The Giver, Chapter 3 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Jonas's father bring Gabriel home in Chapter 3?

   • Gabriel has been officially assigned to Jonas's family unit by the Elders
   • Correct answer: Gabriel is not thriving at the Nurturing Center and needs extra overnight care
   • Jonas's mother requested a newchild to help Lily learn responsibility
   • The Nurturing Center is overcrowded, so families must take turns fostering newchildren

   Jonas's father, who works as a Nurturer, brings Gabriel home because the baby is not developing well enough at the Nurturing Center and needs additional attention and care.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What unusual physical trait do Jonas and Gabriel share?

   • Correct answer: They both have pale, light eyes in a community where most eyes are dark
   • They are both shorter than average for their respective age groups
   • They both have unusually curly hair, which is rare in the community
   • They both have a distinctive birthmark on their left wrist

   In a community where almost every citizen has dark eyes, Jonas and the newchild both have rare pale eyes. Jonas decides the light eyes give a certain look of depth, and he feels self-conscious knowing he has it too.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why is Jonas upset with Lily when she first sees Gabriel?

   • She suggests giving Gabriel a comfort object from her own collection
   • She handles the newchild too roughly and almost drops him on the floor
   • Correct answer: She points out that Jonas and Gabriel share the same pale, light eyes
   • She refuses to help with Gabriel's feeding during the evening meal

   Lily says the newchild has funny eyes like Jonas's and teases that he might have had the same Birthmother. Jonas glares at her: it is not a rule, but it is considered rude to call attention to what is different about someone.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Jonas's mother say about the role of Birthmother?

   • It allows the woman to keep and raise her own children within a family
   • It is one of the most respected and honored Assignments in the community
   • It requires years of advanced training at the specialized medical center
   • Correct answer: It carries very little honor, and afterward the woman becomes a Laborer

   When Lily says she wants to be a Birthmother, her mother responds sharply that the role carries 'very little honor.' Birthmothers produce three children over three years, never see those children, and then spend the rest of their working lives as Laborers.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How many children does a Birthmother produce during her Assignment?

   • Five children over five years before receiving a new Assignment
   • One child per year for two years, totaling two children overall
   • Correct answer: Three children over a period of three years of service
   • As many children as the community requires during her service

   A Birthmother's Assignment lasts three years, during which she produces three children — one per year. After that, she is reassigned as a Laborer.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What happens to the apple while Jonas and Asher are playing catch?

   • Asher accidentally throws the apple onto the roof of a nearby building
   • The apple feels unusually cold to Jonas, though Asher says it feels normal
   • The apple splits in half when Jonas catches it, revealing it is rotten inside
   • Correct answer: The apple's appearance seems to change momentarily in midair four times

   While tossing the apple back and forth, Jonas sees it change in midair, just for an instant; it happens four times. Each time he looks at it closely, it is the same apple, unchanged.

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7. 7

   Question 7. How does Asher react to the apple's change during the game of catch?

   • He notices the same change but dismisses it as a trick of the light
   • Correct answer: He does not notice anything unusual about the apple at all
   • He suggests they stop playing and take the apple to be examined
   • He is frightened and wants to report the incident to the Elders immediately

   Asher laughs and jokes that the apple keeps jumping out of his hand; he notices nothing strange about it. Jonas laughs too, but he is left alone with his uneasy feeling that something happened.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Why does Jonas take the apple home after the game of catch?

   • Correct answer: He wants to examine it closely to understand the change he perceived
   • Asher asked him to hold onto it until they play again the next day
   • He is saving it as a gift for his sister Lily after her school performance
   • He is hungry and wants to eat it later during the evening meal

   Troubled and curious about the momentary change he noticed, Jonas takes the apple home hoping to study it and figure out what happened. This decision leads to his public reprimand.

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9. 9

   Question 9. How is Jonas reprimanded for taking the apple?

   • The Chief Elder summons Jonas to explain his rule-breaking behavior
   • His parents receive a formal notice and must discuss it at the family unit
   • His teacher calls him aside the next day and gives him a private warning
   • Correct answer: A public loudspeaker announcement reminds male Elevens not to hoard snacks

   The community broadcasts an announcement stating that 'SNACKS ARE TO BE EATEN, NOT HOARDED,' targeting Jonas without naming him directly. This indirect public shaming is how the community enforces compliance.

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does Jonas test his eyesight after he sees the apple change?

    • He asks the Recreation Director to examine his eyes the next morning
    • Correct answer: He squints at the small print on the identification badge on his tunic
    • He studies his reflection in a mirror at the edge of the throwing area
    • He holds a magnifying glass up to his own eyes to check them closely

    Jonas blinks, looks around, and tests his eyesight by squinting at the small print on his identification badge. He reads his name clearly, sees Asher clearly, and has no trouble catching the apple.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Why are mirrors uncommon in Jonas's community?

    • Correct answer: They are not forbidden, but people see no real need for them
    • They are kept only at the Nurturing Center for checking newchildren
    • They are rationed, so each family unit may own only one small mirror
    • They are forbidden, because looking at oneself is against the rules

    Mirrors were rare but not forbidden, because there was no real need of them. Jonas had never bothered to look at himself very often, so the newchild's pale eyes remind him that he has that look too.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of the following did NOT happen in Chapter 3?

    • Jonas recalled an incident where an apple seemed to change during a game
    • Jonas's mother explained why Birthmothers receive very little honor
    • Correct answer: Jonas shared his confusion about the apple at the evening feelings ritual
    • Lily commented on the similarity between Jonas's and Gabriel's pale eyes

    Jonas never brought up the apple when the family shared their feelings that evening, because he could not put words to his confusion. The other three events all occur in this chapter.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What theme is most prominently introduced through the pale eyes detail in Chapter 3?

    • The importance of family bonds and genetic inheritance in the community
    • Correct answer: The tension between individuality and a community that frowns on difference
    • The community's advanced medical technology for genetic modification
    • The dangers of allowing children to interact with newchildren too early

    The pale eyes shared by Jonas and the newchild, and the manners that forbid mentioning them, show the tension between being an individual and living in a community where calling attention to difference is considered rude.

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