That was Then, This is Now By S.E. Hinton The protagonist is a bright, articulate boy named Byron. He lives with his almost nonexistent mother and his adopted brother, Mark. An accomplished car thief ("nothing too hot wiring," according to him) and lover of fights, Mark is bad news. Being with Mark is like a roller-coaster ride. Byron enjoys the excitement that living on the edge with Mark can bring. The characters are sharp and richly drawn as is the Oklahoma town of the mid-1960s where the story takes place. There is a strong, compelling sense of the characters and the dividing line in their immediate community. The "Greasers," so called because of their love for Elvis and tendency to use hair grease are looked down upon because they live on the "wrong side of the tracks," the east side of town. The Socs, (short for "Socialites") on the other hand are their affluent West Side counterparts. Byron falls hard for a socially mobile girl and takes her little brother, nicknamed M&M under his wing. The girl later ends up dating Byron's friend, the weirdly named Ponyboy who is in Byron's social circle. Guns, drugs and violence are all part of the story. The conflict between the Socs and the Greasers is like "West Side Story" with bite, punch and gritty attitude. The story is about the young people in the Oklahoma community and their issues, confrontations and interactions.

That was Then, This is Now Requirements: All work must pass with a 75% or better. Each chapter requires a set of answers to the given questions. The answers need to be written in complete sentences (this means including the questions with in the answers). Each chapter has vocabulary words that have three requirements. Please read the directions on the vocabulary page. There is a required activity to be done once the book is completed. A Final is required to complete the book requirements. Please note; all written materials must be done in Word, spell and grammar checked , written in complete sentences (including spelling definitions) and sent in electronically to your teacher. Please save your work frequently and save a copy for yourself.

That was Then, This is Now Chapter One 1. How was it that Bryon was allowed in the pool hall even though he was under age?  2. What was Mark’s gift? 3. Why did Mark live with Bryon? 4. What did M&M do all day long? 5. What was Marks punishment for stealing cars? 6. How did Bryon treat girls? 7. Why did Curly have a special grudge against Bryon? 8. What hypocrisy did M&M point out when Mark suggested they jump the black man? 9. How did Mark get the $3.00 to pay back Charlie? 10. What were Bryon’s feelings toward Mark?

That was Then, This is Now Chapter Two 1. What was the difference between Mark’s consciousness and Bryon’s? 2. Why did Mark go visit the kid across the hospital room from Bryon’s mother? 3. Why didn’t Bryon go out for football? 4. Why didn’t Bryon like cops? 5. Explain the circumstances surrounding Mike’s assault. 6. Why does Bryon like to read? 7. How did Mike view girls? 8. Why did Mike keep on talking to the black girl all the way home? 9. What were some things Mike and the black girl had in common? 10. Why didn’t Mike hate the guys that beat him up?

That was Then, This is Now Chapter Three-Four 1. Why didn’t Bryon like Curtis? 2. How did Cathy’s views of M&M differ from their fathers? 3. How did Bryon describe the feelings of hating the person you love most in the world? 4. Why don’t you think Cathy wasn’t worried that some other chick would show her up? 5. What was the cause of the fight that Mark got hurt in? 6. What does illegitimate mean? 7. What caused the change between how the boys used to be and the way they were becoming? 8. How was the book named? 9. What was Bryon’s opinion about why the rich kids treated him nice, and invited him to their party’s? 10. What was ironic about Mark stealing the principal’s car?

That was Then, This is Now Chapter Five-Six 1. What was the law about parents? 2. How did Bryon and Mark hustle for money? 3. How did Charlie die? 4. How was the relationship between Mark and Bryon changing? 5. Why was Bryon disturbed about Charlie’s death and Mark wasn’t? Chapter: 6 6. What was it about death that bothered Bryon so much? 7. What did Bryon change about himself to make him more employable? 8. Why do you think Bryon keeps wishing he had told Mark how he felt about him? 9.  How did Cathy view someone who could enjoy life with out drugs? 10.  Why didn’t Cathy think too much of how Mark handled the foul mouth guy in the Corvette?

That was Then, This is Now Chapter Seven-Nine 1. What did Mark say that helped explain why he acted the way he did? 2. “What’s happening”? Bryon asked, how would you answer it? 3. Why did Mark cut Angela’s hair? 4. What were Mark’s parents fighting over when they killed each other? 5. What was Mark’s answer to staying young? Chapter: 8 6. Why wouldn’t Bryon consider the “hippies” free? 7. Why do you think Bryon was getting tired of the getting even thing? Chapter: 9 8. Why do you think Mark started thinking “What up”? 9. Why didn’t any body care who and why baby freak was being taken away? 10. Why do you think M&M went to the hippie house and got into the drug scene?

Choose a project from the Project Table and turn in into your teacher Choose a project from the Project Table and turn in into your teacher. Please remember that you cannot do a project that you have previously done for another book.