BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Jonas lives in a future community where every aspect of life is controlled and identical: the same climate, the same jobs assigned by a committee, the same routines repeated without question. Citizens feel no pain, see no color, and have no real memories of the past. As his class approaches the annual Ceremony of Twelve, where each child receives a lifetime job assignment, Jonas is nervous about what role awaits him. When the moment comes, he is not assigned like the others but selected for a rare and mysterious position called Receiver of Memory, and his training will take him somewhere none of his friends or family have ever gone.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Giver
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Giver. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book are a boy's pale eyes considered an unsettling rarity that polite people don't mention?
✓ Answer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Almost everyone in the community has dark eyes, but Jonas and a few others have light ones. Lily blurts out the observation about Gabriel's similar eyes, which is considered rude in a society that values sameness.
- First half
In what book is a boy named Assistant Director of Recreation as the perfect match for his cheerful, playful personality?
✓ Answer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
After retelling the snack and smack story to the audience, the Chief Elder gives Asher this Assignment. The crowd cheers because the role suits his unfailing good humor.
- First half
In what book does a folder of training instructions contain shocking permissions like "You may lie"?
✓ Answer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Jonas opens his startlingly thin folder to find rules that overturn everything he was taught, including exemption from rudeness and permission to lie. He wonders uneasily whether other adults received the same instruction.
- Second half
In what book does a boy receive a memory of poachers killing an elephant for its tusks?
✓ Answer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Hidden in the bush, Jonas watches men hack tusks from a fallen elephant. Later a second elephant emerges, strokes the corpse with its trunk, drapes leafy branches over it, and roars in grief. The sound haunts him as he pedals home.
- Second half
In what book does a treasured memory show a fire, twinkling tree lights, and grandparents on a couch?
✓ Answer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The old mentor shares his favorite memory: a warm room with snow outside, a sleeping golden-haired dog, wrapped packages, and an older couple smiling on a couch. Jonas perceives the feeling for the first time and is later told it is love.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy steal his father's bicycle because it has a child seat strapped to the back?
✓ Answer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
When Jonas learns that Gabriel will be released the next morning, he flees that night instead of waiting for the planned escape. He takes the larger bicycle even though he isn't used to it, because only it has a seat for the toddler.
