The Last Beekeeper: Chapters 16–22

by Pablo Cartaya
As a farmer in the Valley's Lot 2506, twelve-year-old Yolanda Cicerón does not have the money to continue her training to be a neurolink surgeon, so despite her sister's warning, she accepts a scholarship from the System.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–15, Chapters 16–22, "Understanding Bees"
40 words 9 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    I hear only static. The copper wiring is blocking out connectivity.
  2. reception
    quality or fidelity of a broadcast
    The static returns. I move the V-probe around to get better reception and almost slip off the branch.
  3. android
    a moving mechanical device that looks like a person
    The robotic-looking people have metallic foreheads, shoulders, and hands. They almost look like those android helper bots from last century.
  4. blare
    make a loud noise
    My V-probe speaker blares so loudly, I have to turn down the volume.
  5. cavalier
    showing a lack of concern or seriousness
    Every other plan has failed. I might as well try Arelis’s more cavalier approach to breaking our siblings out.
  6. pristine
    completely free from dirt or contamination
    I walk out of the woods toward the first silo. It’s dusty when I touch it. It always seemed so shiny and pristine.
  7. hypocrite
    a person who professes beliefs that he or she does not hold
    “I’m here, Mr. Mayor,” I say, trying not to show what a hypocrite I think he is.
  8. casually
    not methodically or according to plan
    I point to Hortensia, who is casually sauntering over.
  9. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    I point to Hortensia, who is casually sauntering over.
  10. blemish
    a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something
    Her face looks like porcelain. Like she’s wearing a mask. I’ve never seen her this close before. Her teeth have no blemishes.
  11. incessantly
    without interruption
    Its wailing siren rings incessantly in my eardrums.
  12. aggravate
    exasperate or irritate
    “Be careful,” I say. “They’re not evil, but they sting if you aggravate them.”
  13. thrive
    make steady progress
    We’ve all struggled and survived and occasionally thrived, but no matter what the circumstances, we’ve always relied on each other.
  14. averse
    strongly opposed
    “Did you say self-destruct? As in explode if you don’t rewire it in under five minutes?”
    “Give or take.”
    “We’re going to need to reevaluate your risk averseness, amiga,” I tell her.
  15. intercept
    seize, interrupt, or stop something on its way
    “A memory chip,” she says, approaching the drone. “AIF doesn’t stand for Artificial Intelligence Force. The letters mean Ambulatory Intercept Faction.”
  16. faction
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
    “AIF doesn’t stand for Artificial Intelligence Force. The letters mean Ambulatory Intercept Faction.”
  17. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    It has a white sheen that seems to glow.
  18. infiltrate
    enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members
    The System had already infiltrated so much of our lives.
  19. dismantle
    take apart into its constituent pieces
    Ms. Tanaka then explains how to dismantle the security box for the passcode, detailing which specific wires to cut and the order to cut them in.
  20. abet
    assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
    Yui Tanaka and Ken Tanaka of Lot 1392. You are hereby charged with abetting a fugitive, Arelis Rivera. Prepare to be detained.
  21. treason
    a crime that undermines the offender's government
    Yolanda Cicerón. You are hereby charged with treason against the System. Prepare to be detained.
  22. console
    a scientific instrument with displays and an input device
    I push the lever up to go as fast as possible until it snaps and rolls off the center console.
  23. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    There’s one last siren blare that shoots across the Valley and my heart sinks seeing the faint red light emanating from the AIF drone that still has ahold of my best friend.
  24. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    I hobble back into the woods and wait for nightfall.
  25. idly
    in a lazy, casual, or aimless way
    The AIF drone hovers idly by.
  26. sustain
    supply with necessities and support
    “Yes! We can’t have these people suddenly producing crops that can sustain them. They would pay off their loans! Silo would become insolvent!” the metallic-torso one cries out.
  27. insolvent
    unable to meet or discharge financial obligations
    “Yes! We can’t have these people suddenly producing crops that can sustain them. They would pay off their loans! Silo would become insolvent!” the metallic-torso one cries out.
  28. corrupt
    alter from the original
    “But I can corrupt it. Get it to lose connection.”
  29. legacy
    anything handed down by someone or something in the past
    It’s easy enough to find the access codes she left behind as I scroll through the advanced interface. If the bees are my family’s legacy, then this is hers and Cornelius’s.
  30. divert
    send on a course different from the planned or intended one
    “We barely have lights anymore. They just shut them off at random times. Say it’s ‘maintenance,’ but I think they’re just diverting power back to Silo.”
  31. bandy
    discuss lightly
    I hear the words traitor and disgrace bandied about the crowd.
  32. deliberate
    unhurried and with care and dignity
    I take slow, deliberate steps toward the mayor.
  33. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    “Nature is not evil,” I tell him, hoping for some inkling of reason in his twisted thinking.
  34. anesthetic
    a drug that causes temporary loss of bodily sensations
    Extraction of a neurolink device can’t be done without proper medical tools.
    I don’t have a laser.
    Or anesthetic.
    It’s gonna hurt.
  35. devise
    arrange by systematic planning and united effort
    “You devised this System twenty-five years ago. You put people into forced labor to collect scraps from the old machines to make this town that only serves you.”
  36. feral
    wild and menacing
    “I restored our society from a world controlled by nature. You want to take us back to scavenging for scraps of food. Fighting for shelter. Running from feral animals.”
  37. subjugate
    make subservient; force to submit or subdue
    “I’m not sure subjugating an entire population to her will because she has some vendetta against nature and our abuelita is my idea of impressive but go on.”
  38. vendetta
    a blood feud between members of opposing parties
    “I’m not sure subjugating an entire population to her will because she has some vendetta against nature and our abuelita is my idea of impressive but go on.”
  39. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    They’ve already begun to forage from nectar and pollen in our fields.
  40. residual
    relating to or indicating a remainder
    “It’s probably some residual glitch from when it was connected to Hortensia. Power it down, then reboot.”
Created on Fri Nov 17 15:13:07 EST 2023 (updated Sat Nov 18 17:12:36 EST 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.