Word List 2 - Groups 8-9

Question 1

advocate

Answer 1

Support

Atticus advocates Tom Robinson through the court trial as a lawyer.

Question 2

brusque

Answer 2

Blunt; abrupt

Mr. Ewell was brusque in his harsh criticism of Tom Robinson.

Question 3

defoliate

Answer 3

Cause leaves to fall off

The cold weather of Maycomb defoliated the leaves on the trees around the town.

Question 4

espouse

Answer 4

Promote; take up; support

Ms. Caroline did not espouse Scout’s reading skills in school.

Question 5

hone

Answer 5

Sharpen; increase; whet

Atticus decided to let Scout hone her reading skills despite Ms. Caroline’s rejection of it.

Question 6

lax

Answer 6

Careless; not strict

Scout and Jem were lax when they found the objects in the tree by the Radley house.

Question 7

obviate

Answer 7

Avoid; make unnecessary

Ewell tried to obviate the fact that he was ambidextrous in front of Atticus.

Question 8

poseur

Answer 8

Someone who puts on an act

Scout, Jem, and Dill were poseurs when they did their various skits together.

Question 9

riddled

Answer 9

Full of (usually full of holes)
The Radley house, due to its age, was riddled with imperfections.

Question 10

torpid

Answer 10

Inactive; lazy; stagnant

Bob Ewell was a particularly torpid, abusive father.

Question 11

aesthetic

Answer 11

Concerning art of beauty

The aesthetic features of the Radley house were old and worn out.

Question 12

bulwark

Answer 12

Fortification; barricade; wall

The fence around the Radley house was like a bulwark.

Question 13

defunct

Answer 13

No longer in existence

Though slavery was defunct in Alabama, blacks like Tom Robinson still faced prejudice.

Question 14

etymology

Answer 14

The study of word origins

Scout most likely would appreciate etymology because of her reading abilities.

Question 15

hyperbole

Answer 15

Grossly exaggerated speech

Dill employed hyperbole in his stories about his father and home in Meridian, Mississippi.

Question 16

legend

Answer 16

1. key to map; 2. myth or story

The legend of Boo Radley interested Jem, Scout, and Dill very much.

Question 17

odious

Answer 17

Hateful

Many racist white people in Maycomb were odious toward blacks.

Question 18

posterity

Answer 18

Future generations

Atticus attempted to reach racial equality for the posterity of civil courts.

Question 19

rife

Answer 19

Common

It was not rife for African-Americans to be at the house of the Ewells.

Question 20

torpor

Answer 20

Dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity

Boo Radley was full of torpor, since he stayed in his house all the time.