Vocabulary List 5
I lower my sword and plant an olive branch where others raise a fist—what am I?
pacifist
An American writer and social critic whose eloquent essays and novels, like Go Tell It on the Mountain, confronted race, identity, and injustice in America.
James Baldwin
A riddle
enigma
Uses descriptive language to appeal to the reader's five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
Imagery
This world famous pop star is a distant relative of the American poet Emily Dickinson.
Taylor Swift
When something is needed in abundance but only a tiny amount can be found, what word names this?
scarcity
Ancient Greek poet traditionally credited with composing the epic masterpieces The Iliad and The Odyssey, foundational works of Western literature.
Homer
I’m what you do when confusion clouds a thought and you shine a light to make it clear—what am I?
elucidate
Gives human qualities, characteristics, or actions to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas.
Personification
What is the largest organ in the human body?
Skin
The habit of holding onto resources so tightly that spending even a little feels painful—what am I?
parsimony
An American Nobel Prize–winning author whose lyrical, powerful novels illuminated the Black experience in America, including her acclaimed work Beloved.
Toni Morrison
Known only to a chosen few.
esoteric
Uses an object, person, or concept to represent a deeper, abstract idea.
Symbol
What is the strongest (by force) muscle in the human body?
Jaw (masseter)
You love to show off! What word starts with an O?
ostentatious
A prolific American writer celebrated for his bestselling horror, suspense, and supernatural fiction, with classics such as The Shining and It.
Stephen King
Persuasive speech
eloquent
A recurring element (image, idea, sound, word, symbol, or pattern) in a work of art, literature, or music
Motif
What is the title of the novel that features the famous line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"?
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
You are committed to one political party.
partisan
A Canadian novelist, poet, and essayist known for her sharp explorations of power, gender, and society, most famously in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Margaret Atwood
I’m the quiet trick that wins without strength, the hidden skill behind a harmless smile—what am I?
guile
The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
Vernacular
Chemistry: What's the lightest element?
Hydrogen