The Testing

Joelle Charbonneau
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2013
216 pages in Nook eBook Version
Rating: 9.5

Symbols:
1. Testing bracelets
2. Zeens transmitter
3. Truth serum
A Tempting Title
******
Character Traits
A positive personality trait Malencia Vale, the main character demonstrates can be
described as evaluative. This trait can be found in Chapter 21 on page 224, paragraph 3 where it
states, I bite my lip and decide what Dr. Barnes wants to her. Finally, I say This can be
explained since she is evaluating what Dr. Barnes will do in correlation with what she will say
about her familys teachings about the Five Lakes Colony way. In conclusion, a positive trait
Malencia demonstrates is evaluative.
Decisions, Decisions
Malencia makes a decision to trust Will during the time that they regrouped during Round
4 or page 164. She was blinded by friendship and trusted Will, but in vain. Her decision was
wrong because while though he did help during that time, his blinding greed led him to betray his
friends. An example of this can be found on page 208. I shove Tomas to the side just as Will
raises his gun and fires. But Im not fast enough. I feel Tomas flinch as the bullet enters his
abdomen. (Charbonneau, 2013) This shows an example of how Will betrayed Tomas through
the decision to shoot him. In conclusion, the decision Malencia makes to trust Will was wrong.
Dynamic Character
Will was definitely the most dynamic character during the period of the Testing. He
changed most by using violent conduct and psychological harassment towards a handful of the
other competitors to render them less fierce to complete the Testing and feel self-doubting. The
forces causing Will to change would most unquestionably be his insatiability for success.

Minor Players
Other minor characters such as the man at the fence (unnamed during the book) and
Michal Gallen both play though minor, but integral parts of the book. As for the case of the man
at the fence, he provides Malencia with food and supplies along with an enigmatic substance
supposedly to prevent the destruction of Testing memories by the truth serum. Now, for Michal
Gallen. A Tosu City official, and in following books, supporter of the President, and a supporter
of the movement to end the Testing. He had escorted the Five Lakes colony candidates to Tosu
City to participate in the Testing. Gallen also was one of the people that put their faith in
Malencia due to the fact that she stood out. (Charbonneau, 2013)
Moral
The significant lesson of the Testing is to only trust others after fully knowing that they
are dependable and will not harm you after you are finished with the task knowingly or
unknowingly they need you to do.
Conflict
One of the main conflicts in The Testing would undeniably be Malencias external,
character vs. society conflict. This conflict would be against The Testing society as a whole. This
is due to the fact that a society is the aggregate of people living together in a more or less
ordered community according to the Oxford University Press, 2016. This means the Testing
society comprises of the candidates, testing officials, and administration. The society, in
particular the participants and Dr. Jedidiah Barnes were against Malencia the greatest. They
obstructed Malencias goal of finishing the Testing and make it to the University, however
Malencia fought through the 4 rounds of the Testing and made it to the University.
The End
I was satisfied with the books ending since it