Vocab Lesson 2

Grade 7 Vocabulary: Unit 2

Name________________________ Hour_____

WORD LIST: Touching Spirit Bear (Part II) inevitable

irk

savor

menacing

gingerly

grimace

stifle

taper

persistence

writhe

1. inevitable (in-EV-it-a-bul ) adjective p. 130 Cannot be avoided; certain to happen  It is inevitable that a Minnesota winter will bring snow and cold. inevitability noun

2. irk (irk) verb p. 134 Annoy, disgust, irritate  I am irked when I stub my bare toe on the edge of the chair. irksome adjective 3. savor (SAY-ver) verb p. 139 Enjoy with appreciation  Because she only had five bites of apple pie left, she took her time and savored each bite. savory adjective — delicious 4. menacing (MEN-uh-sing) adjective p.145 Threatening, dangerous  The menacing hawk watched the young chickens from the barn roof. menace noun 5. gingerly (JIN-jer-lee) adjective p. 150 Done in a careful, cautious way  Frances brought up the sensitive topic gingerly. 6. grimace (GRIM-us) verb p. 165 a twisting of the face to express pain or disgust   When Fred stepped on the nail, he grimaced in pain. 7. stifle (STIE-ful ) verb p. 169 Hold back, stop or repress something; to smother  Knowing his father would be angry if he smirked, Bob stifled his smile, covering it with a hand.

 

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8. taper (TAPE-er) verb p. 182 to decrease in width, lessen, diminish  The wide peninsula tapered at its end to a narrow point in the sea. taper noun — a long, slender candle 9. persistence (purr-SIS-tens) noun p. 186 stubborn, continuing effort  Although poor, John’s persistence allowed him to go to college. persist verb persistent adjective 10. writhe (ryeth) verb p. 193 squirm and twist the body as in pain  After spraining her ankle, Sarah writhed on the ground until her coach gave her a pain

Exercise 1: Write the correct word Next to each given definition, write the correct word in the space provided. Spell correctly.

  1.

2.

____________________ twisted expression in the face of pain ____________________ twisting and squirming of the body due to a pain

3.

____________________ unavoidable, must happen

4.

____________________ becoming narrower toward the end

 

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5.

____________________ done cautiously

6.

____________________ stop, hold back, withhold

7.

____________________ enjoy, appreciate

8.

____________________ dangerous

9.

____________________ continued effort

10.

____________________ bug, bother

Exercise 2: Complete the Sentence Write the letter for the word that best completes the sentence.

_____ 1. Although Alexis was very sore the first two weeks of soccer practice, finally, because of her _____ , she got in good shape and had a successful season. a. taper

b. writhing

c. stifling

d. persistence

_____ 2. Amanda always disliked visiting her relatives in Illinois, but she never protested, for she felt going was _____ . a. ienvitable

b. grimacing

c. irksome

d. menacing

_____ 3. Felicia was frightened of the city bus because of a(n) _____ man who rode the bus often and stared at her. a. writhing

b. menacing

c. persistent

d. savory

_____ 4. When a bad injury happens on the football field, typically one sees a player _____ on the ground with coaches and doctors standing around him. a. persist

b. stifle

c. writhe

d. menacing

_____ 5. Even though his horse accident was five years past, Bill would _____ just to think about the pain and suffering. a. writhe

b. menace

c. grimace

d. taper

_____ 6. It would _____ Sam when friends would make fun of his birthmark. a. stifle

b. menace

c. irk

d. grimace

_____ 7. Arriving home much too late, Cam walked _____ in the door so as not to awaken and anger his sleeping parents. a. menacingly

b. persistently

c. irksomely

d. gingerly

_____ 8. Feeling very silly and being in church, Tatiana put her arm to her mouth to _____ a laugh. a. writhe

b. stifle

c. gingerly

d. taper

_____ 9. Knowing only a week remained of summer holiday, the students in St. Louis Park _____ every moment of the fun left. a. stifled

b. tapered

c. savored

d. persisted

_____ 10. Although Betsy liked pants with room in the seat and thighs, she preferred ones that would _____ to a narrow opening at the bottom of the leg. a. writhe

