Which statement correctly matches the order of ages from oldest to youngest among the Curtis brothers?

• A. Ponyboy Curtis, Sodapop Curtis, Darry Curtis
• B. Darry Curtis, Ponyboy Curtis, Sodapop Curtis
• C. Sodapop Curtis, Darry Curtis, Ponyboy Curtis
• D. Darry Curtis, Sodapop Curtis, Ponyboy Curtis

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is the birth order of the Curtis brothers as described in The Outsiders: who is oldest, who is middle, and who is youngest. In the story, Darry is the oldest, Sodapop is the middle child, and Ponyboy is the youngest. Darry is depicted as the one who takes on responsibility first and is noticeably older, Sodapop is younger than Darry but older than Ponyboy, and Ponyboy is the youngest teen among them. Because of that, the order from oldest to youngest is Darry, Sodapop, Ponyboy. The statement that lists Darry first, followed by Sodapop, then Ponyboy matches this sequence exactly. Any other arrangement would imply Ponyboy is older than one of his brothers, which the text does not support.