Ink & Stars (Chapters I and II)

Question 1

alight or rest on something

(of a bird)

Answer 1

perch

I’d watch them perch on the rooftops like omens…

https://youglish.com/pronounce/perch/english/uk?

Question 2

A small passerine bird, found throughout Europe and eastward to Iran and eastern Mediterranean coastlands.

Answer 2

chaffinch
try to squint them into the chaffinches and goldcrests Da drew from memory.

зяблик

https://youglish.com/pronounce/chaffinch/english/uk?

Question 3

a very small Eurasian warbler with a black-bordered yellow or orange crest.

Answer 3

goldcrest
try to squint them into the chaffinches and goldcrests Da drew from memory.

королек

Question 4

adjective. being buoyed up on water or other liquid; having little or no attachment to a particular place; moving from one place to another.

Answer 4

floating
Da would tell me another story then, about the girl-warrior Arinta, or about Joya’s mythical past as a floating island,

Question 5

be damaged, injured, or destroyed by heat or fire.

Answer 5

burnt
The smell of burnt porridge hung on the air.

Question 6

make a continuous deep, resonant sound.

Answer 6

rumble
My tummy rumbled as I stretched my arms.

Question 7

cause (a spirit or ghost) to appear by means of a magic ritual

Answer 7

conjure
But still I could conjure him.

they hoped to conjure up the spirit of their dead friend

Question 8

a length of hair or other material that is divided into three parts that are then crossed over each other in a special pattern

Answer 8

braid
I quickly braided my unbrushed hair and hoped Da wouldn’t notice I hadn’t untangled it all summer.

коса, заплетать косу

Question 9

(of a bird) strike or bite something with its beak.

Answer 9

peck
She narrowed her misty eyes and pecked at my ankles, chasing me further into the main room where we ate, talked and planned adventures.

Question 10

leave (someone) trapped and alone in an inaccessible place, especially an island

also: of a brownish-red colour

Answer 10

maroon
A big bowl of blackened porridge sat on our large pine-plank table, marooned among a sea of maps.

Question 11

hold on tightly to

Answer 11

cling
how Æygpt clung to the curve of Europa Bay like one hand grasping another across the sea.

She clung to Joe’s arm

Question 12

a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations

Answer 12

heirloom
It had always felt like a sign that Ma and Da were meant for each other, that he was a cartographer and her only heirloom was a map.

Question 13

to move something by pulling it along a surface, usually the ground

Answer 13

drag
I dragged a chair to the shelves, carefully taking the jug from high up, and put it on the table next to the porridge.

Pick the chair up instead of dragging it behind you!

Question 14

walk with difficulty, typically because of a damaged or stiff leg or foot

Answer 14

limp
‘Good morning, little one.’ Da limped from the kitchen.

he limped heavily as he moved

Question 15

to criticize angrily someone who has done something wrong

Answer 15

scold
‘You shouldn’t walk without your stick,’ I scolded.

Mum took Anna away, scolding her for her bad behaviour

Question 16

a removable or hinged cover for the top of a container

Answer 16

lid
‘Pine honey!’ I unscrewed the lid and the smell filled my nostrils, making my mouth water.

a dustbin lid

Question 17

a bag carried on the shoulder by a long strap and closed by a flap, used especially for school books.

Answer 17

satchel
When he didn’t answer I picked up my satchel and left the house,

Question 18

a small, simple, single-storey house or shelter

Answer 18

hut
a long row of mud huts with straw roofs that Lupe thought looked sweet.

a beach hut

Question 19

to slide unintentionally on a surface;
to slide without turning

Answer 19

skid
I normally ran to the market square, skidding downhill on my heels, because the ravens liked to fly low and running put them off.

usually refers to a vehicle sliding across a road or gravel surface

Question 20

move one’s hand to and fro in greeting or as a signal

Answer 20

wave
I waved, trying to see past her into the house.

Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.

