"The Outsiders" Greasers or Socs? Quiz

Answer: Greasers

Darrel Curtis, called Darry by his friends, was the oldest Greaser in the group and the oldest Curtis brother. He was only twenty years old, but after his parents died in a car crash, he was the family breadwinner, working two jobs and trying to raise his two brothers and keep the family together. Ponyboy thought that Darry hated him because he was very strict and critical, but he really was just trying to do his best to make sure that Ponyboy met his potential. Darry had been a football captain in high school, and had received a scholarship to play in college.

Answer: Greasers

Sodapop Curtis, yes, that was his real name, was the middle brother. At sixteen years old he had quit school because he wasn't passing many of his classes; he told his brother that he was just dumb. He was described as being incredibly handsome - so handsome, in fact, that he drew customers to the DX Station where he worked with his best friend. Sodapop was the most sensitive of the brothers, and couldn't stand it when the others weren't getting along.

Answer: Greasers

Ponyboy Curtis, whose father was said to like different names, was the youngest brother. At fourteen he was a good student at school and a member of the track team. He was so smart that he had skipped a grade. He liked movies, books, and dreaming. Since he was the youngest member of the group, he was not as hardened as the others.

He was the narrator of the story, which was the result of an essay assignment given by his English teacher so that he could pass. There was just so much going on in his life at the time that it took a while to be able to tell his story.

Answer: Greasers

Johnny Cade was Ponyboy's best friend. He was a great listener, someone in which a friend could confide. He had, however, a terrible home life; his father frequently beat him and his mother was emotionally abusive in that she didn't seem to care. The other Greasers pretty much looked at Johnny as their little brother - someone they needed to protect. Johnny frequently slept in a vacant lot because it was safer than his home. Prior to the beginning of the story he had been beaten badly by a group of Socs - almost to death - and was really on edge.

He was so scared that he had acquired a switchblade, and was ready to use it if necessary.

Answer: Greasers

Dallas Winston, who was called Dally, was the toughest guy in the Greaser group. He had been involved with gangs in New York for three years before moving to Tulsa, and had spent time in jail there as well. While Ponyboy really didn't like Dally, he respected him.

He was someone who would help a fellow Greaser when he was in trouble and was especially protective of Johnny, who, like the others, he viewed as a little brother. Dally always carried an unloaded gun with him. That typically kept people at bay - except for the police.

They took the presence of any sort of gun seriously.

Answer: Socs

Cherry (Sherri) Vance was a sixteen year old cheerleader at school and was a Soc. Unlike many of the other Socs, she saw that the social war with the Greasers was senseless. When Ponyboy, Dally, and Johnny met her at a drive-in theater, she was willing to talk with them; it was at that time when she and Ponyboy bonded over their shared love of sunsets.

The meeting, however, spelled doom for the Greasers as the Socs did not like them making friends with their girls. In spite of the fact that the rivalry between the groups led to the death of Cherry's boyfriend, she told the truth about what had happened, and even tried to mend the divide between the two groups.

Answer: Socs

Paul Holden was Darry's age, and the two had been friends on the high school football team; Paul had been the best halfback on the team, and, unlike Darry, was able to go to college. Paul appeared at the final rumble between the rival groups when Darry shouted that he would take on anyone of them.

The two former friends acknowledged each other before Paul began the fight by throwing the first punch.

Answer: Socs

Randy Adderson was Bob's best friend and Marcia's boyfriend. He participated in the Socs' fight with Johnny and Ponyboy, and witnessed the death of his best friend. Because of this, Randy refused to fight in the big rumble. He visited Ponyboy at his home afterwards while Ponyboy was recovering from his grief over Johnny's death and his rumble injuries, telling him he was sorry for what had happened and would no longer fight.

He believed that he had let his dad down by doing so. He also appeared at court and told the truth about what had happened the night that Bob was killed.

Answer: Socs

While Marcia appeared to be a very minor character in "The Outsiders", she did have an important role in the story. She was Cherry's best friend, and was with her when they met Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally at the drive-in theater. When the boys initially approached the girls, Cherry did not want to interact with them, while Marcia willingly accepted their conversation and the offer of a Coke.

Her attitude helped to show that teens from the different social classes might be able to relate to each other.

But - when the boys were walking Marcia and Cherry home - a carload of Socs saw them; the subsequent fight in the park with Johnny and Ponyboy the next day took place because the boys were with the Socs' girlfriends.

Answer: Socs

Bob Sheldon was the leader of the Socs, an antagonistic bully toward the Greasers, although his girlfriend described him as being a sweet guy when he was sober. Known for wearing heavy rings, he was the one who had nearly beat Johnny to death, and was trying to drown Ponyboy in the park fountain when Johnny fatally stabbed him. Bob's death was the driving force behind the rest of the tragic story, as Johnny and Ponyboy fled from the law, and eventually were presented with an opportunity to turn themselves into heroes instead of villains.