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Insurgent: Chapters 19–27

In the sequel to Divergent, Tris faces difficult choices as war rages between the factions of a dystopian Chicago.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–18, Chapters 19–27, Chapters 28–37, Chapters 38–47

Here are links to our lists for the trilogy: Divergent,Insurgent, Allegiant
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    But that girl was probably scared out of her mind, certainly not capable of assessing situations cleverly at the time, if she was ever able to do so.
  2. malice
    the quality of threatening evil
    Anyway you don’t have to forgive her, but you should try to understand that what she did was not out of malice; it was out of panic.
  3. logical
    marked by an orderly and coherent relation of parts
    “It’s not magic,” I say hotly. “You just have to ask yourself what the most logical response to a particular situation is.”
  4. analyze
    consider in detail in order to discover essential features
    "See? This is why we need you to analyze the situation,” Zeke says.
  5. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    I don’t know what to say or do around the erratic part of him, and it is here, bubbling just beneath the surface of what he does, just like the cruel part of me.
  6. inept
    revealing lack of perceptiveness or judgment or finesse
    All I want to say is that when you stop being delusional and start feeling desperate because you’re too inept to figure this out on your own, you know who to come to.
  7. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    I used a gun like this to defend my father and brother from simulation-bound Dauntless. I used it to stop Eric from shooting Tobias in the head. It is not inherently evil. It is just a tool.
  8. eavesdrop
    listen without the speaker's knowledge
    We won’t know what’s going on unless we eavesdrop, and we need to know what’s going on.
  9. reckless
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    "But if you’re going to be reckless, you can’t prevent me from coming along.”
  10. expendable
    suitable to be used up
    I mean that you are the only disposable faction. Candor does not provide us with protection, sustenance, or technological innovation. Therefore you are expendable to us.
  11. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
    Jeanine would not trust anyone, particularly not a volatile Dauntless, to speak on her behalf.
  12. approximation
    a rough calculation of quantity or degree or worth
    Then I point above me, at my best approximation of where Max stands.
  13. mire
    deep soft mud in water or slush
    I drop into the mud, closely followed by Tobias, Lynn, and Shauna. My legs sink into the mire, and my feet make sucking noises as I pull them free.
  14. steady
    securely in position; not shaky
    He keeps his gun steady. “So you have a choice. You can let us go, and help them, or you can die trying to follow us.”
  15. necessity
    the condition of being essential or indispensable
    “—who doesn’t understand that the value of a sacrifice lies in its necessity, not in throwing your life away! And if you do that again, you and I are done.”
  16. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
    “You’re giving me an ultimatum?”
  17. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    “If you throw yourself into danger for no reason again, you will have become nothing more than a Dauntless adrenaline junkie looking for a hit, and I’m not going to help you do it.”
  18. archetype
    something that serves as a model
    “I love Tris the Divergent, who makes decisions apart from faction loyalty, who isn’t some faction archetype. But the Tris who’s trying as hard as she can to destroy herself... I can’t love her.”
  19. volition
    the act of making a choice
    This time a yell tears from my body of its own volition, joining with the others in agreement.
  20. warrant
    show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for
    “You have committed every crime that warrants execution among the Dauntless,” says Tobias. “We have the right to execute you, under the laws of Dauntless.”
  21. usurp
    take the place of
    “So you can live with the guilt,” Eric replies. “Of knowing that you usurped me and then shot me in the head.”
  22. withhold
    hold back; refuse to hand over or share
    My forgiveness could have saved Al, but I withheld it.
  23. summon
    make ready for action or use
    My clearheadedness could have spared Will, but I could not summon it.
  24. situation
    a complex or critical or unusual difficulty
    “I have a meeting, and I want you there to help me read the situation.”
  25. perceptive
    having the ability to understand
    You’re far more perceptive than most.
  26. evade
    avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing
    “Perceptive enough to know you’re evading the question,” I say.
  27. attach
    create social or emotional ties
    We live in a dangerous world, and I am not so attached to life that I will do anything to survive.
  28. deprive
    keep from having, keeping, or obtaining
    “Obviously we will destroy it. The only way to deprive the Erudite of power is to deprive them of knowledge.”
  29. reservation
    an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something
    I wish I could tell him why I feel so conflicted ... explain to him why I, of all people, have reservations about burning Erudite to the ground, so to speak.
  30. exile
    the act of expelling a person from their native land
    I decided to leave rather than face the indignity of public exile.
  31. alliance
    an agreement establishing an association between groups
    “Why did you even bring me along, if you were just going to make an alliance anyway?” I say flatly.
  32. scowl
    frown with displeasure
    “What was I supposed to do, wave my hands in the air?” I scowl at him. “I don’t like it.”
  33. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
    I forgot about how your biases cloud your judgment.
  34. negotiation
    a discussion intended to produce an agreement
    “This is not a negotiation. It is a warning,” says the simulation through Marlene, moving her lips and vibrating in her throat.
  35. deliver
    surrender someone or something to another
    “Every two days until one of you delivers yourself to Erudite headquarters, this will happen again.”
  36. option
    one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
    She should have trusted me from the beginning, should have known that I wouldn’t have done it if I had been able to see another option at the time.
  37. provoke
    annoy continually or chronically
    “Yeah,” I say hollowly, “let’s provoke the woman who can force half of this compound to kill themselves.
  38. ensure
    make certain of
    The best way to ensure that half our faction doesn’t die is to sacrifice one life.
  39. volunteer
    do work by choice
    I don’t know what I expected. Maybe that Uriah, who knows too well what will happen if one of us does not go, would volunteer himself. But he looks down. Unwilling.
  40. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    Do this one thing for me. Tobias’s dark eyes plead with me.
Created on Mon Jan 11 11:38:03 EST 2016 (updated Wed Sep 05 15:21:19 EDT 2018)

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