8thL7

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Vocabulary Lesson 07

Words in Context: Literary Traditions and Beyond- Observing the Natural World

Since ancient times, writing about the forces at play in the universe and about the natural world has been a significant part of world literature. Some popular authors who write about the natural world are professional scientists, while others are gifted amateur observers. Some write in a crisp, informative style, while others use highly poetic language.

Read the ten vocabulary words below and decipher each word's definition based on its context within the sentences below.

1) carnivorous- Paleontologists, the scientists who study fossils, say that the ferocious-looking dinosaurs who inhabited the earth were, for the most part, gentle creatures that ate only plants. The carnivorous tyrannosaur was an exception.

2) Centrifugal- Physiologists say impulses that are transmitted away from the nerve center are centrifugal. The same word can be used generally to describe something that moves outward from a center.

3) Fauna- Frederick III, thirteenth-century ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, wrote about the animal life of his kingdom. He used his knowledge of the fauna to make laws about hunting.

4) Flora- Botany is the study of plants. One of the most important botanists in history is Abu’l Abbas of Seville, who in the thirteenth century studied the flora from Spain to the Red Sea coast.

5) Granular- From geologists who record volcanic activity, we learn that volcanoes throw some lava high in the air where it cools and becomes granular. It may be blown far away, where it coats distant surfaces with grit.

6) Metamorphosis- Biologists point to the life cycle of a butterfly as the most common example of metamorphosis. The four stages clearly demonstrate how the butterfly changes from an egg to an adult.

7) Sector- Earth scientists help us see that what happens in our sector of the planet affects other sections of the planet as well.

8) Sparse- Even though the population may be sparse in certain areas of the planet, that section may be affected by activities in places with more people.

9) Stagnant- For some time after the fall of Rome in A.D. 476, scientific study was stagnant in the European world. Science in the Muslim world, on the other hand, flourished.

10) Upheaval- New theories in science have often caused an upheaval in society. Many sixteenth-century Europeans, for example, were shocked and upset when Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) claimed that the earth revolved around the sun.

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Vocabulary Lesson 07

Scan the definitions in Column A. Then, think about how the boldface words are used in the sentences in Column B. To complete the exercise, match each definition in Column A with the correct Vocabulary Word from Column B. Write the letter of your choice on the line provided. Finally, write the Vocabulary Word on the line before the definition. Homework without a name and date will get a score no higher than 70%.

COLUMN A

_____ 01. word: adj. containing grains or granules; grainy

_____ 02. word: n. plants collectively, especially plants of a particular region or period; a treatise describing the plants of a region or time

_____ 03. word: n. a transformation achieved by magic; a dramatic change; change in the form or function as a result of development

_____ 04. word: n. a part of division of something; the portion of a circle bounded by two radii and one of the intercepted arc; v. to divide into sectors

_____ 05. word: adj. flesh eating

_____ 06. word: adj. moving away from a center or axis

_____ 07. word: n. a sudden violent change; a forceful lifting up from underneath

_____ 08. word: adj. thinly spread; not crowded; scanty

_____ 09. word: adj. not flowing; foul from standing still; stale; sluggish

_____ 10. word: n. animals collectively, especially those of a particular region or period

COLUMN B

(A) David Attenborough’s book The Living Planet (1984) was the inspiration for a PBS series. In this book, he describes the South American harpy, a giant, carnivorous eagle that eats monkeys.

(B) According to Attenborough, human beings have done much to create upheaval in the animal world, but many animals recover from such disturbances and adapt to their new environments.

(C) Attenborough describes the fauna of the Namib desert in Africa, including the black beetle, the gecko, the legless skink, and the golden mole.

(D) Desert flora includes the Welwitschia, which may have the longest leaves in the world and which lives to be over a thousand years old.

(E) Desert sand dunes are formed from rocks that crack and flake. The chips are beaten and blown and eventually become the granular material we call sand.

(F) Rocks change their form completely when they break down into sand. Although not a true example of metamorphosis, the change is as dramatic as a tadpole becoming a frog.

(G) The world is full of life; life-forms exist in flowing rivers and stagnant waters alike.

(H) Outwardly, life-forms may seem to be sparse in a pool of water, but in reality, the pool is full of activity.

(I) Many scientists see beauty and mystery in everything- from the centrifugal force pulling a race car outward as it banks a curve to the summer show of northern lights.

(J) Many writers of books about science believe that we should stop thinking of the sciences and the arts as hostile armies occupying separate sectors in the world of knowledge.

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Vocabulary Lesson 07 Sentence Completion

Directions. For each of the following items, circle the letter of the choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence or sentences. Homework without a name and date will get a score no higher than 70%.

11) Some people are surprised to learn that can be , but some plants actually eat insects.(A) carnivorous…centrifugal(B) flora…carnivorous(C) fauna…carnivorous(D) fauna…centrifugal(E) flora…granular

12) The third stage in a butterfly’s is the pupa. This almost motionless, stiff object conceals the changes that are occurring in the insect’s body.(A) metamorphosis(B) flora(C) fauna(D) granular(E) centrifugal

13) The term force was first used by astronomers to explain why the planets remained in their orbits and did not move inward toward the sun.(A) upheaval(B) granular(C) carnivorous(D) centrifugal(E) stagnant

14) A violent earthquake can cause great in a city.(A) flora(B) fauna(C) stagnation(D) upheaval(E) metamorphosis

15) The pollens that the of some regions produce are a substance that can be inhaled by human beings; unfortunately, some people are highly allergic to plant pollens.(A) fauna…granular(B) fauna…centrifugal(C) flora…granular(D) flora…stagnant(E) sector…granular

16) Deserts are dry regions with vegetation and little water, Generally, deserts are thought of as hot places that cannot support many plants, but some are cold in the winter.(A) flora(B) carnivorous(C) sparse(D) stagnant(E) fauna

17) Ecologists and naturalists are delighted that wolves may soon return to national parks, but sheep and cattle ranchers who live near the parks are worried about having animals near their herds.(A) floral(B) centrifugal(C) granular(D) stagnant(E) carnivorous

18) When water becomes , a scummy green substance called algae may appear on the surface.(A) stagnant(B) carnivorous(C) floral(D) granular(E) centrifugal

19) A message that the brain sends outward to a muscle group is a message; the message that the muscles send back to the brain is a centripetal message.(A) granular(B) centrifugal(C) carnivorous(D) stagnant(E) fauna

20) Ecologists are interested in all the life in a region, so they study both the and the .(A) sector…fauna(B) sector…flora(C) stagnant…carnivorous(D) metamorphosis…centrifugal

(E) flora…fauna