Vocab+Stories

__ Vocab Units 3 & 4 Quiz __ 1. ambidextrous A. the lowest point; the very bottom 2. flamboyant B. firm; constant; unchanging; faithful 3. enervate C. kindly; disposed to do good 4. nadir D. lively; high-spirited 5. coherent E. easily deceived; easily tricked 6. terse F. to make impure by adding an improper substance or quality 7. prudent G. to steal; to take wrongfully 8. repress H. to free from blame or guilt 9. vivacious I. a cure for anything that causes illness or trouble; remedy 10. benevolent J. to weaken; to drain of energy 11. purloin K. edge, border; threshold 12. derogatory L. brief; to the point; free of needless words 13. brink M. insulting; reduced in value or reputation 14. panacea N. not noticeable; not conspicuous 15. exonerate O. two-handed; able to use both hands equally well 16. unobtrusive P. repetitious; needlessly repetitive 17. gullible Q. sticking together; consistent; unified 18. adulterate R. to keep down; to hold back; to restrain 19. redundant S. wisely cautious; careful; using good judgment 20. steadfast T. excessively showy and flashy

Jared Bomba __What Is It?__ Hank: Hey Frank Frank: Hey Hank Hank: Hey, what’s that, Frank? Frank: Hey, I don’t know what it is, Hank. Hank: It looks, I don’t know, like a little ball of compliance, ready to do your bidding and be your friend. Frank: Don’t be silly. It looks quite devious to me. I don’t think I could trust that beast. Hank: You really are asinine Frank. That has to be one of the most affable-looking creatures I have ever seen. It looks so soft, warm, and friendly. Frank: You’re the frivolous one here, Hank. That has to be one of the most terrifying beasts to ever walk the land! Hank: Don’t be so dogmatic, Frank! Just because you believe something doesn’t make it true! That is the benign little thing I have ever seen! Frank: Fool! That thing is probably a killing machine! The main point, the crux of the matter is that this beast is aggressive, and nothing else. Don’t you question the veracity of that statement either, I know it is so. I can see it in its eyes. Don’t try to convince me with your talk of loving, happy pets! Hank: You cannot be serious! That bundle of joy calms me; it has a conciliatory feel to it. It practically says servile all over it, what a great pet and serving friend it would be. Frank: I have decided what I think of you, Hank. You’re an ambiguous fool; I never know what you are trying to say. You’re mind is archaic and so far behind that I can barely even talk to you! You are now extraneous; I have no need of your “friendship” anymore! Hank: How can you say that! I’m always clear and succinct when I talk and I say what I mean to say in terms that even you can understand! Frank: As this is the last time I hope to ever see you, I will bequeath you this. I will put my fist in your face. Take that! Hank: OWWW!!!!! MY NOSE!!!!!!!! Frank: Now that I’m done here, I am going to exercise my volition and leave. Later, loser!!! //(exits)// // (Enter: Rosa, a girl with more than enough aesthetic appeal for a humble guy like Hank) // Hank: Hey Rosa. Sorry you have to see me like this. My nose is broken, I’m pretty sure. That was no tepid argument; Frank and I were both angry. Who cares? He’s an idiot anyway. Rosa: Don’t worry about it. It gives your face a bucolic expression, like you were born and raised in the country. I find it. . . enticing. Hank: Gee, thanks Rosa! You really think so? Rosa: I know so. Aw, what is this? Hank: I don’t know; that’s what Frank and I were arguing about. Rosa: I was kidding!! Anyone can see that it is a kitten!!! Surely you know what a kitten is!!! Hank: Really? That is one of those kitten things everyone talks about? Rosa: Uh, yeah you moron!!! Do you and Frank even live on this planet!? I can’t believe I ever even thought I like you!!!!!!! Hank: I’m so sorry I’m an idiot. Rosa: No!! I hate you!!! I’m leaving!! Hank: Please, Rosa!!! Come back!!! //(grabs her shoulder)// Rosa: Don’t make me use this, slimeball!!!! //(pulls handgun)// Hank: Whoa!!!! I just want to talk!!! Rosa: Not today or ever, bucko!!!! Goodbye!!! //(loads gun)//

