"It's (the computer) not going to bite you," Jen said. "Grab a chair. Sit down."

Luke inched back."But the Government—" he said."The Government'sincompetentand stupid," Jen said. "Get it? Believe me, if they were watching through my computer screen, I'd know by now." What is the meaning ofincompetent?

Carlos: Curses—my parents have the temp control locked somehow. Told you they were evil. Where is Jen? I can't wait for her sarcarstic comment.

Luke read the words Jen was typing: "I'm right here, and, Sean, I do so get up early. I just don't always choose to seeyoufirst thing. And Carlos—what's wrong? Is there sweat in your eyes? There's only one 'r' in'sarcastic.'" What is the meaning ofsarcastic?

"Well, think about it. The Government allowed those books to be published—they probably even paid for them. So of course they're going to say what the Government wants people to believe. They're just propaganda." What does propaganda mean?

"No, of course I wouldn't rather hide," Jen said irritably. "But getting one of those I.D.'s—that's just a different way of hiding. I want to be me and go about like anybody else. There's no compromise. Which is why I've got to convince these idiots that the rally's their only chance." What is compromise?

Luke looked at the cookie in his own hand. So now was he supposed to feel guilty about eating food that should have gone to animals, as well as to other people?

Jen saw his expression. "Hey, don't go dopey on me," she said. "It's all ascam, remember? There's more than enough food in the world, especially now that there aren't enough babies being born." What is a scam?

Dimly, Luke realized why Jen had seemed so relaxed and happy on his last several visits. They'd been vacations for her, breaks from intense work on plans for the rally. He looked closer and saw the fatigue in her eyes. She looked like a younger version of Mom after a twelve-hour shift in the chicken factory, or Dad after a long day of baling hay. What is a good definition for fatigue?

What about your brothers?"

"They're not stupid," Luke said defensively. "Or—do you mean—""Would they everbetrayyou?" Jen narrowed her eyes, truly curious. "Not now, necessarily, but, say, years from now, if your parents were dead and it wouldn't hurt anybody but you, and they'd get lots of money for it—" What is the meaning ofbetray?

For three days, Luke agonized. Sometimes he decided he had to stop Jen, to persuade her not to go. Sometimes he decided he ought to go with her. Sometimes he was mad again, and thought he should just stalk over there and demand an apology. What is the best meaning of agonize?

He got so desperate, he asked Mother if she'd thought about going over to visit the new neighbors, to welcome them to the area. She looked at him as if he were deranged.

"They've been there for months. They're hardly new anymore. And they'reBarons,"she said. She laughed in a way that didn't hide her bitterness. "Believe me, they don't want us visiting."And what was she supposed to do, say, "Nice to meet you. Now, tell me everything about the child you never talk about"? After a week, Luke did feelderanged. Every time anyone spoke to him, he jumped. What is the meaning ofderanged?

Finally, he got to the chat room password. F-E-R-E. No. Erase. F-E- E-R. No. At last he got it F-R-E-E.

The screen went blank, with none of the friendlybanterthat had magically appeared every time he'd watched Jen. Had he done something wrong?  What isbanter?

... Given the circumstances, I decided to investigate myself." said Jen's dad.

Luke longed to ask what "circumstances" he meant, but the man was already asking another question. "So what else did you and Jen do together?" the man said. Luke couldn't understand why he sounded soaccusatory. What doesaccusatorymean?

"The truth," Jen's dad muttered, catching onto those two words as though Luke had thrown him a lifeline. He recovered himself quickly. "Nobody really knows. There have been too many lies for too long. Our Government is totalitarian, and totalitarian governments never like truth." What is a totalitarian government?

House bugged now.

Luke gave Jen's dad a puzzled look. "B—" he started to say, then remembered and stopped. He took the pen from Jen's dad and wrote,Bugged? Ants? Roaches?Jen's dad shook his head frantically.Population Police hear everything. That's why can't talk. They do that when a bust's unsuccessful. Even left one bug on me.What doesbuggedmean in this context?

Lee Grant surveyed the dusty barnyard in front of him, the ugly ruts of dried mud where tractors and trucks had left their tracks. He stared at the ramshackle barn and the peeling paint on the weathered house, sights that should have been entirely foreign to him, but weren't. What is the meaning of ramshackle?

Luke read the letter at supper, after everyone else in the family had had a stab at trying to figure out what it meant. Somehow, after reading all the big books that Jen had loaned him, he didn't find the fancy words so daunting. Which of the following set of words best captures the meaning of daunting?

"I was going to explain," Jen's dad said, panting a little. He sat down. "I only work at Population Police headquarters. I don't agree with what they do. I try to sabotage them as much as I can. Jen never understood, either— sometimes you have to work from inside enemy lines." Which of the following set of words best fits the meaning of sabotage?

If you've heard your parents talking about other farmers, you'll know that nobody loses their farms anymore. But, also, nobody ever makes enough to live comfortably."

Luke thought about his parents' constant worries about money. Was it all unnecessary? Were they just beingmanipulated? He felt a spark of anger, but buried that, too, because he had other questions. Which set of words best describes manipulated?

Luke spent practically every second of the next three days either reliving his secret visit to Jen or planning another one. The first day, a Government inspector came out to examine the Garners' crop, so Luke stayed in his room the entire day. What would and Government inspector do?

Now he resolutely turned to the beginning of The Population Disaster and began reading: "Since some elements of the overpopulation crisis were foreseen in the 1800s, an uninformed observer could only wonder why humankind came so near to total annihilation. What does annihilation refer to?