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1.Heads swiveled around on necks, creating an interlocking network of anxious glances around the room.
What does the word swiveled mean?
turned
2. Our eyes eventually returned to Mr. Hamilton at the front of the classroom, searching for the mischievous grin, the crossed fingers, or the “April Fools!” that would tell us this was a joke. (No such luck. It was February.)
What does mischievous mean?
causing trouble in a playful way
3. “He’s delusional!” my friend Mark complained. “He ran one mile too many and scrambled his brains!”
What does delusional mean?
4. I was already formulating a plan.
What does formulating mean?
create or develop
5. In my twelve years, I’d given my imagination more exercise than Mr. Hamilton had given the legs that were going to propel him to Olympic glory.
What does propel mean?
drive, push, or move in a direction
But even as I said it, an idea was taking shape in my head. What about boarding school? That would eliminate all the extra characters, because you live at the school!
What does eliminate mean?
remove or get rid of
Birds froze to death and fell out of the sky. There were food shortages. People couldn’t find enough firewood to heat their homes.
What does shortages mean?
an amount that is less than needed
. And while any kind of natural disaster can cause destruction, injuries, and deaths, history tells us there is a collection of natural disasters that can only be classified as “weird.”
What does classified mean?
how something is grouped
Black bears do not eat while they hibernate. After these long months without food, the hungry bears ravenously eat everything they can find.
What does ravenously mean?
starving, eating quickly due to hunger
The ancient city of Troy is very famous for its story of love and war. Long ago, a prince from Troy ran away with a queen from Sparta. This caused a terrible, multiyear war between the two cities.
What does multiyear mean?
more than one year
7. But over the years, I’ve submitted a lot of pretty mediocre first drafts that were bailed out by fantastic editors.
What does mediocre mean?
average or low-quality, not very good
8. At a reunion a few years back, an old acquaintance I hadn’t seen since middle school noticed my name tag and exclaimed, “Gordon Korman — the last time I talked to you, you’d just signed a contract to publish a book for kids! What are you doing now, man?”
What does aquaintance mean?
a person one slighty knows, but not a close friend
Lottie leaned forward and tried to see into the house. The interior was dark, like there were no lights at all inside.
What does interior mean?
inside
Watching the sun rise from her seat at the top of the hill, Wendy was amazed by all the hues of the sky. Pink, red, orange, yellow, even deep purple.
What does hues mean?
color or shade
Many people assume that swans are gentle animals because of their beauty and grace. However, the opposite is true. These very large birds can be quite ferocious, especially when they think that their young are in danger.
What does ferocious mean?
dangerous
"Carla was meticulous with her assignments, unlike her brother Ralph who scribbled all over the page".
What does meticulous mean?
careful and precise
There were twelve small houses on Zorica Street, all in a row facing the river. The Pavlovic family lived in the very last house, so there was only one home adjacent to theirs.
What does adjacent mean?
next to
Ha-yoon could not hear her father's voice over the cacophony. Cars whizzed past, a train rumbled by somewhere behind her, and police sirens wailed in the distance.
What does cacophony mean?
harsh, loud sounds
One of the goals of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security.
What does maintain mean?
continue, keep
The fire fighter grasped the young man’s arm and pulled him from the burning house.
What does grasped mean?
take hold by the hand