Catching Fire: Chapters 15–18

by Suzanne Collins
In this sequel to The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are forced to participate in the Quarter Quell, while unrest in the districts of Panem threatens the Capitol. Learn these words from Suzanne Collins' popular trilogy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–18, Chapters 19–22, Chapters 23–27

Here are links to our lists for the trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

Here is a link to our lists for Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    Having been through prep with Flavius, Venia, and Octavia numerous times, it should just be an old routine to survive. But I haven’t anticipated the emotional ordeal that awaits me. At some point during the prep, each of them bursts into tears at least twice, and Octavia pretty much keeps up a running whimper throughout the morning.
  2. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    The idea of being strong for someone else having never entered their heads, I find myself in the position of having to console them.
  3. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    I still think all of that will be forgotten once the gong sounds, but it’s something of a revelation that those in the Capitol feel anything at all about us. They certainly don’t, have a problem watching children murdered every year. But maybe they know too much about the victors, especially the ones who’ve been celebrities for ages, to forget we’re human beings.
  4. ember
    a hot, smoldering fragment of wood left from a fire
    I look down, fascinated, as my ensemble slowly comes to life, first with a soft golden light but gradually transforming to the orange-red of burning coal. I look as if I have been coated in glowing embers—no, that I am a glowing ember straight from our fireplace.
  5. devastating
    physically or spiritually destructive
    “Peeta is coming. Sorry you have to cancel your wedding. I know how devastating that must be for you.”
  6. superiority
    displaying a sense of being better than others
    “Because you have a weakness for beautiful things and I don’t,” I say with an air of superiority. “They would lure you into their Capitol ways and you’d be lost entirely.”
  7. favor
    a feeling of positive regard
    We star-crossed lovers from District 12, who suffered so much and enjoyed so little the rewards of our victory, do not seek the fans’ favor, grace them with our smiles, or catch their kisses.
  8. camaraderie
    the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
    I get the distinct feeling they’re not comfortable with the camaraderie among the victors, who couldn’t seem to care less.
  9. sympathy
    sharing the feelings of others, especially sorrow or anguish
    Besides, I’m still angry with him for laughing at me along with the other victors, and the last thing I want is his sympathy and comfort.
  10. pitiful
    inspiring mixed contempt and sorrow
    As I watch the procession to the City Circle, I think how it’s bad enough that they dress us all up in costumes and parade us through the streets in chariots on a regular year. Kids in costumes are silly, but aging victors, it turns out, are pitiful.
  11. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    A few who are on the younger side, like Johanna and Finnick, or whose bodies haven’t fallen into disrepair, like Seeder and Brutus, can still manage to maintain a little dignity.
  12. grotesque
    ludicrously odd
    But the majority, who are in the clutches of drink or morphling or illness, look grotesque in their costumes, depicting cows and trees and loaves of bread.
  13. tragedy
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    Poor Effie. She finally had a decent year in the Games with Peeta and me, and now it’s all broken down into a mess that even she can’t put a positive spin on. In Capitol terms, I’m guessing this counts as a true tragedy.
  14. concession
    a point that is yielded
    On his wrist he wears a solid-gold bangle with a pattern of flames—this must be his concession to Effie’s matching-token plan—that he twists unhappily. It’s a very handsome bangle, really, but the movement makes it seem like something confining, a shackle, rather than a piece of jewelry.
  15. distinct
    recognizable; marked
    “Because you’re at a distinct disadvantage. Your competitors have known each other for years. So who do you think they’re going to target first?” he says.
  16. reliant
    depending on another for support
    But Haymitch tells her he doesn’t want her taking us down to the gym. None of the other victors will be showing up with a babysitter, and being the youngest, it’s even more important we look self-reliant.
  17. char
    burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
    I already make excellent fires, but I’m still pretty dependent on matches for starting them. So the trainer has me work with flint, steel, and some charred cloth. This is much harder than it looks, and even working as intently as I can, it takes me about an hour to get a fire going.
  18. hysterical
    characterized by a state of violent mental agitation
    Suddenly I remember how she volunteered to replace the young, hysterical woman in her district.
  19. envy
    spite and resentment at seeing the success of another
