[chapter 2]

Vocabulary
incredulous - indicating or showing unbelief: an incredulous smile.
vaguely - not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed: vague promises.
nonchalantly - in an unconcerned manner; "glanced casually at the headlines"

Karen Jones has a secret. She had been keeping this very secret from her friends, family and employees for 14 months to this very day. She wanted to tell someone so urgently about it but thought it would reck her relationships with her family and friends. Today she did. She told her friend Marcel and he looked at Karen incredulously. She asked that he wouldn’t tell anyone since he took is so bad. He had just said a soft “sure” and sruged it off. His promise was vague, and Marcel soon went and told a couple of Karen’s friends and some of her family. Soon everyone around her new. So, few days rolled by Karen had a party at her house for Easter. She sat everyone down and finally grabbed enough guts to tell them her secret. She told them that she was dating this really great guy, his name was Jim. But the only thing is that he is 46 and she is 30, so there is quite a large age difference. Every one looked at Karen in an nonchalantly manner. They thought nothing of it and trusted Karen and her judgment. She discovered that she is surrounded with some really great people also, that Marcel isn’t such a good friend after all.

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1. Q: Who is the fuzz? (p. 20)
A: The “fuzz” are the police men who will control the situation and arrest who is accountable for the actions. Fuzz is just slang and representing that the place is going to become fuzzy and unpleasant to stay at when they come.

2. Q: Are the names Ponyboy and Sodapop nicknames? Explain.
A: The names Ponyboy and Sodapop are not nicknames. Their father was just creative and wanted names that would be original from the rest. It is also stated on Sodapop’s birth certificate that Sodapop is defiantly his name.

3. Q: Who are Cherry and Marcia?
A: Cherry and Marcia are cheerleaders that go to Ponyboy’s high school. They are a part of the Socs and at times seemed to be stuck up when its needed (when Dally was mistreating them) but other times kind and friendly (when Johnny, Ponyboy and Two-bit where with them). Cherry and Marcia are very “tuff” looking, dressed sharp and were really good-looking. They barrel race at rodeos and enjoyed to watch movies but, being drunk wasn’t their idea of fun. They we overall nice people from what I have seen and are just trying to do what’s right.

4. Q: Why doesn't Ponyboy like referring to Sodapop as a dropout?
A: Ponyboy doesn’t like to refer Sodapop as a drop out because he sees that his happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t fit what “dropout” is referred to. When Ponyboy thinks of a dropout he sees a “poor dumb looking hoodlum wandering the streets and breaking streetlights. Ponyboy loves Soda with all his heart and perceives him as his role model. With the Pony’s idea of a dropout just doesn’t fit Soda’s true description.

5. Q: What is Ponyboy comparing Two-Bit to when he calls him a "chessy cat" on page 27? What figure of speech is this besides a simile?
A: When Ponyboy compared Two-Bit as a “chessy cat” he was trying to describe his grin, a chessy cats grin is a large mischievous looking just as Two-bit's was. An other figure of speech to express it is a

6. Q: What is "a weed" slang for in 1967?
A: “A weed” is slang for a cigarette, it was just a different, cool way to say it in 1967.

7. Q: Why does Dally look sick now (p. 33)?
A: Dally looked sick because he saw his good friend Johnny beaten very seriously. Of all people this is most effective since it happened to Johnny because he already often gets beaten at home by his father and is very nervous, worried and suspicious as it is. Dally feels very bad for him because this will cause him to feel even worse and more nervous, worried and suspicious.

8. Q: What literary device does the author use to describe Johnny's mugging (pgs. 31-34)?
A: The literary device that the author uses to describe Johnny’s mugging would be a narrative. It was like a mini story being told to the reader.