How old is Ponyboy?

• A. Fourteen
• B. Fifteen
• C. Thirteen
• D. Sixteen

Answer: (A)

Age often shapes a character’s perspective and choices, especially for someone as young as Ponyboy. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is described as fourteen years old, the youngest of the Curtis brothers, which explains his viewpoint, responsibilities, and how he experiences the tension between the Greasers and Socs. Because the text explicitly gives his age as fourteen, that makes this the correct answer. He is not thirteen or fifteen, and the other characters around him are at different ages, so those options don’t fit the page’s details about Ponyboy.