The Outsiders, Chapter 8 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does the doctor allow Ponyboy and Two-Bit to visit Johnny?

   • Darry called ahead to arrange the visit
   • Visiting hours have just started
   • They are listed as his emergency contacts
   • Correct answer: Johnny has been asking for his friends

   The doctor lets them in because Johnny has been asking for his friends, and the doctor knows Johnny doesn't have much time left.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What book does Johnny ask Ponyboy to bring him?

   • The Grapes of Wrath
   • Correct answer: Gone with the Wind
   • To Kill a Mockingbird
   • Great Expectations

   Johnny asks for Gone with the Wind, the book Ponyboy had been reading to him while they were hiding at the church in Windrixville.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Ponyboy realize from the doctor's expression about Johnny?

   • Johnny will make a full recovery
   • Johnny is out of danger
   • Correct answer: Johnny is dying
   • Johnny needs surgery

   Ponyboy reads the doctor's expression and understands that Johnny is dying from his injuries.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What happens when Johnny's mother comes to the hospital?

   • Correct answer: Johnny refuses to see her and passes out
   • Johnny forgives her for the years of neglect
   • The nurse turns her away at the door
   • Johnny asks to speak with her privately

   Johnny refuses to see his mother, becomes extremely agitated, turns white, and passes out, prompting the nurse to make everyone leave.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which of Two-Bit's possessions does Dally ask for during the hospital visit?

   • Correct answer: His switchblade
   • His cigarettes
   • His leather jacket
   • His car keys

   Dally asks for Two-Bit's fancy black-handled switchblade, his prize possession, and Two-Bit hands it over without a moment's hesitation. Dally puts it under his pillow.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What news does Cherry Valance bring about the upcoming rumble?

   • The Socs intend to bring chains and weapons to the fight
   • Correct answer: The Socs will fight without weapons, following Greaser rules
   • The Socs want to fight at a different place and time
   • The Socs have cancelled the rumble after Bob's death

   Cherry reports that the Socs have agreed to fight the rumble without weapons, following the Greasers' preferred rules.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Cherry refuse to visit Johnny in the hospital?

   • She is afraid of hospitals
   • She doesn't want the Socs to see her there
   • Correct answer: She cannot face the boy who killed Bob
   • She doesn't know Johnny personally

   Cherry says she cannot bring herself to look at the person who killed Bob Sheldon, even though she knows it was self-defense.

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Ponyboy initially react when Cherry refuses to visit Johnny?

   • He walks away without saying a word to her
   • He asks Two-Bit to come back and convince her
   • He laughs and says he expected nothing better from a Soc
   • Correct answer: He is angry and accuses her of being a traitor

   Ponyboy is angry at Cherry and accuses her of being a traitor, though he later comes to understand her perspective.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does Ponyboy say to Cherry about the sunset?

   • That sunsets are more beautiful from the Greaser side of town than hers
   • That the sunset reminds him of the fire at the church in Windrixville
   • Correct answer: That she can see it from the West Side and he can see it from the East Side too
   • That Johnny loved watching sunsets from the back steps of the church

   Ponyboy asks if she can see the sunset from the West Side, then tells her he can see it from the East Side too — symbolizing their shared humanity across class lines.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does the sunset symbolize in Chapter 8?

    • Johnny's fading health after the church fire
    • Correct answer: Shared humanity that transcends class division
    • The coming violence and bloodshed at the rumble
    • The end of the Greasers' whole way of life

    The sunset represents the shared beauty and humanity that both Greasers and Socs experience, regardless of the social barriers between them.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Who had visited Dally in the hospital before Ponyboy and Two-Bit?

    • Correct answer: Tim Shepard
    • Cherry Valance
    • Steve Randle
    • Darry Curtis

    Tim Shepard, the leader of another Greaser gang, had been to see Dally (Pony notes that Tim's visit to Dally — not Johnny — reflects their tough-greaser kinship).

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does Johnny tell Ponyboy about dying?

    • He wants Dally to avenge him by winning the rumble
    • He asks Ponyboy to tell his parents that he forgives them
    • He feels peaceful and completely unafraid
    • Correct answer: He is scared and feels his life hasn't been long enough

    Johnny tells Ponyboy he is scared of dying and that his life hasn't been long enough — there is too much he hasn't seen or done.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What role has Cherry Valance been playing in the conflict between Greasers and Socs?

    • She has been trying to stop the rumble from happening
    • Correct answer: She has been acting as a spy for the Greasers
    • She has been negotiating peace between the gangs
    • She has been avoiding both sides entirely

    Cherry has been secretly spying for the Greasers, gathering and passing along information about the Socs' plans.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What does Dally's reaction to the news about Johnny's condition reveal about his character?

    • Correct answer: That his tough exterior masks deep emotional vulnerability and love for Johnny
    • That he cares more about winning than about whether Johnny lives
    • That he enjoys violence for its own sake and wants any excuse for it
    • That he mostly wants to impress Tim Shepard and the other Greasers

    When Two-Bit says Johnny seemed pretty bad, Dally's jaw goes white, he asks for Two-Bit's switchblade, and he says they have to get even with the Socs "For Johnny." His toughness hides how much he cares about Johnny.

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