Discussion+Questions

= Click on the empty box next to "answer" to add your answers to the following discussion questions. Be sure to put answers in complete sentences. Always support your answers with events, scenes, quotes, etc. from the novel. Answers should be typed in a legible dark color other than purple. DO NOT erase they purple text! = = =
 * ** Discussion Questions from “The Outsiders” ** ||
 * === 1. === || === What does Ponyboy mean on page 8 when he says, “I lie to myself all the time?” How is this demonstrated by this character throughout the novel? Provide specific examples from the text. === ||
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 * === 2. === || === What do you think Cherry meant when she told Ponyboy that life is rough all over? Support your answer with evidence from the novel. === ||
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 * === 3. === || === How had life been unfair to the Greasers? Give examples from the novel to support your answers. === ||
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 * === 4. === || === What do you think of the friendships between the Greasers? Be specific in your answers. === ||
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 * === 5. === || === Could the story that the author wrote about happen in any town? Why or why not? Could this realistically happen here? Why or why not? === ||
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 * === 6. === || === Do you think Ponyboy and his brothers would still be greasers if their parents were alive? === ||
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 * === 7. === || === After the church fire, what side of Dally does the reader get to see? Be specific. Did your opinion of Dally change? Why or why not? === ||
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 * === 8. === || === What draws Cherry to the Greasers? Why is she with Bob and why does she then say she could fall in love with Dally? Be specific and use details to support your answers. === ||
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 * === 9. === || === What does Pony mean when he says, “I was supposed to be the deep one” (pg. 75)? === ||
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 * === 10. === || === Why does Johnny think Dally is a hero (pg. 76)? Do you think Dally is a hero based on what he did? Why or why not? === ||
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 * === 11. === || === Do you think Dally’s parents have influenced the way he is – his personality? Explain and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 12. === || === What is your definition of a hero? During the events of the fire, do you feel Dally, Johnny and Pony are heroes? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 13. === || === Why do you think Johnny wasn’t scared in the fire despite the obvious danger (pg. 92)? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 14. === || === Why do you think being crippled would have been worse for Johnny than someone else? Explain. === ||
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 * === 15. === || === What does Ponyboy mean on page 104 when he says, “Maybe people are younger when they are asleep?” Explain your answer fully. === ||
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 * === 16. === || === Why did Pony think it was better to see socs as “just guys” on page 118? What does he mean by this? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 17. === || === How does the following quote from page 122 apply to each of the boy’s lives? What did they learn and what might they have liked to learn? Support your answers with examples from the novel. ===
 * === 12. === || === What is your definition of a hero? During the events of the fire, do you feel Dally, Johnny and Pony are heroes? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 13. === || === Why do you think Johnny wasn’t scared in the fire despite the obvious danger (pg. 92)? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 14. === || === Why do you think being crippled would have been worse for Johnny than someone else? Explain. === ||
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 * === 15. === || === What does Ponyboy mean on page 104 when he says, “Maybe people are younger when they are asleep?” Explain your answer fully. === ||
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 * === 16. === || === Why did Pony think it was better to see socs as “just guys” on page 118? What does he mean by this? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 17. === || === How does the following quote from page 122 apply to each of the boy’s lives? What did they learn and what might they have liked to learn? Support your answers with examples from the novel. ===
 * === 16. === || === Why did Pony think it was better to see socs as “just guys” on page 118? What does he mean by this? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 17. === || === How does the following quote from page 122 apply to each of the boy’s lives? What did they learn and what might they have liked to learn? Support your answers with examples from the novel. ===
 * === 17. === || === How does the following quote from page 122 apply to each of the boy’s lives? What did they learn and what might they have liked to learn? Support your answers with examples from the novel. ===
 * === 17. === || === How does the following quote from page 122 apply to each of the boy’s lives? What did they learn and what might they have liked to learn? Support your answers with examples from the novel. ===

“Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn.”