Jared Bomba __ The Gathering  __ Humnawaya: I, Humnawaya, declare this gathering opened. Syncopa: I, Syncopa, am here to bless him with courage. This courage will give him strength to continue when his nemesis or other enemies impede and block his path. Give him strength to keep walking even in inclement and heavily stormy water. Wanahokalugi: I, Wanahokalugi, am here to bless him with agility. I give him agility in words, body, and spirit. I give him agility with words so that he may never hamper or slow down an urgent conversation. I give him agility of the body so that he may be able to avoid things detrimental and harmful to his physical being. Kushcushkush: I, Kushcushkush, am here to provide sincerity. I give him this such that he may always be clear in what he says, not insinuate or be roundabout with his speech, or otherwise cloud his meaning. I give him the honesty to never hamper the trails of those who are true, and never restrain them in any way. Oopshabaebi - I, Oopshabaebi, am here to bless him with intelligence. I give him this such that he may understand and move past the paradoxes and other nonsensical ideas. Humnawaya: Thank you, brothers. Surely this boy will have the courage to always be himself to his fullest potential and be a courageous, intrepid being. May he also have your blessed agility to always expedite and speed up the true and right causes of his life. May he also have the sincerity to serve as a liaison, or link, between the strong and the weak. Finally, may he also have the intelligence to choose wisely when his possible paths diverge and go separate ways. Thank you for performing your duties, brothers. Oopshabaebi, Kushcushkush, Wanahokalugi, Syncopa: We are the grateful ones. Humnawaya: Your gifts are a humble creed, a strong set of values and beliefs. May his beliefs ever keep him energized for life and let him never be lethargic. May these qualities always be indigenous to him so he may remain true to himself and always have those qualities within. Thus he may always have the qualities imperative and absolutely necessary to his success. Priest: Excuse me friends, but I have a question. I do not want to be flippant or respectless, but what are you doing here? Humanwaya: The Great Master mandated that we must be here to bless this newborn child. When he says something is mandatory, you would be well served to not argue. Now to finish, may this man never be an enigma to God and always show his faith clearly and correctly. Priest: I’m sorry, but there seems to have been a misunderstanding. This is a posthumous celebration. There are no newborns at this funeral.

End __ Battle ____ In the Desert!!!! __ MUNKFUNKGUNK, Bunima- An epic and terrible battle was fought yesterday in the desert of Bunima. It was the latest in a series of bloody battles waged by the militants, who seem to be taking their rebel cause to the next level of intensity in their fight for liberty. The once proud and confident royal army has been exposed to their true colors and is now truly on the defensive. The rebels have finally mounted a true threat and they have the momentum. In the end, it was the rebels who gained yet another town on the march towards the capitol. This unprecedented run of six victories for the insurgents is a streak never before achieved during the last four years of fighting. It was yet another rebel victory, but the horror of it all is not lost on rebel leader Iyown Noobis. Noobis, despite the manor he must take to lead such a cause, is truly a pensive and judicious man. He understands the cost of war, but he understands the terror of living under a tyrant also. He knows the people cannot live in such a condition any more. When asked about the victory, he answers calmly, in a very sedated manor. The precarious and ever dangerous obviously weighs upon him. When asked about the victory, he attributes it to the battle regimen of his troops, not himself. “It is the discipline and courage of my brothers that has won us these battles”, and “I encourage you to pray for the souls of men who have sacrificed themselves for our noble cause”, Noobis said. On the other side of battle is the notorious and well known for his tyranny Imanid Deeot. He’s a haughty, impetuous man, often acting on his first irate urge, but never putting the fault for the following errors where it belongs, on himself. He incriminates his troops for today’s failure. It is plain to see that his soldiers are not men or tangible beings to him, but merely resources that border on imaginary. He says, “ I ask them to do menial jobs that they believe are below them, but then they fail to carry them out! Yet heaven forbid I reproach or chastise the worthless toads for it, or they stigmatize and disgrace me!” The way that Deeot so publicly repudiates his followers and distances himself from them is sure to not help his already waning support. Still, the pungent, ripe odors of the post-battle battlefield refute and disprove Deeot. His listless and disinterested attitude does not do justice to the men that will never leave the field. The twisting, serpentine line of those bodies being hauled away brings the real horror of the situation down upon everyone. Except for Deeot, that is.