Mockingjay: Chapters 10–13

by Suzanne Collins
In the last book of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss struggles to be more than just a pawn in the fight for the future of Panem.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–18, Chapters 19–22, Chapter 23–Epilogue

Here are links to our lists for the trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

Here is a link to our lists for Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scenario
    a postulated sequence of possible events
    Of course, we have prepared for such a scenario.
  2. quarantine
    isolation to prevent the spread of infectious disease
    During the second, a Level Two drill meant for minor crises—such as a temporary quarantine while citizens were tested for contagion during a flu outbreak—we were supposed to return to our living quarters.
  3. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    Neither experience has prepared me for the wordless, eardrum-piercing, fear-inducing sirens that now permeate 13.
  4. cue
    a stimulus that provides information about what to do
    “The other people in the bunker, they’ll be taking their cue on how to react from you. If you’re calm and brave, others will try to be as well. If you panic, it could spread like wildfire,” explains Plutarch.
  5. evacuation
    the act of leaving a dangerous place in an orderly fashion
    Coin’s voice comes over the district audio system, thanking us all for an exemplary evacuation of the upper levels.
  6. duration
    the period of time during which something continues
    Sensors indicate the first missile was not nuclear, but very powerful. We expect more will follow. For the duration of the attack, citizens are to stay in their assigned areas unless otherwise notified.
  7. havoc
    violent and needless disturbance
    Then I know Prim is right, that Snow cannot afford to waste Peeta’s life, especially now, while the Mockingjay causes so much havoc.
  8. decimate
    kill in large numbers
    It feels more designed to keep us in lockdown than to decimate 13.
  9. acquire
    come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
    Cripple the district, yes. Give the people plenty to do to get the place running again. But destroy it? No. Coin was right on that point. You don’t destroy what you want to acquire in the future.
  10. wage
    carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns)
    Certainly, the war is still being waged, but as to its status, we’re in the dark.
  11. strict
    rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard
    We adhere to a strict schedule for meals and bathing, exercise and sleep.
  12. alleviate
    provide physical relief, as from pain
    Small periods of socialization are granted to alleviate the tedium.
  13. metaphor
    a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
    Crazy Cat becomes a metaphor for my situation. I am Buttercup. Peeta, the thing I want so badly to secure, is the light.
  14. aggression
    a disposition to behave forcefully and energetically
    As long as Buttercup feels he has the chance of catching the elusive light under his paws, he’s bristling with aggression. (That’s how I’ve been since I left the arena, with Peeta alive.)
  15. unendurable
    incapable of being put up with
    But thinking that he’s being tortured specifically to incapacitate me is unendurable.
  16. lure
    provoke someone to do something through persuasion
    Only when you said they’d use Peeta against me, I thought you meant like bait. To lure me into the Capitol somehow,” I say.
  17. dominant
    exercising influence or control
    You have two hours to get footage showing the damage from the bombing, establish that Thirteen’s military unit remains not only functional but dominant, and, most important, that the Mockingjay is still alive.
  18. circuitous
    deviating from a straight course
    In ten minutes, the cast and crew of the next propos are making the circuitous trek to the outside.
  19. superficial
    of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
    Even that was never meant to withstand more than a superficial attack.
  20. entail
    have as a logical consequence
    Because, beyond the military disadvantage losing a Mockingjay entails, I am broken.
  21. sedate
    cause to be calm or quiet
    “Do you want me to have them sedate you until it’s over?” asks Haymitch.
  22. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    You’re too valuable and too vulnerable.
  23. divert
    turn aside; turn away from
    There was talk of sending you to another district to divert the Capitol’s attention while the rescue takes place.
  24. decoy
    a person or thing that misleads by drawing attention away
    “Yes, a distraction,” says Finnick. “A decoy of sorts.”
  25. riveting
    capable of arousing and holding the attention
    What we really need is something so riveting that even President Snow won’t be able to tear himself away.
  26. fragile
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    President Snow once admitted to me that the Capitol was fragile. At the time, I didn’t know what he meant. It was hard to see clearly because I was so afraid. Now I’m not. The Capitol’s fragile because it depends on the districts for everything. Food, energy, even the Peacekeepers that police us. If we declare our freedom, the Capitol collapses.
  27. sufficient
    of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement
    I’ve been sufficient, if not dazzling.
  28. recrimination
    mutual accusations
    Even as the waves of shock and recrimination roll over the Capitol, the people there will be waiting, as I am now, to hear about the president.
  29. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
    Finnick goes back to Snow’s political ascension, which I know nothing of, and works his way up to the present, pointing out case after case of the mysterious deaths of Snow’s adversaries or, even worse, his allies who had the potential to become threats.
  30. allegation
    a formal accusation against somebody
    Since my opinion of the Capitol and its noble president is already so low, I can’t say Finnick’s allegations shock me.
  31. designate
    decree beforehand
    At 15:00, the designated hour, we stand tense and silent in the back of a room full of screens and computers and watch Beetee and his team try to dominate the airwaves.
  32. coup
    a sudden and decisive change of government by force
    For the next sixty minutes, the Capitol feed alternates between the standard afternoon newscast, Finnick, and attempts to black it all out. But the rebel techno team manages to override even the latter and, in a real coup, keeps control for almost the entire attack on Snow.
  33. relinquish
    release, as from one's grip
    “Let it go!” says Beetee, throwing up his hands, relinquishing the broadcast back to the Capitol.
  34. attempt
    make an effort
    Beetee takes us to another room and shows us how the team, with the help of rebel insiders, will attempt—has attempted—to free the victors from an underground prison.
  35. disruption
    an act or event that causes a delay or break in an ongoing activity
    It seems to have involved knockout gas distributed by the ventilation system, a power failure, the detonation of a bomb in a government building several miles from the prison, and now the disruption of the broadcast.
  36. inconsistent
    displaying a lack of regularity
    The Capitol’s very secretive about this form of torture, and I believe the results are inconsistent. This we do know. It’s a type of fear conditioning. The term hijack comes from an old English word that means ‘to capture,’ or even better, ‘seize.’
  37. aftermath
    the outcome of an event
    “I’m sure you remember how frightening it was. Did you also suffer mental confusion in the aftermath?” asks Beetee. “A sense of being unable to judge what was true and what was false? Most people who have been stung and lived to tell about it report something of the kind.”
  38. innocuous
    lacking intent or capacity to injure
    Send in the most innocuous person from Twelve they can come up with. Find someone Peeta might share childhood memories with, but nothing too close to you.
  39. exceptional
    surpassing what is common or usual or expected
    To hear Delly describe it, I had next to no friends because I intimidated people by being so exceptional.
  40. restraint
    a device that hinders something's motion
    “Twelve burned down, didn’t it? Because of her,” says Peeta angrily. “Because of Katniss!” He begins to pull on the restraints.
Created on Thu Jul 27 09:09:29 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Oct 01 16:37:57 EDT 2018)

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