The Outsiders, Chapter 4 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What happens to Ponyboy at the park fountain?

   • He washes the blood off his hands in the fountain
   • He slips on the ice and falls into the fountain
   • Correct answer: The Socs hold his head under the water, trying to drown him
   • He hides behind the fountain to avoid the Socs

   The Socs, led by Bob, force Ponyboy's head under the fountain water in an attempt to drown him, which leads to Johnny's desperate act of self-defense.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. Who kills Bob Sheldon?

   • Correct answer: Johnny Cade
   • Two-Bit Mathews
   • Ponyboy Curtis
   • Dallas Winston

   Johnny stabs Bob with his switchblade to save Ponyboy from drowning. This act is the central turning point of the novel.

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Johnny kills Bob with a gun.

     Didn't happen

     Johnny kills Bob with his switchblade, not a gun. Dally later gives the boys a gun when he helps them flee.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. How does Johnny recognize Bob as the Soc who previously attacked him?

   • He recognizes Bob's voice from the night he was jumped
   • Correct answer: He sees the moonlight glinting off Bob's rings
   • Ponyboy points Bob out to him by the fountain
   • He smells Bob's English Leather shaving lotion

   Bob's rings are a key symbol in the novel. They left scars on Johnny's face during the earlier attack, making them instantly recognizable.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • The Socs are sober when they attack Ponyboy and Johnny in the park.

     Didn't happen

     The Socs, including Bob, are drunk when they arrive at the park, which contributes to their aggressive and reckless behavior.

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. Where do Ponyboy and Johnny go immediately after the killing?

   • Straight to the train yard to hop a freight
   • To Ponyboy's house to tell Darry
   • To the police station to turn themselves in
   • Correct answer: To Buck Merril's house to find Dally

   The boys go to Buck Merril's house because they know Dally is there and believe he is the one person experienced enough to help them.

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. What does Dally NOT give to the boys before they flee?

   • A gun that was already loaded
   • Fifty dollars from Buck Merril
   • Correct answer: A car to drive to Windrixville
   • Buck's dry shirt for Ponyboy

   Dally gives them money, a gun, and dry clothes, but they travel to Windrixville by hopping a freight train, not by car.

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. Where does Dally tell the boys to hide?

   • At a relative's farm in the country
   • In an old warehouse near the train tracks
   • In a motel outside of town
   • Correct answer: In an abandoned church on Jay Mountain

   Dally instructs them to take a freight train to Windrixville and hide in an abandoned church on Jay Mountain.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Ponyboy and Johnny consider going to the police after Bob's death.

     Didn't happen

     The boys never consider going to the police. They instinctively know the justice system won't protect greasers against wealthy Socs.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. What does the word 'hermits' mean as Ponyboy uses it in Chapter 4?

    • A person who travels from place to place
    • Correct answer: A person who lives alone, cut off from others
    • A person who has escaped from jail or prison
    • A small crab that lives in a borrowed shell

    A hermit is a person who lives alone, cut off from other people — Ponyboy fears that he and Johnny will have to be hermits for the rest of their lives, never seeing anyone but Dally.

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What is the primary theme developed in Chapter 4?

    • Correct answer: Loss of innocence
    • The beauty of nature
    • The value of material wealth
    • The importance of staying in school

    Chapter 4 represents the definitive loss of innocence for both Johnny and Ponyboy, as they are thrust from adolescence into an adult world of violence, guilt, and flight.

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

    • Dally hesitates before agreeing to help the boys.

      Didn't happen

      Despite being woken in the middle of the night, Dally acts immediately and without hesitation, revealing his deep loyalty to the younger greasers.

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. What do Bob's rings symbolize in the novel?

    • Correct answer: Wealth weaponized as violence
    • The bond between the Socs
    • His engagement to Cherry Valance
    • His family's religious beliefs

    Bob's rings represent the Socs' economic privilege turned into physical harm — the same rings that scarred Johnny's face are symbols of how the Socs use their advantages to brutalize greasers.

    Read the passage
14. 14

    Question 14. What does the word 'apprehensive' mean?

    • Calm, relaxed, and free from any worry
    • Correct answer: Anxious that something bad will happen
    • In danger of being arrested by the police
    • Quick to understand or grasp new ideas

    'Apprehensive' means anxious that something bad will happen — Buck is pretty well crocked when he answers the door, which makes Ponyboy apprehensive that Dally might be drunk and in a dangerous mood too.

    Read the passage