He
works two jobs so they have enough money to survive. What character trait would best
describe Darry?
a.
b.
c.
d.
4.
protective
mean
uninterested
friendly
confident
talkative
nervous
protective
The following passage best described which character?
“He had been a real popular guy in school; he was captain of the football team and he had been voted Boy
of the Year. But we just didn’t have the money for him to go to college, even with the athletic
scholarship he won. And now he didn’t have time between jobs to even think about college’”
a.
b.
c.
d.
Dallas Winston
Darry Curtis
Steve Randle
Two-Bit Matthews
6.
Which character has movie-star good looks?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Sodapop
Two-Bit
Darry
Cherry
Compare and Contrast Questions:
7.
When Ponyboy describes the characters in the story, he focuses on their
a.
b.
c.
d.
8.
Which of the following represents the Socs?
a.
b.
c.
d.
9.
money
popularity
emotions
athletic ability
Which group is more like a family than a gang?
a.
b.
c.
d.
11.
Mustangs or Corvairs
jeans
long, greasy hair
leather jackets
Cherry Valance believes that the REAL difference between the Greasers and the Socs is
which of the following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
10.
names
eyes
hair
age
Socs
Greasers
Both
Neither
Which of the following activities frightens Ponyboy the most?
a.
b.
c.
d.
drinking alcohol
being jumped by a Soc
going to school
going to the drive-in movies
Conflict Questions – identify the correct conflict for each of the following:
12.
Johnny tries to look tough in front of the Socs, but there is panic in his eyes and he is
white with fear.
a.
b.
c.
d.
13.
vs. Nature
vs. Man
vs. Supernatural
vs. Society
Man
Man
Man
Man
vs. Himself
vs. Society
vs. Fate
vs. Technology
The Greasers are poor and have all of the rough breaks, while the Socs enjoy a wealthy,
easy life.
a.
b.
c.
d.
16.
Man
Man
Man
Man
The violence between the Socs and the Greasers is so intense, it is inevitable that
someone is killed.
a.
b.
c.
d.
15.
vs. Man
vs. Himself
vs. Nature
vs. Fate
Pony and Johnny struggle as they climb their way up the steep hill to the church.
a.
b.
c.
d.
14.
Man
Man
Man
Man
Man
Man
Man
Man
vs. Nature
vs. Society
vs. Himself
vs. Fate
Darry slaps Ponyboy when they argue about Ponyboy being late.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Man
Man
Man
Man
vs. Man
vs. Himself
vs. Fate
vs. Society
Cause and Effect Questions:
17.
In order to avoid a fight between the Socs and some of the Greasers as they walk home
from the movies,
a.
b.
c.
d.
Darry comes and picks the boys up to take them home safely.
Dally walks home with them.
Cherry agrees to ride home with Bob and the other Socs.
the police separate the two groups.
18.
Because Darry hits Ponyboy when he comes home late,
a.
b.
c.
d.
19.
locks himself in his room and won’t come out.
and Sodapop are taken away from him.
finds Cherry Valance to talk to her.
and Johnny go to the park and are alone when the Socs are looking for
After Johnny was jumped by a group of Socs,
a.
b.
c.
d.
20.
Ponyboy
Ponyboy
Ponyboy
Ponyboy
trouble.
he stayed at home.
he always carried a switchblade.
he was always looking for a fight.
he stopped being a Greaser.
Because Ponyboy falls asleep in the vacant lot,
a.
b.
c.
d.
he misses school and gets slapped by Darry.
he misses the rumble.
he is arrested.
he arrives home late and gets slapped by Darry.
Comprehension Questions:
21.
What happened to Ponyboy’s parents?
a.
b.
c.
d.
22.
divorced and he lives with him mom.
were killed in a car accident.
were killed in a boat accident.
don’t pay much attention to their sons.
What caused Ponyboy to get a bath in the park?
a.
b.
c.
d.
23.
They
They
They
They
He was dirty and decided to use the public showers.
He was attacked by the Socs and they almost drowned him in the fountain.
He was walking along the edge of the fountain and slipped.
He fell into the pond at the park.
Who kills Bob?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Ponyboy
The police
Johnny
Dally
24.
What decision does Johnny make at Dairy Queen?
a.
b.
c.
d.
25.
They police are waiting for them at the church.
The townspeople are repairing the church.
The church is on fire.
The church is just as they left it.
Even though Ponyboy lives on the East side and Cherry lives on the West side, they both
a.
b.
c.
d.
27.
return to town and turn himself into the police.
return to town and hire an attorney to represent him.
take the next train out farther west so no one will find him.
continue to hideout until it is safe to return.
What do Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally find when they return to the church?
a.
b.
c.
d.
26.
He will
He will
He will
He will
see the same sunsets.
have the same amount of money.
feel the same.
work at the same store.
“So I stood there like a bump on a log while they surrounded me. I don’t use my head.
They walked around slowly, silently, smiling.”
What literary device(s) are found in this passage?
a.
b.
c.
d.
28.
Johnny and Ponyboy left town because of the situation with Bob, however when they
returned they were considered heroes for risking their lives in the fire to save the
children. This situation is an example of
a.
b.
c.
d.
29.
Simile
Alliteration
Personification
Both A & B
Flashback
Irony
Foreshadowing
Hyperbole
“Even if they did have their own troubles. I really couldn’t see what Socs would have to
sweat about – 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.”
This passage is an example of
a. Flashback
b. Irony
c. Foreshadowing
d. Hyperbole
30.
Ponyboy and Johnny killed time at the church by reading
a.
b.
c.
d.
31.
The Hobbit
Huckleberry Finn
The Outsiders
Gone with the Wind
Who kills Dally?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Darry
The police
Bob and Randy
A drunk driver
Sequencing: List the events below in order.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Dallas tells Ponyboy and Johnny to go hide in the church in Windrixville.
Johnny and Ponyboy save the kids from the burning church and return as heroes.
Ponyboy cuts and bleaches his hair.
Johnny stabs Bob because they are drowning Ponyboy in a fountain.
Johnny decides to turn himself in.
32.
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33.
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34.
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35.
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36.
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