The Outsiders, Chapter 11 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What is Ponyboy recovering from at the beginning of Chapter 11?

   • Correct answer: A concussion and illness
   • A stab wound from a Soc
   • Burns from the church fire
   • A broken arm from the rumble

   Ponyboy is confined to bed recovering from a concussion he sustained and the illness that followed the rumble.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. Whose photograph does Ponyboy find in a yearbook?

   • Cherry Valance
   • Johnny Cade
   • Dallas Winston
   • Correct answer: Bob Sheldon

   Ponyboy comes across Bob Sheldon's yearbook photo and is struck by seeing Bob as a real, human person.

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. How does Ponyboy describe Bob after looking at his photo?

   • Mean, ugly, and heartless
   • Correct answer: Cocky, quick to anger, and scared
   • Quiet, studious, and kind
   • Wealthy, popular, and carefree

   Ponyboy decides that Bob was cocky and quick to anger but also scared underneath, showing his growing empathy.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Randy Adderson visit Ponyboy?

   • To apologize for the Socs' behavior
   • To threaten Ponyboy before the hearing
   • Correct answer: To discuss the upcoming court hearing
   • To bring Ponyboy his homework

   Randy visits to discuss the upcoming court hearing about Bob's death and to encourage Ponyboy to tell the truth.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What false claim does Ponyboy make to Randy about Bob's death?

   • Correct answer: That he (Ponyboy) killed Bob
   • That the Socs killed Bob themselves
   • That Dally killed Bob
   • That Bob died in an accident

   In a state of denial, Ponyboy insists that he himself was the one who killed Bob, not Johnny.

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. What does Ponyboy claim about Johnny when talking to Randy?

   • That Johnny has moved away
   • That Johnny was a hero
   • Correct answer: That Johnny is not dead
   • That Johnny was a coward

   Ponyboy is in deep denial and insists that Johnny is not dead, refusing to accept reality.

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. How does Darry handle the situation during Randy's visit?

   • He yells at Ponyboy for lying
   • Correct answer: He gently asks Randy to leave
   • He calls the doctor immediately
   • He argues with Randy about the hearing

   Darry recognizes that Ponyboy is psychologically unwell and gently asks Randy to leave.

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. What literary term describes Ponyboy's narration in Chapter 11?

   • Third-person narrator
   • Objective narrator
   • Omniscient narrator
   • Correct answer: Unreliable narrator

   Ponyboy becomes an unreliable narrator for the first time when his denial distorts his account of events.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. As Randy leaves, what does Darry quietly warn him about Ponyboy?

   • Correct answer: Not to mention Johnny, since Ponyboy is still racked up mentally
   • Not to mention Bob, since Ponyboy still feels guilty about him
   • Not to mention Dally, since Ponyboy saw the police shoot him
   • Not to mention the hearing, since Ponyboy fears the judge

   Darry tells Randy, "Don't ever say anything to him about Johnny," because Ponyboy is "still pretty racked up mentally and emotionally" and the doctor says he needs time.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. What could happen to the Curtis brothers if the court hearing goes badly?

    • They could be forced to move to another city
    • Correct answer: Darry could lose guardianship and the boys could be sent to a boys' home
    • They would have to pay a large fine
    • They could all go to jail

    If the hearing goes poorly, Darry could be removed as guardian, and Sodapop and Ponyboy could be separated and sent to a boys' home.

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What psychological concept best explains Ponyboy's false confession?

    • Stockholm syndrome
    • Projection
    • Cognitive dissonance
    • Correct answer: Survivor's guilt

    Ponyboy's denial and false confession stem from survivor's guilt — he feels guilty for surviving while Johnny and Dally died.

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. What major theme does Ponyboy's contemplation of Bob's photo advance?

    • The danger of city life
    • The importance of physical strength
    • Correct answer: Empathy across social divides
    • The value of education

    Ponyboy seeing Bob as a real person reinforces the theme that Socs and greasers share a common humanity beneath their class differences.

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. How does Ponyboy's empathy for Bob parallel an earlier moment in the novel?

    • Correct answer: His connection with Cherry Valance about sunsets
    • His argument with Darry before running away
    • His experience saving children from the church fire
    • His fight with the Socs at the rumble

    Ponyboy's empathy for Bob mirrors his earlier connection with Cherry Valance, a Soc who showed him that Socs have troubles too. Here he even wonders about the Bob that Cherry knew.

    Read the passage