Infraction

Jonas said the standard phrase automatically, and tried to pay better attention while his mother told of a dream fragment, a disquieting scene where she had been chastised for a rule infraction she didn’t understand.

Interdependence

Fours, Fives, and Sixes all wore jackets that fastened down the back so that they would have to help each other dress and would learn interdependence.

Inadequate

Normally such a newchild would be labeled Inadequate and released from the community.

Accompany

But many came to the stage accompanied by another child beaming with pride to receive a little brother or sister, the way Jonas had when he was about to be a Five.

Exuberant

The audience applause, which was enthusiastic at each Naming, rose in an exuberant swell when one parental pair, glowing with pride, took a male newchild and heard him named Caleb.

Dutiful

Jonas could see them applauding dutifully as the Nines, one by one, wheeled their new bicycles, each with its gleaming name tag attached to the back, from the stage.

Distinguish

Jonas never found the Ceremony of Ten particularly interesting—only time-consuming, as each child’s hair was snipped neatly into its distinguishing cut: females lost their braids at Ten, and males, too, relinquished their long childish hair and took on the more manly short style which exposed their ears.

Unaccustomed

He saw the Tens stroking their new shortened hair, the females shaking their heads to feel the unaccustomed lightness without the heavy braids they had worn so long.

Meticulous

The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made.

Correspond

All of the factors—disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests—had to correspond and to interact perfectly.

Exasperated

Jonas always chuckled when he heard a parent, exasperated, call sharply to a whining toddler, “That’s enough, Twenty-three!”

Profound

The speech was much the same each year: recollection of the time of childhood and the period of preparation, the coming responsibilities of adult life, the profound importance of Assignment, the seriousness of training to come.

Precision

And precision of language was one of the most important tasks of small children.

Modified

But the Receiver-in-training cannot be observed, cannot be modified.

Reluctant

Synonym

Correspond

Synonym (Choose two)

Profound

Antonym (Choose Two)

Meticulous

Synonym (Choose Two)

Accompany

Synonym (Choose Two)