Chapter 16 Practice Quiz — The Giver
by Lois Lowry — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 16
What does Jonas ask the Giver at the beginning of Chapter 16?
He asks the Giver to share his own favorite memory.
Describe the scene in the Giver's favorite memory.
A warm room with a fireplace, a decorated tree with lights, and an extended family—including grandparents—exchanging wrapped presents during a holiday celebration.
What emotion does Jonas experience for the first time in this chapter?
Love.
What are 'grandparents' as Jonas learns about them?
Grandparents are the parents of one's parents—an extended family relationship that does not exist in Jonas's community.
What happens to parents in Jonas's community when their children grow up?
They move to the House of the Childless Adults and eventually to the House of the Old, where they are released. They lose contact with their grown children.
Why is the concept of grandparents shocking to Jonas?
Because in his community, family units are temporary and dissolved once children are grown. The idea of lifelong family bonds across generations is entirely foreign to him.
What does the Giver sacrifice by sharing his favorite memory?
He loses the memory permanently. Once a memory is transmitted to Jonas, the Giver no longer retains it.
What question does Jonas ask his parents at dinner?
"Do you love me?"
How does Jonas's mother respond to his question about love?
She tells him that 'love' is an imprecise and obsolete word that is almost meaningless, and suggests he use more precise language.
What alternative questions do Jonas's parents suggest instead of 'Do you love me?'
"Do you enjoy me?" and "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?"
What does Jonas realize about his parents after their response?
He realizes they have never felt genuine love and are incapable of the deep emotion he experienced in the memory.
What lie does Jonas tell his parents in this chapter?
He tells them he understands their response about love, even though he does not truly accept it.
What does Jonas do for Gabriel at bedtime?
He transmits a soothing memory to help Gabriel sleep and whispers 'I love you' to the infant.
What is the Stirrings pill that Jonas stops taking?
A daily medication that suppresses deep emotions and physical desires. All community members are required to take it.
Why does Jonas decide to stop taking his Stirrings pill?
He feels that the emotions the pill suppresses are too important and real to erase. Something that has grown within him through the memories tells him to stop.
What theme is most prominent in Chapter 16?
The theme of individual emotion versus community control (Sameness). The chapter contrasts genuine love with the community's insistence on precision of language and emotional suppression.
How does Jonas's act of stopping the pill represent rebellion?
It is a deliberate violation of community rules, showing Jonas is no longer willing to let the community control his feelings. It marks his shift from passive acceptance to active resistance.
What does 'precision of language' mean in the context of the community?
It is a community rule requiring citizens to use exact, approved terminology rather than vague or emotional words. It is used to eliminate deep feeling and maintain Sameness.
What is ironic about the parents' claim that 'love' is meaningless?
Jonas has just experienced love as the most powerful and meaningful emotion imaginable, yet his parents dismiss the very word as imprecise and obsolete.
How does Chapter 16 foreshadow later events in the novel?
Jonas's bond with Gabriel and his growing rebellion foreshadow his eventual decision to flee the community with Gabriel, and his willingness to risk everything to restore real emotion to society.