The Darkest Minds: Chapters 23-31

by Alexandra Bracken
When the children who survive a plague develop unusual powers, they are rounded up and imprisoned in rehabilitation camps. Sixteen-year-old Ruby escapes from confinement and joins up with a group of other children fighting back against the government.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-6, Chapters 7-11, Chapters 12-15, Chapters 16-22, Chapters 23-31
30 words 28 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    I don’t know when it had dawned on me, or if it had been a slow, creeping realization, but I had begun to understand that black—the color that I had trained myself to fear and hate—was the same thing that allowed these kids to feel a small measure of pride and solidarity.
  2. relinquish
    part with a possession or right
    The girl relinquished the front of the room to him immediately.
  3. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    One side of his mouth curled up in a rueful smile.
  4. badger
    persuade through constant efforts
    It was his strange badgering for some kind of juicy memory that finally produced my first actual result.
  5. impassive
    deliberately unexpressive
    I kept my face impassive.
  6. fluke
    a stroke of luck
    “I want to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.”
  7. pacify
    ease the anger, agitation, or strong emotion of
    She whirled back toward Clancy, who had put two pacifying hands on her shoulders.
  8. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
    The spring weather was still sporadic—cold and dismal one day, perfectly warm the next.
  9. cavernous
    being or suggesting a large dark enclosed space
    But today, without floral shampoo and conditioner perfuming the air, I realized the cavernous room smelled like sawdust.
  10. bile
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
    I don’t know how long I stood there staring at his hand, bile rising in my throat as fast and steady as a scream.
  11. garb
    clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
    This was the first time their black garb seemed remotely appropriate.
  12. unyielding
    stubbornly unwilling to give in
    His words were coated with such unyielding hopefulness that it visibly inflated everyone around him.
  13. crotchety
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    That even if his father hadn’t taught him himself, some crotchety old nanny had waxed poetic on the value of tucking your shirt in, polishing your shoes, and combing your hair.
  14. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    “He would never,” I said, getting riled up on Chubs’s behalf.
  15. vain
    unproductive of success
    I raised myself up on my elbows in a vain attempt to pull away from his touch.
  16. cicada
    stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings
    There was nothing outside of him, not even the grating of cicadas, not even the gray-bodied trees.
  17. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    Much like how he seemed poised to take care of us now.
  18. undaunted
    resolutely courageous
    The full force of Clancy’s cold gaze fell on Chubs, but he went on, undaunted.
  19. sinew
    a band of tissue connecting a muscle to its bony attachment
    Every part of him—every muscle, every joint, every sinew—went board-straight, like he had received a great electric jolt.
  20. gawker
    a spectator who stares openly
    Through the windows, we saw curious faces—gawkers and guards alike, all trying to figure out exactly what had happened.
  21. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
    He stirred again when we began cleaning the cuts and gouges on his face, reaching for my hand at the first touch of stinging antiseptic.
  22. rankle
    make resentful or angry
    I tried to stay calm, but the way he spat the word out—Blue—rankled my already frayed nerves.
  23. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    “Good to see my lessons were of some benefit to you,” Clancy snarled, raking a hand through his disheveled hair.
  24. telltale
    disclosing unintentionally
    The telltale smell of smoke filtered in through the open windows.
  25. unadulterated
    without qualification
    The anticipation there gave way to blank incomprehension and then to pure, unadulterated rage.
  26. convulse
    contract involuntarily, as in a spasm
    My hands and legs all convulsed as the feeling began to return to them.
  27. listless
    lacking zest or vivacity
    I moved around the room listlessly, listening to him type, taking in the room’s stale smell.
  28. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    The address for Jack’s father was a Days Inn motel, far away from Annandale’s neighborhoods of sprawling homes.
  29. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Liam stared at him for a moment, before relenting.
  30. volley
    return a ball by hitting it before it bounces
    And then, because, let’s face it, I’m basically an Olympic god when it comes to sports, I manage to volley the ball right into your face.
Created on Mon Apr 23 14:23:24 EDT 2018 (updated Wed Apr 25 08:37:10 EDT 2018)

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