1-page, Section-by-Section Vocabulary Printables

The book's central word and a true Sense shift — an ordinary 'tribute' becomes a child the districts must surrender. The excerpt names the practice outright and the whole plot turns on it. The clear #1 for comprehension and for the series' vocabulary.

Top-shelf academic word students reuse across every subject. The excerpt teaches it cleanly — 'tribute... synonymous with the word corpse' — while landing District 12's grim point. High Tier 2 value and worth a precise definition.

Powerful thematic moment: the parallel 'we do not agree... we do not condone' makes refusing-to-approve visible while marking the districts' quiet defiance. A strong, portable word for argument and discussion; clearer here than its somewhat giveaway context suggests.

High-value word anchored to a sharp character beat — Katniss turns her face into an 'indifferent mask' to hide all feeling. The excerpt models showing no emotion, and the word travels well into other texts and student writing.

Vivid and well-rounded: the contrast 'defeated, the thirteenth obliterated' lets a target-grade student feel total destruction, and it matters to understanding the Capitol's power. Strong on difficulty, comprehension, and excerpt together.

Rich descriptive word paired with its own synonym — the Capitol's 'grandeur' echoed by 'magnificence' — so the Meaning is inferable while still worth learning. Good Tier 2 value and nuance for describing places and spectacle.

Very high Tier 2 value — an everyday-formal word students meet on signs, forms, and rules. 'Attendance is mandatory' with the threat of punishment makes required/compulsory unmistakable. Useful far beyond this book.

A top-shelf academic word the merit passes missed; the reaping tally — 'the entries are cumulative,' building from four to twenty over the years — shows added-up-over-time in plain context. High cross-subject utility (math, science, social studies) earns it a quiz slot over a plainer last pick.

Solid academic word with the Meaning visible in use — the electrified fence as a 'deterrent to the predators.' Crosses easily into science and social-studies talk of what discourages an action.

Strong, emotionally charged word reinforced by repetition in the passage ('the whole rotten lot... is despicable'). Good nuance for naming contempt, and an apt fit for the Capitol that students will reuse in writing.

predicament: Useful everyday-academic word; keeping their 'predicament a secret' as starvation looms shows a difficult, trapped situation. High utility for narrative and discussion, edging out near-identical plain words for the last slot.

unrequited: Distinctive, high-difficulty word with a memorable excerpt, but lower Tier 2 value and a line that half-explains it; just missed the cut.

adversaries: Solid Tier 2 word, but close in utility to plainer chosen words and somewhat inferable from 'bitter'; a near-miss.

mesmerized: Strong craft word — 'mesmerized by the heat and luscious scent' — but lower comprehension weight kept it just below the line.

relentless: Vivid 'relentless icy sheets' shows the word well, but its comprehension importance here is modest; a strong close call.

preposterous: Good Tier 2 word, but a short excerpt and low comprehension stakes left it just under stronger choices.

banal: High difficulty and apt ('hundred banal phrases'), but low comprehension importance and a plainer payoff kept it back.

ludicrous: Useful word, but overlaps with 'preposterous' in sense and carries modest comprehension weight here.

iridescent: Vivid descriptive word with craft, but lower Tier 2 value and comprehension stakes made it a close miss.

terse: Good word for the reaping's tension, but low comprehension importance and a brief excerpt left it below the line.

odds: Carries the series' signature line, but the word is easy for a target-grade student; surfaced for the iconic excerpt, not difficulty.

The novel's emotional peak — Katniss covering Rue's body in flowers. A rare, rich word a target-grade student won't know, taught in an unforgettable scene; the strong excerpt doubles as a reading touchstone for the section's most pivotal moment.

The best-rounded pick: uncommon enough to teach, likely to recur across academic reading, and the venom's dreamlike world gives it vivid support. A strong general-purpose Tier 2 word students will meet again well beyond this book.

Taught in its abstract sense of utter powerlessness — Katniss's helplessness against the Capitol after Rue's death. A difficult, resonant word most target-grade students won't know in this sense, anchored to a thematically central moment.

A rare, emotionally rich word for deep hopelessness, set in Katniss's grief after Rue. High difficulty and strong connotation give a target-grade student real meaning to learn; the excerpt ties it to a felt moment in the story.

Strong Tier 2 word with a vivid excerpt — the clash between desperate thirst and the sense left to abstain makes 'refrain from' concrete. Context leans toward the meaning, but the word is valuable and recurs widely in academic reading.

A rich, useful word for a brief respite — here the nightfall that buys Katniss a little time before the Careers can plan. Good difficulty and connotation; recurs in academic reading and the excerpt carries the meaning cleanly.

