Ricardo Gonzalez

Business English
Period 4
Independent Reading Assignment: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Part One
1. Anguish
a. “ordinary lives free of anguish because he had been selected, as others before
him had, to bear their burden.”
b. I believe anguish means to get rid of.
c. anguish = extreme distress
2. Solemn
a. “The Giver's face took on a solemn look.”
b. I think solemn means to be alone or to be lonely.
c. solemn = serious
3. Chastise
a. “It was a minor rule, rather like rudeness, punishable only by gentle
chastisement.”
b. I think the word might mean repetitive.
c. chastisement = scolding (verbal punishment)
4. Meticulous
a. “Jonas was identified as a possible Receiver many years ago. We have observed
him meticulously. “
b. I think meticulous means smart or intelligent
c. meticulously = in detail with great care
5. Serene
a. “Jonas knew she must be nervous, but Fiona was a calm female. She had been
sitting quietly, serenely, throughout the Ceremony.”
b. I think serene means calm.
c. serenely = calmly and untroubled
6. transgress
a. “I am about to leave when he ambles up.” Page 449
b. I believe transgress means to travel across something
c. Amble means to go at a slow, easy pace.
7. confide
a. “Writers (my kind of writers: aspiring novelists, ruminative thinkers, people
whose brains don’t work quick enough to blog or link or tweet, basically old,
stubborn blowhards) were through.”
b. I think confide means to hide or hold back.
c. Ruminative means to ponder
8. aptitude
a. “Well, it was clear to me — and my parents later confessed that it had been
obvious to them, too — what my aptitude was.”
b. I think aptitude means to be uptight.
 c. aptitude = natural ability
9. devise
a. “Probably the one with scientific aptitude was Benjamin, the male who had
devised new, important equipment for the Rehabilitation Center.”
b. I think devise means to be exclude from.
c. Devised = came up with (invented or created).
10. pervasive
a. “But this time he fit right in and felt the happiness that pervaded the memory.”
b. I think this word means to be exclusive.
c. pervaded = existed throughout
11. wry
a. “The Giver watched him with a wry smile.”
b. I think this word means to be sad.
c. wry = understated ironic humor — often in a difficult situation.
12. exasperated
a. “Shallow impatience and exasperation, that was all Lily had felt.”
b. I think exasperated means tired.
c. exasperation = annoyance
13. assimilate
a. “Finally, it subsided as the memories were assimilated.”
b. I think assimilate means to relate to.
c. Assimilate = take in and/or transform or fit in
14. assuage
a. “It was not enough to assuage the pain that Jonas was beginning, now, to know”
b. I think this word means to take easy.
c. Assuage = soothe
15. avert
a. “He saw the others in his group glance at him, embarrassed, and then avert
their eyes quickly.”
b. I think this word means to leave.
c. Avert = prevent from happening; or turn away or aside

Part Two
1- “Lily giggled at the strange word. "Hippo," she repeated, and put the comfort object
down again. She peered at the unwrapped newchild, who waved his arms.

I chose this passage because it is an example showing the different setting and
ambiance of the book. The Giver is a book that revolves around a utopian society, which
really interests me.
2- My first impression of Jonas from The Giver was that he was a normal kid experiencing
life in a utopian society. To begin the book, Jonas talked about his daily life as a
“normal” kid. Then that changed when he began to see colors.

3- When Jonas from, The Giver, experiences color for the first time he knew he was
different. Jonas began thinking about outlandish things that aren’t meant to be thought
upon. Then, he got picked for something that none of his friends got picked for, at this
point he knew he was different.
4- A discovery I made when reading this book was that utopian societies will never work.
Some people will not follow directions and the society will collapse.

5- This book made me think outside the box. The Giver opened my mind to other types of
societies and cultures.