The Giver Vocabulary | 10 Essential Words | Lois Lowry

Study 10 essential vocabulary words from Lois Lowry's The Giver, including apprehensive, transgression, and assuage, with definitions, book examples, and a practice quiz.

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Essential Vocabulary

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Middle School Grades 6-8 10 Key Words Dystopian Fiction · 1993

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These 10 words describe exactly what it feels like to live inside a community that controls how you think and feel, which is the world Jonas is trapped in. The Community assuages pain by removing memory itself, chastises any transgression no matter how small, and admonishes citizens to stay perfectly precise so nothing dangerous like real feeling ever slips through. Learning these words in context makes them far easier to remember, since they describe emotional states like apprehensive, skeptical, and ominous just as much as the rules that create them.

Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example from the Book
Apprehensive	adjective	Anxious or fearful about what may happen	"Jonas felt apprehensive about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve."
Chastise	verb	To scold or punish severely	"Lily was chastised over the public speakers for her remark."
Nurture	verb	To care for and support growth	"Jonas's father was assigned to nurture the infants."
Transgression	noun	A violation of a rule or law	"A third minor transgression meant automatic release."
Admonition	noun	A gentle warning or firm advice	"Jonas remembered his mother's admonition about precise language."
Assuage	verb	To make a painful feeling less intense	"The Giver transmitted a memory to assuage Jonas's pain."
Ominous	adjective	Suggesting something bad is about to happen	"The quiet order of the community began to feel ominous."
Placid	adjective	Calm and peaceful; not easily disturbed	"Jonas transmitted placid memories to help Gabriel sleep."
Obsolete	adjective	No longer in use; out of date	"Due to Climate Control, snow and sleds became obsolete."
Skeptical	adjective	Having doubts; not easily convinced	"Jonas was initially skeptical about the power of memories."

Look-Alike Words

Related but Distinct · Warning vs. Punishment

Admonition

A gentle warning or firm piece of advice, given before anything goes wrong.

Chastise

To scold or punish someone, usually after they have already done something wrong.

Tip: Jonas's mother gives him an admonition about precise language before he ever misuses a word. Lily gets chastised only after her remark has already happened.

Commonly Confused · Easing Pain vs. Helping Grow

Assuage

To make an existing painful feeling less intense.

Nurture

To care for and support someone's growth over time.

Tip: The Giver assuages Jonas's pain with a single memory of cool water. Jonas's father nurtures infants every day, helping them grow before they are ever assigned to a family.

Commonly Confused · A Feeling vs. What Causes It

Ominous

A situation or atmosphere that suggests something bad is about to happen.

Apprehensive

A person's own anxious or fearful feeling about what may happen.

Tip: The Community starts to feel ominous once Jonas learns the truth. That ominous feeling is exactly what makes him apprehensive about the future.

Vocabulary Video

Watch: Essential Vocabulary from The Giver

Practice Quiz

The Giver - Vocabulary Quiz

Question 1 of 10

Jonas felt __________ about the Ceremony of Twelve because he didn't know what his assignment would be.

Question 2 of 10

In the highly controlled community, committing a third __________ meant automatic release with no appeal.

Question 3 of 10

To __________ the pain of his sunburn, The Giver transmitted a memory of cool, refreshing water.

Question 4 of 10

Because of Climate Control, things like snow, hills, and sleds had become completely __________.

Question 5 of 10

Jonas was initially __________ about the power of memories until his first transmission changed everything.

Question 6 of 10

Baby Gabriel could only sleep when Jonas transmitted __________ memories of calm water and gentle surroundings.

Question 7 of 10

As Jonas learned the truth about release, the quiet order of his community began to feel __________.

Question 8 of 10

Jonas remembered his mother's __________ about always using precise and exact language in the community.

Question 9 of 10

Jonas's father, as a licensed Nurturer, was assigned to __________ the youngest members of the community.

Question 10 of 10

Lily was __________ over the public speakers for pointing out Jonas's unusual pale eyes.

out of 10 correct

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

Answer Key & Explanations

1Apprehensive. Feeling anxious about an unknown outcome, like not knowing his future Assignment, is exactly what apprehensive describes.

2Transgression. A rule violation serious enough to trigger automatic release is a transgression, distinct from a simple admonition or warning.

3Assuage. Using a memory of cool water to make Jonas's sunburn pain less intense means assuaging that pain, not nurturing or chastising it.

4Obsolete. Snow, hills, and sleds no longer existing or being used because of Climate Control makes them obsolete.

5Skeptical. Doubting the power of memories before experiencing them himself describes Jonas being skeptical, not simply apprehensive.

6Placid. Calm, peaceful memories of still water are placid, which is what helps Gabriel settle down and sleep.

7Ominous. A community that once felt safe starting to feel like something bad is coming describes an ominous atmosphere.

8Admonition. A gentle reminder from his mother about precise language is an admonition, a warning given ahead of time, not a punishment.

9Nurture. Caring for and supporting the growth of the community's youngest members is exactly what a Nurturer is assigned to do.

10Chastised. Being scolded in front of everyone over the public speakers for a remark already made is being chastised.

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