Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment: Chapters 22–33

by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein
This first book of the series introduces a twelve-year-old homeless orphan who is unsure whether her real name is Maxine Einstein, but her scientific genius is confirmed when she is recruited by the Change Makers Institute to solve the problems that are threatening the planet.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–21, Chapters 22–33, Chapters 34–49, Chapters 50–71
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. munificent
    given or giving freely, generously, or without restriction
    “If I may,” said the girl who only ate plants, “who is this munificent benefactor?”
  2. magnanimous
    noble and generous in spirit
    “Is this a vocabulary quiz? Because I know what munificent means, too. The same thing as charitable, magnanimous, and unstinting.”
  3. strenuous
    taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance
    However, the contest doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, when you all will undergo a series of strenuous examinations.
  4. malady
    impairment of normal physiological function
    An expert in geoscience. She views the earth as a patient whose maladies can be diagnosed through scientific examination, and, eventually, cured.
  5. quantum
    the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property
    “He has his university degree in quantum mechanics. He hopes to, one day, develop a unified theory of everything, which will explain all physical aspects of the universe.”
  6. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
    She is a master of formal logic, which, she would argue, is a type of science, even though it is not based on observations, empirical evidence, or data.
  7. syllogism
    reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises
    “Do you dispute the human advances brought to light by Aristotle and his syllogisms?” said Annika.
  8. suffice
    be adequate, either in quality or quantity
    Max. She is our most recent arrival and, therefore, we have not had time to load her biographical data into our presentation software. Suffice it to say, she, like all of you, deserves to be here.
  9. dupe
    fool or hoax
    Dr. Zimm had been duped by that shiftless vagrant, Mr. Kennedy. When he sent Jimenez and Murphy back to deal with the deceitful homeless people at the stables, they were all gone.
  10. shiftless
    lacking ambition or initiative
    Dr. Zimm had been duped by that shiftless vagrant, Mr. Kennedy. When he sent Jimenez and Murphy back to deal with the deceitful homeless people at the stables, they were all gone.
  11. vagrant
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    Dr. Zimm had been duped by that shiftless vagrant, Mr. Kennedy. When he sent Jimenez and Murphy back to deal with the deceitful homeless people at the stables, they were all gone.
  12. mogul
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
    “We need her in Africa!” shouted the mining mogul from China. “We are making so much money from cobalt, we need to diversify our holdings. Branch out. You promised she could deliver the supercomputer we discussed, provided she had sufficient funding. Well, doctor, the funding is there. Where is the girl?”
  13. surmise
    infer from incomplete evidence
    As you might surmise, Dr. Zimm, we are not pleased with your performance.
  14. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    “You lost them, too?” said the Chairman.
    “No,” Dr. Zimm said with a defiant smirk.
  15. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    “What are the CMI’s plans?” asked the Chairman.
    “I suspect something hopelessly naive and lofty. Something with no profit motive whatsoever. Something noble and grand that will never earn them a penny.”
  16. lofty
    of high moral or intellectual value
    “What are the CMI’s plans?” asked the Chairman.
    “I suspect something hopelessly naive and lofty. Something with no profit motive whatsoever. Something noble and grand that will never earn them a penny.”
  17. carrel
    small individual study area in a library
    After a quick breakfast—featuring healthful food from all over the world—they were sent into a room filled with “testing carrels.” Each competitor was assigned their own boxy cube and given several number 2 soft lead pencils.
  18. proctor
    someone who supervises (an examination)
    “You may now begin your examination,” announced the proctor.
  19. barrage
    the rapid and continuous delivery of communication
    He launched into a barrage of questions about Max’s hero, Albert Einstein.
  20. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Finally, the exasperated inquisitor asked the one question that Max felt like answering.
  21. sterile
    deficient in originality or creativity
    He and Isabl escorted Max down the sterile hallway.
  22. determine
    decide upon or fix definitely
    “Determining the most important of Einstein’s theories depends on what’s important to you. It’s all relative.”
  23. pacifism
    the doctrine that all violence is unjustifiable
    She thought about Albert Einstein’s Civil Rights activism. His pacifism, even though his theories were used to help develop the atomic bomb that ended World War II.
  24. confines
    a bounded scope
    “Yahav will be responsible for your safety outside the confines of the Institute,” said Ms. Kaplan.
  25. manifest
    a document listing the contents put on a ship or plane
    Ms. Kaplan sighed and handed Yahav a passenger manifest.
  26. wrangle
    achieve something by means of argument or trickery
    “I know someone who knows someone. I should be able to wrangle us a pass.”
  27. archivist
    a person in charge of a repository of documents and records
    Annika’s father was a professor who knew a professor who knew another professor who knew an archivist at the Hebrew University.
  28. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    “A wise and prudent suggestion.”
  29. curator
    the custodian of a collection, as a museum or library
    They thanked the curators of the Einstein Archives.
  30. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
    Behind them, they could hear heavy footfalls followed by two brusque men speaking roughly to the receptionist.
  31. assumption
    a statement that is held to be true
    “Child-friendly, hands-on exhibitions,” she read from her search results.
    “So there will be lots of little kids?”
    “A logical assumption,” said Annika.
  32. rigorous
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    The undercover informant had confirmed that a young girl named Max was among the nine “child prodigies” undergoing rigorous testing and evaluation inside the CMI building.
  33. stringent
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    Otherwise, they would have taken much more stringent security precautions. How could they let her go, unguarded, into a public place like the Einstein Archives at Hebrew University?
  34. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    The involvement of Mossad meant that, perhaps, Charl and Isabl did have an inkling as to who Max Einstein truly was.
  35. fathom
    come to understand
    Her logical mind failed to fathom how she and Max could be at fault in this situation.
  36. phalanx
    any closely ranked crowd of people
    “The other kids voted to go to the bazaar,” said Yahav, pushing his way through the phalanx of armed security personnel.
  37. autonomous
    free from external control and constraint
    “This is exactly why we need autonomous automobiles controlled by robots,” said Klaus.
  38. blather
    talk foolishly
    While Klaus blathered on about the beauty of driverless vehicles, Max noticed Isabl subtly arching an eyebrow as she studied Yahav’s face.
  39. subtly
    in a manner difficult to detect or grasp
    While Klaus blathered on about the beauty of driverless vehicles, Max noticed Isabl subtly arching an eyebrow as she studied Yahav’s face. Was she silently questioning her decision to entrust him with the safety of her nine CMI charges?
  40. grouse
    complain
    “I wish I’d built a robot to take this test for me,” groused Klaus.
Created on Tue Jun 11 16:55:50 EDT 2024 (updated Wed Jun 12 17:43:51 EDT 2024)

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