Vocab: The Lottery

Question 1

Profusely

Answer 1

1) adverb

2) Exhibiting great abundance; bountiful

3) “The flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (738).

Question 2

Boisterous

Answer 2

1) Adjective

2) Noisy, energetic, cheerful; rowdy.

3) “School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous’ play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.” (738)

Question 3

Reprimand

Answer 3

1) Adjective

2) A rebuke, especially an official one.

3) “School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous’ play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.” (738)

Question 4

Civic

Answer 4

1) Adjective

2) Relating to a city or a town, especially its administrators.

3) “The lottery was conducted-as were the square dances, the teen-age club, the Halloween program-by Mr. Summers, who has time and energy to devote to civic activities. (739)

Question 5

Jovial

Answer 5

1) Adjective

2) Cheerful and friendly.

3) “He was a round-faced, jovial man, who ran the coal business.” (739)

Question 6

Paraphernalia

Answer 6

1) Adjective

2) Miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity.

3) “The original paraphernalia of the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box was now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born.

Question 7

Perfunctory

Answer 7

1) Adjective

2) An action or gesture carried out with a minimal effort or reflection.

3) “There had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duty every year.” (740)

Question 8

Interminably

Answer 8

1) Adverb

2) Endless (often used hyperbolically).

3) “In his clean white shirt, and blue jeans, with one hand resting carelessly on the black box, he seemed very proper and important as he talked interminably to Mr. Graves and the Martins.” (740)