Vocabulary Building: Divergent Chapter 3

This is a vocabulary memo from a novel Divergent chapter 3.

Author: Veronica Roth / Published in 2011

Just for a reference, the summary of a whole story can be found in the following post:

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Vocabulary Building: Divergent Chapter 1
I am a huge fan of the Divergent series written by an American novelist Ms. Veronica Roth...more  
English Memo

Summary of Chapter 3

  • Beatrice wakes up from the aptitude tests. Tori, the proctor, is perplexed and tells Beatrice that she is a "Divergent."
  • Tori warns Beatrice not to tell anyone about the result (being a Divergent) or she would be eliminated.
  • Beatrice is quite confused to know that she is a Divergent.

Vocabulary

I put「 」next to the word that I might forget the sound.

WORDSYNONYMS/REPHRASES
SUIT TO THE CONTEXT
1perplexing (adj)complicated, confusing
2dangle (v)hang
3precariously (adv) in an unstable, uncertain, or insecure way
4forsake (v)to leave entirely; abandon
5lump (n)bump, chunk, swelling
6stern (adj)rigid, strict
7acrid (adj)sharp or biting to the taste or smell
8retort (v)talk back
9molar (n)a tooth having a broad biting surface adapted for grinding
10grimace (v)a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.
Alphabets inside the (): n - noun, v - verb, adj - adjective, adv - adverb
Using Dictionary.com & Thesaurus.com

Thoughts

Beatrice is so nervous when she's waiting for her result of the aptitude tests; it is supposed to be revealed as soon as the tests are over but Tori keeps Beatrice waiting. Besides, Tori says the result is perplexing, making Beatrice worried that she would become factionless.

To live factionless is not just to live in poverty and discomfort; it is to live divorced from society, separated from the most important thing in life: community.

Divergent: Chapter three

This is so true. If I had no community, I would have felt I'm a complete outsider to where I currently live. So this sentence sticks out to me because I know how much community means to people.

This reminds Beatrice of what her mother told her before:

...we can’t survive alone, but even if we could, we wouldn’t want to. Without a faction, we have no purpose and no reason to live.

Divergent: Chapter three

I like this line because I feel this one is absolutely true as well. Everything surrounding me is the result of somebody's effort. The water, light, gas, and etc are provided by the hard work of many people. Likewise, I can use the internet, cell phone, computers, etc because many people are working to provide the services. Even my favorite mug cup is here because somebody created it. The list goes on; there is nothing that I provided by myself. We cannot live alone.

Though it might sound very normal, I come to think that companies or organizations and people working for them are supporting others' life so much. Once I realized it, I can't stop being so thankful for others' works regardless of their visibility.

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Books and Coffee
Vocabulary Building: Divergent Chapter 4
Beatrice ponders which faction to choose tomorrow. She narrows down to two factions but st...more  
English Memo
Reference
Roth, Veronica (2011). Divergent. Katherine Tegan Books (HarperCollins).
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