Number the Stars Vocabulary | 10 Essential Words | Lois Lowry

Learn 10 essential vocabulary words from Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, including courage, resistance, and sacrifice, with definitions, book examples, and a practice quiz.

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Essential Vocabulary

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Elementary Grades 4-5 10 Key Words Historical Fiction · Copenhagen 1943

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These 10 words describe what it takes to protect someone during a dangerous time, which is exactly what Number the Stars is about. Annemarie's courage does not come from being fearless. It comes from acting anyway while she is still afraid, alongside a whole community quietly practicing resistance and sacrifice to keep their neighbors safe. Learning these words in the context of the novel makes them easier to remember, since several of them (occupation, resistance, liberation) also show up in history lessons about World War Two.

Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example from the Book
Courage	noun	The ability to face danger or fear without giving in to it	"Annemarie shows great courage when she carries a hidden packet past Nazi soldiers to help her friend's family escape"
Occupation	noun	Control of a country by a foreign military force	"During the German occupation of Denmark, soldiers patrol every street and curfews control daily life"
Resistance	noun	Organized effort to oppose or fight back against an oppressive power	"The Danish resistance secretly helps Jewish families escape by boat to safety in neutral Sweden"
Refugee	noun	A person forced to flee their home country because of danger or persecution	"The Rosen family becomes refugees almost overnight, forced to leave nearly everything behind to survive"
Betrayal	noun	An act of disloyalty that breaks someone's trust	"The Johansens fear betrayal at every turn, since a single neighbor's report to the soldiers could mean death"
Sacrifice	noun	Giving up something valuable, sometimes at great personal risk, to help others	"Annemarie's parents make a quiet sacrifice, risking their own safety to hide a Jewish family in their home"
Persecution	noun	Cruel and unfair treatment of a person or group, often because of who they are	"The persecution of Danish Jews forces the Rosen family into hiding almost without warning"
Deception	noun	The act of hiding the truth or misleading someone, often to protect them	"Annemarie's calm deception convinces the soldiers that the empty casket holds nothing but a dead relative"
Bystander	noun	Someone who witnesses an event but does not take part in it	"Number the Stars asks its young readers whether staying a silent bystander is really a safe or moral choice"
Liberation	noun	The act of being set free, especially from oppression or control	"Denmark's liberation finally comes when the war ends and the German occupation is lifted for good"

Look-Alike Words

Related but Distinct · Before and After

Occupation

A country being controlled by a foreign military force.

Liberation

Being set free from that control.

Tip: Denmark spends most of the book under occupation. Liberation is the word for the moment that control finally ends.

Commonly Confused · Acting vs. Watching

Resistance

Organized action taken to oppose an unjust power.

Bystander

Someone who witnesses danger or injustice but does nothing about it.

Tip: The Johansen family chooses resistance instead of staying bystanders. The novel asks readers to think about which choice they would make.

Commonly Confused · Protecting vs. Harming

Deception

Hiding the truth from someone, often to protect them or someone else.

Betrayal

Breaking someone's trust, often by hurting or exposing them.

Tip: Annemarie uses deception to protect Ellen's family. Betrayal is the opposite: what a neighbor would be doing if they reported the Rosens to soldiers.

Vocabulary Video

Watch: Essential Vocabulary from Number the Stars

Practice Quiz

Number the Stars - Vocabulary Quiz

Question 1 of 10

Annemarie shows real __________ when she carries a hidden packet past armed soldiers to help her friend's family.

Question 2 of 10

During the German __________ of Denmark, soldiers patrol every street corner and strict curfews control daily life.

Question 3 of 10

The Danish __________ secretly helps Jewish families escape by boat to safety in neutral Sweden.

Question 4 of 10

The Rosen family becomes __________ almost overnight, forced to leave nearly everything behind to survive.

Question 5 of 10

The Johansens fear __________ at every turn, since a single neighbor's report to the soldiers could mean death.

Question 6 of 10

Annemarie's parents make a quiet __________, risking their own safety to hide a Jewish family inside their home.

Question 7 of 10

The __________ of Danish Jews forces the Rosen family into hiding almost without warning.

Question 8 of 10

Annemarie's calm __________ convinces the soldiers that the empty casket holds nothing but a dead relative.

Question 9 of 10

Number the Stars asks its young readers whether staying a silent __________ is really a safe or moral choice.

Question 10 of 10

Denmark's __________ finally comes when the war ends and the German occupation is lifted for good.

out of 10 correct

Full explanations for every question appear below after you check your answers.

Answer Key & Explanations

1Courage. Carrying a hidden packet past armed soldiers to help a friend is a brave act done despite fear, which is exactly what courage means.

2Occupation. Soldiers patrolling streets and enforcing curfews under a foreign power describes a country under military occupation, not resistance or liberation.

3Resistance. A secret, organized effort helping Jewish families escape describes an organized resistance movement, not a single act of sacrifice.

4Refugees. Being forced to leave home and flee danger is exactly what makes someone a refugee, distinct from a bystander who merely watches.

5Betrayal. Fearing that a neighbor's report to soldiers could mean death describes the fear of betrayal, a broken trust, not simple occupation or courage.

6Sacrifice. Risking personal safety to hide a family in need means giving something valuable at real risk, which is the definition of sacrifice.

7Persecution. Being forced into hiding because of who they are describes unfair, cruel treatment aimed at a group, which is persecution.

8Deception. Convincing soldiers there is nothing suspicious in the casket means misleading them on purpose, which is deception.

9Bystander. Someone who only watches without acting, neither helping nor harming, is exactly what a bystander is.

10Liberation. Being set free from German occupation when the war ends is liberation, the opposite of the occupation described earlier.

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