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In The Giver, what do the new license plates on the twelves' bikes indicate after their ceremony?

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Jonas's bike has a plain nameplate on it. This indicates that he is not yet a citizen and is still in his training period. The bikes of the other eleven kids have different colored nameplates, which indicate the assignments they will be given when they turn twelve years old. Jonas remarks that Fiona's bike has the same color as his, which means that she will get an assignment the same as his. When Jonas asks Fiona if she knows what her Assignment is going to be, she responds with: "I know exactly what I'm going to be," but refuses to tell him for fear of jinxing it.

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At the beginning of chapter 10, Fiona admits to Jonas that she is nervous and he responds by telling her that everything is different now. Fiona agrees with Jonas and comments on the different nameplates on their bikes. The narrator then mentions that on the night of the Ceremony of Twelve, the Maintenance Crew replaced each Twelve's nameplate on their bicycle with a style that indicated citizen-in-training. At the age of twelve, each citizen is given their Assignment, which is specifically selected by the Committee of Elders to fit their personality, interest, and ability. Even though the Twelves have finished their required volunteer hours, they continue their schooling and are still not considered independent adults, which is why they must have unique nameplates on their bikes to identify their current status. In Jonas's highly-structured community, each age group has a particular identifying trait until they finish their schooling and training hours for their given Assignments.

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During the night after their Ceremony, the nameplate on the bicycle of each of the Twelves is "removed by the Maintenance Crew and replaced with the style that indicate(s) citizen-in-training" (Chapter 10).  Although they will still go to school, the Twelves are no longer considered children, as indicated by the words spoken to them when they received their life assignments, "Thank you for your childhood" (Chapter 7).  The Twelves have new identities, and these are represented by the nameplates on their bicycles.  The Twelves are entering into their adult lives, and will be learning the carefully chosen and defined skills which they will each perform in the near future as productive citizens of the community.

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