2012 - 2013

Vocabulary Test #2

“Unless Mrs. DiAngelo had intentionally paddled up one of the creeks, there was no way they would have drifted here.” Red Kayak p. 29

intentionally - (adverb) – to do something on purpose

“Once, she barked at the ceiling in our basement so insistently that my father pulled down part of the insulation and found a possum’s nest made out of leaves.” Red Kayak p. 32

insistently – (adverb) – to do something over and over, not giving up

“Better not be a squirrel or something stupid like that,’ I grumbled as I swung the boat toward the cove.” Red Kayak p. 32

grumbled – (verb) – another word for “said,” to say in a grumpy, mumbling way

“I just sat there with the engine in neutral, resting my head against the fingers of my tightly folded hands, because it had just hit me what happened.” Red Kayak p. 41

neutral – (noun) – the position of staying still; not moving forward, backward, or to either side

“… I almost drowned in a cow pond when I was little, maybe eight. J.T., Digger, and I were playing ice hockey, and I fell clear through the ice. The memory of that accident made me shudder.” Red Kayak p. 29

shudder – (verb) – when something can’t control vibrations or shaking

“It was hard to ignore Tilly’s instincts. Once, she barked at the ceiling in our basement so insistently that my father pulled down part of the insulation and found a possum’s nest made out of leaves.” Red Kayak p. 32

instincts – (noun) – a feeling that you already know something, even though you have no proof

“Tall marsh grass obscured my view to the right, but as soon as we had motored around it, I glimpsed the remains of an old dock - …” Red Kayak p. 32

obscured – (adjective) – to cover or hide something

“Then I sat up, put the heel of my right hand on his chest, covered it with my left, and pressed down. Five times I pressed down. Five compressions.” Red Kayak p. 36

compressions – (noun) – act of pressing down on something

“That cantankerous ton of beef was restless no more. He became as playful as a kitten and even tried to purr.” Thunder Rose p. 65

cantankerous – (adjective) – full of bad attitude

“… Jesse Baines and his gang of desperadoes tried to rustle that herd away from Rose. …She dropped them all off to jail, tied up… ‘It wasn’t any trouble at all,’ she told Sheriff Weaver. ‘Somebody had to put a stop to their thieving ways.’” Thunder Rose p. 66

thieving – (verb) – taking something that doesn’t belong to the taker.

“Is this the fork in the road with which I have my final supper? Will this be my first and my last ride of the roundup?’ she queried.” Thunder Rose p. 71

queried – (verb) – another word for “wondered”

“Calmly Rose spoke out loud to the storm as she stood alone to face the wrack and ruin, the multiplying devastation.” Thunder Rose p. 71

devastation – (noun) – the act of destroying something

“His predicament was that Peter just refused to part with even his oldest, ripped-up pair.”

predicament – (noun) – problem; difficult situation

“Your sneakers were definitely the most disgusting. You won first place! We are displaying them in a closed case where people can admire the shoes without the odor.”

admire – (verb) – to really like something

“He knew precisely where he wanted Grandfather to take him, Smith’s Athletic Store, a paradise for sneaker lovers.”

paradise – (noun) – a place of great happiness or joy

“It said that Peter was entitled to one free pair of sneakers!”

entitled – (verb) – to give a right or claim to

“Inside the cramped submarine, all I could hear was the steady pinging of the sonar and the regular breathing of the pilot and engineer.” The Unsinkable Wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic by R. Ballard and R. Archbold p. 207

cramped – (adjective) – describes not having very much space or crowding a small area

“In 1912, the Titanic had set sail on her maiden voyage, the largest, most luxurious ship the world had ever seen.” The Unsinkable Wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic by R. Ballard and R. Archbold p.208

luxurious – (adjective) – very grand or deluxe; super fancy

“Then, on the fifth night out – tragedy. An iceberg, seen too late. Too few lifeboats. Pandemonium, and over 1,500 dead out of the more than 2,200 people on board.” The Unsinkable Wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic by R. Ballard and R. Archbold p. 209

tragedy – (noun) – terrible disaster

“The glass dome over the first-class grand staircase was long gone, providing a perfect opening for exploring the interior of the ship.” The Unsinkable Wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic by R. Ballard and R. Archbold p. 213

interior – (noun) – the inside location of something