1. Describe Alec's character before and after he encounters the Black. Does he undergo any transformation?

2. Are the Ramsays representative of a typical American family? Provide specific details to justify your response.

3. Tony appears on the street just when Napoleon is required to soothe the Black, and Mrs. Ramsay is in Chicago during the match race. What other coincidences can you identify? Are there too many to seem believable?

4. Nearly every piece of dialogue in the novel centers around the black stallion. Is this narrative technique overused? Elaborate on your opinion.

5. What are the Black's most admirable traits? What are its flaws? Does the Black exhibit realistic behavior?

6. Is it reasonable for Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay to permit Alec to keep a dangerous horse and ride it bareback until spring?

7. Who holds more significance, Alec or the Black? Or do both characters equally captivate the reader's interest?

8. The novel's popularity surged in the 1940s, leading to the formation of Black Stallion Clubs. Why is an unpredictable horse an appealing character?

9. Excluding Henry, list four supporting human characters in the novel in order of their importance to Alec. Why have you ranked them in this way?

10. In the first third of the novel, Alec finds himself in extraordinary situations and locations. Is the rest of the novel less thrilling because it predominantly takes place in New York and Chicago?

11. Contrast Henry with Mr. Ramsay. How significant is Henry? Is he interesting and likable beyond his role as Alec's assistant?

12. Alec overcomes significant challenges to bring the Black to New York and race him. Would you describe Alec as fortunate, or is his success a result of his own efforts?

13. While Pat and the captain of Alec's rescue ship are sailors, and Joe Russo and Jim Neville are sportswriters, do these two groups of characters differ in any other meaningful ways? If so, how?