Question 21

a person doing unskilled manual work for wages

wage - a fixed regular payment earned for work, (daily or weekly)

Answer 21

labourer
Two years ago, when his mother’s back got too bad, Pablo left school and took her place as a labourer, although Masha pleaded with him not to.

farm labourer

Question 22

cut (a hard material) in order to produce an object, design, or inscription

Answer 22

carve
Da said it was carved from a single Afrik baobab trunk.

trunk - the main stem of a tree apart from branches or roots

Question 23

move close to the ground by bending knees;
lean forwards with head and shoulders bent

bend (bent) - shape or force (smth. straight) into a curve or angle

Answer 23

crouch
It crouched over the fishing fleet like a mountain, huge and unmoving.

fleet - a group of ships sailing together

Question 24

the finger next to the thumb;
the first or index finger.

thumb - the short, thick finger on the side of your hand

Answer 24

forefinger
From here, though, it looked small enough to squash between my forefinger and thumb.

Question 25

elegant or stylishly luxurious.

she has a very ** and refined voice

Answer 25

She adopted an even posher voice to add, ‘To uphold the family honour.’

honour - high respect; the quality of doing what is morally right

Question 26

a piece of enclosed land planted with fruit trees

Answer 26

orchard
Behind the Governor’s house, closest to the forest, was the orchard, where I had never been.

an apple orchard

Question 27

to look with the eyes partly closed

Answer 27

squint
I squinted at the ant-like specks of the labourers there, and wondered which one was Pablo.

Question 28

an uncomfortable sensation on the skin that causes a desire to scratch.

Answer 28

My toes itched.

Question 29

an excavation in the earth for extracting coal or other minerals

Answer 29

Above the beaches were the clay mines, which I tried not to look at because it brought back one of the few clear memories I had of Ma – the day she took Gabo and me to the mines.

clay - heavy soil that is soft when wet, and hard when dry or baked

Question 30

twist and turn with quick movements

Answer 30

wriggle
Gabo got scared and wriggled so much the knot broke.

the puppy wriggled in his arms

Question 31

to excrete a salty, colorless liquid through the skin, esp. when you are hot or frightened

Answer 31

sweat
Three years on the same sweating sickness took Gabo.

sweating sickness - потница

Question 32

a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed

Answer 32

When I got to the square a queue was already forming for the well.

well - a deep hole into the earth to obtain water

Question 33

a booth, stand, or counter at which articles are displayed for sale

Answer 33

All the stalls were open, selling fish and grain and leather.

Question 34

the joint between the human hand and the arm

Answer 34

As I made my way towards the barrel someone grasped my wrist.

Question 35

walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction.

Answer 35

stride
One of the Governor’s men was striding towards us, the crowd parting like wheat before his blue tunic.

большой шаг

Question 36

a single length of hair, straw, rope, or other material made up of three or more interlaced strands.

Answer 36

plait
‘I don’t give a fig,’ she’d said to one of the girls teasing her about the fussy plaits her mother insisted on.

fussy - full of unnecessary detail or decoration

Question 37

become limp through heat, loss of water, or disease

limp - weak or soft

Answer 37

wilt
Lupe wilted.

Question 38

throw forcefully.

Answer 38

fling
Lupe flung her arm around my shoulders.

Question 38

throw forcefully.

Answer 38

fling
Lupe flung her arm around my shoulders.

Question 39

a roll of paper, copper, or other material, especially one with writing on it

Answer 39

scroll
I took out a scroll from my satchel.

Question 40

a network of interconnecting rabbit burrows

Answer 40

abandoned
At last Lupe reached the X, the abandoned rabbit warren where Pablo had hidden the present for me.

abandoned - заюрошенный

Question 41

having an acid taste like lemon or vinegar

Answer 41

sour
‘Girls!’ Señora Feliz appeared at the school door, her face sour as a lemon.

Question 42

any of the separate sections of a train that carry passengers

Answer 42

carriage
We turned to see a carriage drawn by a pair of dun stallions picking its way slowly across the pitted path from the village.

вагон или карета
stallion - an adult male horse.

Question 43

a piece of material suspended at the top to form a screen, typically movable sideways along a rail and found as one of a pair at a window.

Answer 43

curtain
The carriage’s blue curtains were drawn, protecting its passengers from the heat.