Vocab List #3: The Crucible

1. Vocab List #3: The Crucible • Terse (adj) - describes when someone speaks abruptly and rudely • Calumny (n)- defamation; slander/libel; false accusations meant to ruin someone • Arbitrate (v) - mediate; negotiate; to act as an impartial judge in order to settle a dispute • Inculcate (v)- to convince someone of something through frequent repetition and persistent urging; brainwash • Blasphemy (n)- sinful act or remark • Abomination (n)- something that causes great horror or disgust • Contentious (adj)- argumentative • Deposition (n)- the testimony of a witness • Deferential (adj) – extremely respectful to authority • Prodigious (adj)- describes someone/something with great size or power • Imperceptible (adj)- barely noticeable; subtle; slight • Effrontery (n)- extreme boldness, often without concern for the opinion of others

2. Vocab Activity 3.1 • Using all the words on List 3, write sentences that relate to literature from 9th or 10th grade English. • Suggestions: Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo & Juliet, Lord of the Flies, Antigone, 12 Angry Men, anything else you can think of.

3. Vocab Activity 3.2 (HW) Using all the words from List 2, complete one of the following creative options: -A story about anything you want. (Suggestions: turtles, fast food, piñatas, small children) -A letter of any kind: love, hate, break-up, complaint, resignation, etc. -A song or a poem

4. Fast Food Piñatas It turns out that McDonald’s, in an act of pure effrontery, has been manufacturing piñatas filled with fast food. They have not made many – they are basically imperceptible in Party City, but now the word is spreading and they are quickly becoming prodigious. Why is this such a contentious topic? Well we all know the dangers of fast food. The idea that it is now being marketed in party supply stores seems blasphemous to many, even bordering on an abomination. The arbitrator for McDonald’s has tersely explained that the bad rap fast food has gotten in terms of lack of nutritional value is calumny, but depositions have given by health and advertising experts to prove otherwise. They have many statistics to prove that childhood obesity is in large part due to young Americans being inculcated to believe that fast food is fun and cool at a young age. Putting it in piñatas will only worsen the situation. McDonald’s needs to defer to the obvious evidence that will never go away – fast food is not good for you.

5. Vocab List #3 Parts of Speech • Terse (adj)  tersely (adv); terseness (n) • Calumny (n) calumnious (adj); calumniously (adv) • Arbitrate (v) arbitrator (n); arbiter (n); arbitration (n); arbitrary (adj); arbitrarily (adv) • Inculcate (v)  inculcation (n) • Blasphemy (n) blasphemous (adj); blasphemously (adv) • Abomination (n) abominable (adj); abominably (adv); abominate (v) • Contentious (adj) contentiously (adv); contention (n); contentiousness (n); contend (v) • Deposition (n) depose (v) • Deferential (adj) deferentially (adv); deference (n); defer (v) • Prodigious (adj) prodigiously (adv); prodigiousness (n); prodigy (n) • Imperceptible (adj)  imperceptibly (adv); perception (n); perceive (v) • Effrontery (n)

6. Act 3 Journal Entry • Given everything that has occurred thus far, predict what you think will happen in Act 4. Keep in mind the fact that the chaos at the end of Act 3 could possibly be a climax. What sorts of things occur after the climax of a story? • Which character do you think has changed the most? How have they changed? How has this impacted the plot of the play?

7. Vocab Activity 3.3 (HW) • Using all the words from List 3, write sentences describing what has happened so far in The Crucible.