Divergent

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. 16 (Chapter 1)

2. Caleb (Chapter 1)

3. Abnegation (Chapter 1)

4. Erudite (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. While most citizens have a clear-cut choice when it comes to the Choosing Ceremony, Beatrice worries about it. She sees loss in ending the previous chapter of her life and is uncertain what she will choose. (Chapters 1-5)

2. Tori seems unsettled. She leaves the room for a bit. When she returns, she tells Beatrice not to tell anyone about her Divergent results. (Chapter 3)

3. Abnegation are the leaders of the city because they are known for being selfless. The thought is they would be the most kind and fair. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 6-10

Reading Check

1. Beatrice/Tris (Chapter 6)

2. 10 (Chapter 7)

3. Three birds (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Tris jumping on the train reveals her determination not to be factionless and her courage. Some initiates do not jump and are factionless. Tris was in awe of Dauntless in the first chapters but now is one of them. (Chapter 6)

2. Four is one of the first people Tris meets at Dauntless. He is in charge of some of the new-initiate training. Tris is curious about him; she senses a tension between Four and Eric, and she asks him questions. She also tells Christina she views him as intimidating. (Chapters 6-10)

3. Eric makes Christina choose: hang over the chasm of the Pit for five minutes, risking her life, or leave initiation and become factionless. She chooses to hang over the Pit and barely survives. By making this choice, she demonstrates courage and determination. (Chapter 9)

4. Tris ends up in the hospital after fighting Peter. He beats her unconscious. Eric and Four do not stop the fight, which shows Dauntless’s commitment to violence. Extreme injury, even death, are not ruled out. (Chapter 10)

Chapters 11-15

Reading Check

1. First (Chapter 11)

2. Eric and Four (Chapter 12)

3. Heights (Chapter 12)

4. She was Dauntless. (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. During Capture the Flag, when Tris is about to fall off the Ferris wheel, Four starts the wheel moving, so it lowers her to the ground and she can jump off safely. (Chapter 12)

2. Molly teases Tris. Tris attacks Molly’s ribs until Molly crumples and continues hitting her until Four stops her. The fight demonstrates that Tris is becoming more skilled at fighting and increasingly ruthless. (Chapter 14)

3. Tris’s mother advises her to not get noticed and to never say the word “divergent.” This interaction reveals her mother knows about the Divergent label and more about Dauntless than Tris had thought. (Chapter 15)

Chapters 16-20

Reading Check

1. Sixth (Chapter 16)

2. Zipline off a tall building (Chapter 17)

3. Kill her (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Tris believes Edward was stabbed to eliminate competition. This shows the ruthless nature of the initiation process. (Chapter 16)

2. She undergoes simulations that expose her to her fears. She fights in fear at first but learns to control her fear and break through the simulated situations. She becomes quicker at doing so with practice. (Chapters 16-20)

3. She can control the simulations. She is able to crack the glass box filled with water, for example. (Chapter 20)

Chapters 21-25

Reading Check

1. Tris and Peter (Chapter 21)

2. The symbol of Abnegation (Chapter 25)

3. Tobias (Chapter 25)

Short Answer

1. Four suggests that if the other initiates see her as vulnerable, they might not target her. (Chapter 22)

2. He only has four fears in his fear landscape. Tris goes through it with him and learns this fact. Four is a small number of fears compared to other people. The fact that he continues to voluntarily face these fears shows his focus on growth. Showing them to Tris shows his trust in her. (Chapter 25)

Chapters 26-30

Reading Check

1. 10-15 (Chapter 27)

2. To Erudite to see Caleb (Chapter 28)

3. Jeanine, a leader of Erudite (Chapter 28)

4. War plans (Chapter 28)

Short Answer

1. Tris says she smells rain, and the rain puts out the fire. She demonstrates her ability to think clearly and creatively in terrifying situations. (Chapter 30)

2. In the simulation, Tris is told to shoot her family. She instead holds the gun to her own head and thinks she would rather get shot herself. Doing so illustrates her selflessness, which is the focus of Abnegation. (Chapter 30)

Chapters 31-35

Reading Check

1. A tattoo of each faction (Chapter 31)

2. First (Chapter 32)

3. Her mother (Chapter 35)

Short Answer

1. Eric gives each initiate an injection. He says it will track them if they need to find them, suggesting there is some danger. (Chapter 31)

2. Tris wakes up and sees other initiates walking as if in a trance, then getting guns and filing onto the train. She realizes the injections Eric gave made it so they could be controlled. She follows, attempting to blend in, but her mind is free, suggesting her divergence is preventing the injection from working on her. These scenes build suspense because Tris is constantly on guard that someone will realize she is not controlled and thus is Divergent. (Chapter 33)

3. Jeanine knows Four and Tris are Divergent. She injects Four with a serum she has been developing that can control people who are Divergent. It changes their perceptions of their surroundings, so she can manipulate them. For instance, he sees Tris as a threat. (Chapter 34)

Chapters 36-39

Reading Check

1. Will (Chapter 36)

2. In the control room of Dauntless (Chapter 37)

Short Answer

1. Tris helps Tobias fight against the serum controlling him. Tobias stops the computer program controlling other Dauntless minds. (Chapters 38-39)

2. After some hedging, Tobias admits he loves Tris. (Chapter 39)