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 * === 18. === || === How did expectations (from society, friends, family, etc. ) play a role in the lives of the Socs and Greasers. Use examples from the novel to support your answers. === ||
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 * === 19. === || === What does Ponyboy mean when he says, “We needed Johnny as much as he needed the gang. And for the same reason” (page 121)? What is the reason? === ||
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 * === 20. === || === On page 123, Ponyboy says “we could get along without anyone but Johnny.” What does he man by this? === ||
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 * === 21. === || === What do you think Johnny’s last words to Ponyboy mean? Explain your answer. === ||
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 * === 22. === || === Why do you think Johnny refuses to see his mother? Do you think this was the right decision? Why or why not? === ||
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 * === 23. === || === In chapter 9, why did Dally want Ponyboy to be tough and hard like him rather than like Johnny? Do you think Dally believes his own advice? Why or why not? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 24. === || === What did Johnny mean when he told Ponyboy to “stay gold?” Support and explain your answer. === ||
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 * === 25. === || === Why was Johnny dying so difficult for Dally to handle? Explain and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 26. === || === Why did Ponyboy believe the other Greasers would end up like Dally? Explain and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 27. === || === What do you think made Ponyboy so ill? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 28. === || === Explain Ponyboy’s statement, “I’d rather have anybody’s hate than their pity.” Support your answer with details you know about this character. === ||
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 * === 29. === || === Why do you think Ponyboy insists that Johnny did not kill Bob? Explain and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 30. === || === What did the message that Johnny sent to Ponyboy in the book mean? What does it tell us about Johnny? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 31. === || === Why doesn’t Ponyboy feel scared when the Socs approach him and he threatens them with a broken bottle (pages 170-171)? How is this a dramatic change in Ponyboy? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 32. === || === What does Darry mean when he says, “you don’t just stop living because you lose someone?” (page 178). Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 33. === || === Why is this novel called The Outsiders? Who is the biggest Outsider of them all and why? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 34. === || === Compare and contrast Johnny and Dally. What roles do they play in the novel? What roles do they play in Ponyboy’s life? Use examples to support your answers. === ||
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 * === 35. === || === Discuss Ponyboy’s evolving perception of the Socs. How does his opinion of them at the end of the novel differ from his opinion at the beginning? Be specific and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 36. === || === How is “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” The Robert Frost poem that Ponyboy recites to Johnny at the church, relevant to Ponyboy and Johnny’s story? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 37. === || === What draws Cherry to the Greasers? Why is she with Bob? Why does she say she could fall in love with Dally? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 38. === || === Compare and contrast the Curtis brothers (Darry, Soda and Pony). How does their relationship change over the course of the novel? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 39. === || === Would you consider Dally to be a victim of society? Why or why not? === ||
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 * === 40. === || === Three boys died in this book. Ponyboy was only close to one of them, but all of their deaths had a strong effect on him. Why do you think that is? Explain your answer and support it with details. === ||
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 * === 41. === || === How is suspense created in chapter 6? Explain why this was suspenseful. === ||
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 * === 42. === || === How is suspense created in chapter 8? Explain why this was suspenseful. === ||
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 * === 43. === || === Do the characters in The Outsiders seem “real?” Why or why not? How does Hinton make them believable? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 44. === || === Was the opening scene of the novel effective enough to draw you into the story? Why? Explain and support your answer. How did the author keep you interested in the novel? === ||
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 * === 45. === || === Why is Dally Johnny’s hero, but not Ponyboy’s? Explain and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 46. === || === What would be a good chapter title for chapter 9? === ||
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 * === 47. === || === Why did Randy and Cherry support Ponyboy and Johnny when they testified in court? === ||
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 * === 48. === || === What do you feel the most important lessons Ponyboy learned were? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 49. === || === S.E. Hinton makes use of foreshadowing throughout the Outsiders. What are some specific instances in which she used this technique in the novel? How does this add to the suspense of the novel? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 50. === || === Do you think Ponyboy will be alright in the end? Why or why not? What do you think his future holds? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 51. === || === How does Randy change from the time we first met him to the end of the novel? Support your answers. What lessons did he learn from his experiences? Explain. === ||
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 * === 52. === || === The tagline for the movie starts like this: "They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong." Based on the novel, do you agree? If not, why? If so, what do they want to belong to? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 53. === || === This novel contains a lot of violence and the author discusses the reasons various characters fight. Is violence every justified? Why or why not? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 54. === || === Compare the characters Bob and Dally. Use examples from the novel to demonstrate their similarities and differences. Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 55. === || === In what way is The Outsiders a call to action? Do you think it tells us anything about our society? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 43. === || === Do the characters in The Outsiders seem “real?” Why or why not? How does Hinton make them believable? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 44. === || === Was the opening scene of the novel effective enough to draw you into the story? Why? Explain and support your answer. How did the author keep you interested in the novel? === ||
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 * === 45. === || === Why is Dally Johnny’s hero, but not Ponyboy’s? Explain and support your answer. === ||
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 * === 46. === || === What would be a good chapter title for chapter 9? === ||
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 * === 47. === || === Why did Randy and Cherry support Ponyboy and Johnny when they testified in court? === ||
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 * === 48. === || === What do you feel the most important lessons Ponyboy learned were? Support your answer. === ||
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 * === 49. === || === S.E. Hinton makes use of foreshadowing throughout the Outsiders. What are some specific instances in which she used this technique in the novel? How does this add to the suspense of the novel? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 50. === || === Do you think Ponyboy will be alright in the end? Why or why not? What do you think his future holds? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 51. === || === How does Randy change from the time we first met him to the end of the novel? Support your answers. What lessons did he learn from his experiences? Explain. === ||
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 * === 52. === || === The tagline for the movie starts like this: "They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong." Based on the novel, do you agree? If not, why? If so, what do they want to belong to? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 53. === || === This novel contains a lot of violence and the author discusses the reasons various characters fight. Is violence every justified? Why or why not? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 54. === || === Compare the characters Bob and Dally. Use examples from the novel to demonstrate their similarities and differences. Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 55. === || === In what way is The Outsiders a call to action? Do you think it tells us anything about our society? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 52. === || === The tagline for the movie starts like this: "They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong." Based on the novel, do you agree? If not, why? If so, what do they want to belong to? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 53. === || === This novel contains a lot of violence and the author discusses the reasons various characters fight. Is violence every justified? Why or why not? Explain and support your answers. === ||
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 * === 54. === || === Compare the characters Bob and Dally. Use examples from the novel to demonstrate their similarities and differences. Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 55. === || === In what way is The Outsiders a call to action? Do you think it tells us anything about our society? Support your answers. === ||
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 * === 55. === || === In what way is The Outsiders a call to action? Do you think it tells us anything about our society? Support your answers. === ||
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