LESSON 10 : Mole Hills or Mountains? Words Relating to Puzzles, Problems, and Disasters

LESSON 10: Mole Hills or Mountains? Words Relating to Puzzles, Problems, and Disasters

Adversity • The book tells how he overcame the adversity of an impoverished childhood. • The hero faced four years of adversity trying to survive on a deserted island. • If you can get through your junior year in high school, you can get through any adversity that may come along. Noun • Great trouble or difficulty

Conflagration • Flames from the conflagration lit up the sky for miles around. • The burning of Atlanta is one of the great conflagration scenes in movie history. • During the conflagration of 1991, 3,000 homes burned to the ground. Noun • A huge fire, an inferno

Confounding • The world was fascinated by the confounding disappearance of Amelia Earhart. • Who ate the strawberries continues to be a confounding mystery. • The possible existence of extraterrestrial life has confounded scientists for decades. Adjective • Puzzling, baffling

Cryptic • We found a cryptic message scrawled on the blackboard. No one could figure out its meaning. • The twins used a cryptic, incomprehensible language to talk to each other. • The agent left a trail of cryptic notes that only the spymaster could decipher. Adjective • Hidden; hard to understand; mysterious; obscure

Debacle • For me, physics class was a debacle. I understood none of it, failed every test, and finally dropped the course. • The 45-10 score suggests that the game was a debacle for the losing side. • The play was a debacle. Actors forgot their lines, the set fell down, and the lights blew out halfway through the first act. Noun • A failure or breakdown; a collapse that is often nonsensical

Enigma • Isabelle is an enigma. I can’t figure her out. Her moods change like the wind, and sometimes I haven’t the faintest idea what she’s saying. • James acts mysteriously to prevent others from understanding him. He prefers to remain an enigma. • Theenigmatic carvings on the ancient Egyptian tomb never have been fully interpreted. Noun • A riddle or mystery; a puzzling or baffling matter or person

Labyrinth • The basement of our school is a labyrinth of tunnels, criss-crossing passageways, and dead ends in which it is easy to lose your way. • The plumbing system in my house is a labyrinth of copper pipes that turn and bend every which way. • Applying to college often seems like trying to find your way through a complicated maze or labyrinth. Noun • A maze from which it is very hard to extricate or free oneself

Precarious • Bungee jumping is too precarious for me; I prefer safer activities like playing chess. • BecauseFinny’s foothold on the tree limb was precarious, he fell and broke his leg. • It’s precarious to apply to only one college because you may not be admitted, and then what? Adjective • Dangerous or risky; uncertain

Quagmire • A quagmire of troubles kept Julia awake at night. • Once Pete freed himself from his quagmire of unpaid bills, he began to reorganize his finances. • Unable to avoid the quicksand, Rebecca began sinking into the quagmire! Noun • A difficult or troubling situation; a swampy ground, bog, mire

Quandary • Walter faced the enviable quandary of deciding which of three colleges he should attend. • Confronted with the quandary of staying home with her new baby or going back to work, my sister chose to return to her job. • Safe Rides has taken the quandary out of whether to accept a ride with a driver who’s been drinking. Noun • A dilemma; a confusing or puzzling situation

Turbulence • In September, Mac and Meg were a happy couple. Since Mary came along, their relationship has experienced some turbulence. • Migrating whales caused the turbulence in the water. • To give the passengers a smooth flight, the pilot steered the plane around the air turbulence. Noun • Great unrest; turmoil or disorder

Turmoil • There was turmoil in the room because the teacher had lost control of the class. • Gretchen’s emotions were in turmoil after Jerry unexpectedly broke up with her. • Terry took a long walk in the peaceful woods to escape the turmoil in her house. Noun • A turbulent scenario or situation; tumult

LESSON 10 : Mole Hills or Mountains? Words Relating to Puzzles, Problems, and Disasters