Taught in its figurative sense of brazen nerve, which a target-grade student is unlikely to know (the literal bile is more familiar). The flash of outrage at Peeta makes the audacity meaning land; a rich word worth the distinction.

A strong Tier 2 word students will reuse in academic writing, set beside Peeta's identity speech where Katniss's idle musing contrasts his deeper struggle. Good difficulty; the reflective context shows the 'turn over in the mind' sense.

A valuable Tier 2 word for lessening or dying down, shown clearly as the fireball attacks finally subside. Uncommon enough to teach and likely to recur in academic reading; a clean, supportive excerpt.

Strong Tier 2 word with a visceral excerpt — the warm, sticky spray of blood that drives Katniss back at the Cornucopia. The bloodbath moment is memorable for review, and the word recurs widely in academic reading.

equidistant: Strong Tier 2 word and the iconic Cornucopia-ring image, but low in nuance and the field offered richer picks.

searing: Vivid fire excerpt and good connotation, but a notch below the selected Tier 2 words in overall teaching value.

adversary: Clean, common academic word with clear context; just edged out by words carrying more difficulty or nuance.

salvation: Useful Tier 2 word, but most target-grade students grasp it and the excerpt is solid rather than strong.

deteriorate: Good academic word for steady decline, clearly supported; lost its slot to richer or more difficult picks.

wily: Rich word for sly cunning (Foxface), but lower comprehension stakes left it just under the line.

hallucination: Central to the tracker jacker ordeal, but more familiar to a target-grade student than the selected words.

dexterity: Strong Tier 2 word, but the booby-trap excerpt is incidental and adds little review value.

circuitous: Good difficulty and Tier 2 value, but a weak, passing excerpt with little comprehension weight.

The novel's most quoted line: Katniss kills Cato out of 'pity, not vengeance.' An iconic, character-defining moment paired with a rich, high-value word students meet often in academic reading; the contrast with 'pity' teaches the meaning precisely.

A high-value word students meet across academic reading, with real shades worth exploring. The creeping, hidden dread of being watched by the Capitol gives a vivid model of the 'gradual and secretive' sense most target-grade students don't yet command.

Strong, frequently-tested word with a clear payoff: killing your district partner would make you an outcast back home. The stakes make the 'shunned by your own people' meaning visible, and few target-grade students arrive knowing it.

Pivotal scene: the standoff where Katniss can't shoot Cato without hitting Peeta. Comprehension hinges on grasping the deadlock, and 'stalemate' is a useful Tier 2 word that recurs; the moment makes the 'neither side can move' sense plain.

A plot turn: Snow brands Katniss the one who started the defiance. Important to following the larger conflict, and the next line ('the one to be punished') glosses the meaning. A solid academic word target-grade students gain from.

Rich, high-value word with subtle overtones. The law-breaking banter between Katniss and Gale shows the playful-disrespect sense exactly, and most target-grade students don't yet hold it with precision.

One of the most pervasive academic words in the set; students will meet it constantly. The excerpt (their 'romance' must stay popular or it endangers their survival) is clear, even if the word is a touch more familiar than others here.

Character-defining and memorable: 'you're kind of squeamish for such a lethal person.' The contrast makes the meaning vivid and teaches something about Katniss; a word with real nuance most target-grade students could sharpen.

Valuable academic word that recurs in the section and rewards learning. Katniss borrowing her mother's 'calm demeanor' to treat Peeta shows the meaning in use; uncommon enough that most target-grade students gain from it.

Vivid sensory writing anchors Peeta's infected wound, central to this section's life-or-death medical drama. A word with strong connotation that target-grade students mostly don't know; the 'smell of festering flesh' makes the meaning unforgettable.

sadistic: Vivid and clear ('slow, sadistic end'), with real nuance, but edged out by words of higher academic reach in a deep field.

incompetent: Strong, emotional excerpt and a useful academic word, but more familiar to target-grade students than the chosen ten.

exorbitant: Excellent high-value word, but its throwaway cost-worry line carries little comprehension weight here.

contagion: Useful academic word with a clean filthy-vs-sterile contrast, but lower payoff than the selected medical word 'festering'.

incapacitated: Solid Tier 2 word; the wounded-Peeta question shows the meaning, but it lacks the excerpt strength of the chosen words.

respite: Strong word, but the line glosses it outright ('a respite, a holiday of sorts'), lowering its value as a quiz item.

feral: Vivid self-portrait ('Rabid. Feral.'), but the moment carries little comprehension weight and the field was deep.

emaciated: Strong word with a clear starvation context, but minor to following the plot; just under the line.

tourniquet: Concrete and plot-relevant (saving Peeta's leg), but narrow, and the action all but defines it on the page.

scrupulously: Rich word with a tight line, but the 'be careful' sense is easy to infer and it matters little to comprehension.