2. What occasion had prompted the community to perform the Ceremony of Loss a few years before the events of the narrative?
(a) The river drowning of a child named Caleb.
(b) The murder of the Chief Elder.
(c) The disappearance of Trademaster.
(d) The crib death of one of the Newchildren.

3. What problem does the male Nurturer say is still plaguing Claire's son, endangering the possibility of his being assigned to a parental unit?
(a) Irregular sleep patterns.
(b) Lack of engagement with others.
(c) Poor digestion.
(d) Frequent tantrums.

4. When Claire is at lunch and is surprised at her table mate's comment that going into labor causes pain, what word does she tell her table mate had been used within her instruction instead?
(a) Tingling.
(b) Discomfort.
(c) Unease.
(d) Cramping.

5. What skill does Claire tell the boat worker that the members of her community are required to learn at the age of five?
(a) To ride a bicycle.
(b) To draw.
(c) To swim.
(d) To rollerskate.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Sophia reluctantly agrees to give Claire a tour of the Nurturing Center, what time does she say is approaching?

2. What happens when Claire visits the Nurturing Center for the last time and reaches for her son as he is playing on the floor?

3. When a Newchild is showing signs of being ineligible for assignment, it is called a failure to do what?

4. What skill does Dimitri explain is unique to humans?

5. What reason does the male Nurturer give for not telling Claire her son's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What change does Claire see in Jonas between the time she sees him racing another boy on his bicycle and the time she sees him walking alone along the river?

2. Why is Claire so terrified when she is first told that she has been decertified as a Vessel?

3. Upon finally seeing Marie on the boat, what questions arise in Claire's mind?

4. What does one of the Vessels report it had felt like to cease taking the pills when she had been assigned the role of Birthmother?

5. How is the event of Claire's first encounter with her son portrayed by the author?

6. What criterion does Claire give regarding how the Fish Hatchery had been chosen as her workplace and how does the criterion differ from others who work at the Fish Hatchery alongside her?

7. What is the consequence of Claire's Task being different from those of the other Birthmothers?

8. Why does Jeanette, one of the Fish Hatchery workers, feel surprise when the name Paul is given to one of the Newchildren at the Ceremony?

9. What is Dimitri's explanation for why the community no longer has mammals?

10. When Claire declares that she hates her life, what aspects of her life does she say she despises?

(see the answer keys)

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