    When I manage to take down five birds in one round, I realize it’s so quiet I can hear each one hit the floor. I turn and see the majority of the victors have stopped to watch me. Their faces show everything from envy to hatred to admiration.
  20. mock
    treat with contempt
    After my shooting exhibition, I still get teased some, but I no longer feel like I’m being mocked.
  21. request
    a formal petition submitted to an authority
    “So at least half the victors have instructed their mentors to request you as an ally. I know it can’t be your sunny personality.”
    “They saw her shoot,” says Peeta with a smile. “Actually, I saw her shoot, for real, for the first time. I'm about to put in a formal request myself.”
  22. irreverent
    showing lack of due respect or veneration
    It’s easier to keep up the irreverent, invincible manner we’ve all adopted when there are more of us.
  23. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    To break through the smug veneer of those who use their brains to find amusing ways to kill us. To make them realize that while we're vulnerable to the Capitol’s cruelties, they are as well.
  24. unanimous
    acting together as a single undiversified whole
    Several let out small shrieks. Others lose their grips on their wineglasses, which shatter musically against the ground. Two seem to be considering fainting. The look of shock is unanimous.
  25. rash
    imprudently incurring risk
    It was rash and dangerous and no doubt I will pay for it ten times over.
  26. accountable
    responsible for one's actions
    I just wanted to hold them accountable, if only for a moment,” says Peeta. “For killing that little girl.”
  27. vain
    unproductive of success
    They will be looking for some sign that their battles have not been in vain. If I can make it clear that I’m still defying the Capitol right up to the end, the Capitol will have killed me...but not my spirit. What better way to give hope to the rebels?
  28. dovetail
    fit together tightly or easily
    The beauty of this idea is that my decision to keep Peeta alive at the expense of my own life is itself an act of defiance. A refusal to play the Hunger Games by the Capitol’s rules. My private agenda dovetails completely with my public one.
  29. objection
    the speech act of dissenting
    “Even though they announced the Quarter Quell the night of the photo shoot, people still voted for their favorite dress, and this was the winner. The president says you’re to wear it tonight. Our objections were ignored.”
  30. shroud
    burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
    It's so barbaric, the president turning my bridal gown into my shroud, that the blow strikes home, leaving me with a dull ache inside.
  31. betrayal
    an act of deliberate disloyalty
    This is the first time I realize the depth of betrayal felt among the victors and the rage that accompanies it.
  32. sever
    set or keep apart
    Surely the creators of the Quarter Quell never anticipated such love forming between the victors and the Capitol. No one could be so cruel as to sever such a deep bond.
  33. ruminate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Seeder quietly ruminates about how, back in District 11, everyone assumes President Snow is all-powerful. So if he’s all-powerful, why doesn’t he change the Quell? And Chaff, who comes right on her heels, insists the president could change the Quell if he wanted to, but he must not think it matters much to anyone.
  34. riot
    a state of disorder involving group violence
    People have been weeping and collapsing and even calling for change. The sight of me in my white silk bridal gown practically causes a riot. No more me, no more star-crossed lovers living happily ever after, no more wedding.
  35. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    So I keep spinning and spinning. For a split second I’m gasping, completely engulfed in the strange flames. Then all at once, the fire is gone.
  36. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    I’m still smoldering a little, so it’s with a tentative hand that Caesar reaches out to touch my headpiece. The white has burned away, leaving a smooth, fitted veil of black that drapes into the neckline of the dress in the back.
  37. resonate
    evoke or suggest a strong meaning or belief
    A shadow of recognition flickers across Caesar’s face, and I can tell he knows that the mockingjay isn’t just my token. That it’s come to symbolize so much more. That what will be seen as a flashy costume change in the Capitol is resonating in an entirely different way throughout the districts.
  38. fiery
    like or suggestive of a flame
    The significance of my fiery transformation will not be lost on President Snow.
  39. fuse
    any igniter used to initiate the burning of a propellant
    He’s done it again. Dropped a bomb that wipes out the efforts of every tribute who came before him. Well, maybe not. Maybe this year he has only lit the fuse on a bomb that the victors themselves have been building. Hoping someone would be able to detonate it.
  40. contain
    hold back, as of a danger or an enemy
    But even if all of us meet terrible ends, something happened on that stage tonight that can't be undone. We victors staged our own uprising, and maybe, just maybe, the Capitol won’t be able to contain this one.
Created on Thu Jul 27 16:24:48 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Oct 01 16:36:35 EDT 2018)

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