 

b. meance

c. persist

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d. taper

Exercise 3: Reading Comprehension Read the passage below. Then complete #1-10. At the State Fair Although one may hate large crowds, it is (1) likely that one will go to the State Fair. Sure, the hot, muggy air of late August might (2) choke us. But plenty of fluids, a strong stomach, and (3) determination will get anyone through the day. First, of course, is the food. A thousand varieties of food—and some of it very strange—awaits the fair goer. Perhaps most strange and surest to provoke a (4) look of pain and disgust is deep-fried sawdust. All about this tent, (5) squirming with intestinal pain, lay victims squirming with intestinal pain caused by this strange snack. One is smartest to say no to this (6) delicious treat, step (7) cautiously over the suffering, and move on to a better food venue, perhaps the ice cream tent. Surely, ice cream is most popular at the fair. But there, sadly, one finds strange and (8) dangerous flavors, among them “street,” a special flavor consisting of small gravel stones and chips of old pavement, although fewer writhing bodies. Time for home. Thousands of us (9) narrow down to get through an exit only six feet wide. What most (10) annoys the fair goer, however, is auto traffic, the thousand of cars and buses seemingly looking for a pedestrian to flatten. At home, finally, ahh! peace and tranquility, and real food.

Each numbered sentence below refers to a numbered word in the passage above. Write the letter of the vocab word that best fits into the sentence at the number.

_____ 1.

a. menacing

b. persisting

c. inevitable

d. cautious

_____ 2.

a. writhe

b. stifle

c. irk

d. taper

_____ 3.

a. menace

b. grimace

c. stifle

d. persistence

_____ 4.

a. grimace

b. writhe

c. persistence

d. inevitability

_____ 5.

a. writhing

b. grimacing

c. savoring

d. tapering

_____ 6.

a. savory

b. inevitable

c. persistent

d. menacing

_____ 7.

a. writhingly

b. persistently

c. gingerly

d. irksomely

_____ 8.

a. savory

b. stifling

c. grimacing

d. menacing

_____ 9.

a. stifle

b. writhe

c. taper

d. persist

_____ 10.

a. tapers

b. irks

c. persists

d. stifles

 

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Part 4: Find the Example Read each question. Then select the example that best answers the question.

1. What might you find where a busy highway tapers? a. more pavement b. peaceful driving c. car accidents d. Macdonald’s 2. What might be especially irksom e to you? a. spending time with good friends c. a beautiful dinner

b. a classmate who bothers you d. excellent clothing to wear

3. A stifling classroom might end in what? a. an ‘A’ on the exam c. the need for fresh air and drink

b. a peaceful evening d. a cell phone

4. If the cat gingerly moves toward the mouse, what is he likely doing? a. keeping quiet in order to attack b. announcing his presence c. frightening the mouse d. playing with the mouse 5. A grim ace on the face of your teacher would be caused by which of the following? a. a very bad answer b. a call from the office c. a student with an A d. the ringing of the bell 6. If one savors the moment, most likely what is the reason? a. one is in pain b. you have a great memory c. you’re waiting for a ride d. one is enjoying oneself 7. If the snake writhes, what is it doing? a. biting you c. twisting and coiling

b. drinking coffee d. sleeping

8. If you are persistent, what likely will happen to you? a. you will travel the world b. you will do homework even when tired c. you will be good to your friends d. you will die young 9. An inevitable Vikings’ Super Bowl victory means what? a. unlikely b. frightening c. gonna happen d. is unfortunate 10. If one received a m enacing phone call, what might she do? a. laugh b. call back c. hang up and turn on the television d. call 911

 

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Exercise 4: Changing the form of words (a.k.a. Write the derivative) In the space provided, write the correct form of the word provided. The word might already be in the correct form. Spell correctly. 1. ___________________ The food poisoning victim lay _____ in bed for two days. (writhe) 2. ____________________ The _____ of the old man’s approaching death led him to give away much of his money. (inevitable) 3. ____________________ The angry citizen called her senator ____ until she was able finally to make contact. (persistence) 4. _____________________ The small, red fruit falling from tree _____ the owner as it left a deep blood-colored stain on the patio. (irk) 5. ____________________ The explorer did not know that the ridge he was walking on would _____ to a dangerous, high point and then disappear altogether. (taper)

Part 5: Writing Extended Responses Choose five of the words from this chapter and write a brief and engaging essay using the words properly.

 

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