Define the following words. Use the “notes/vocab.” section of your Writer’s
Notebook. (No writer’s notebook? Do it on notebook paper). Use a
dictionary to find the definitions. These words are from chapters 1-5 of the
novel, The Cay, which we will be reading in class. You will be tested over
some, or all, of these words.
1. galleon –
2. schooner (1)
3. leeward 4. mutiny 5. ballast – (1)
6. aft
7. steward (3)
8. welt (3a)
9. latitude (1a)
10. lull (1)
11. parch(ed) (1)
12. defiant(ly)
13. recollect(ion)
14. drone 2 (1)
15. douse (2)
16. dishearten
The Cay Vocabulary Chapters 6-10
Use a dictionary to define the following words in the “Notes/Vocab.” section of your
Writer’s Notebook
1. harass(ment) (1)
2. cay
3. frond(s) (2)
4. stunned (1)
5. outrageous (1a and b)
Respond to the following questions from chapter 7. Be prepared to share your answers.
1. Why did Phillip feel Timothy was holding something back?
2. Why was it so bad that the island was tucked up inside great banks of coral?
3. What was there to celebrate? How did they celebrate?
4. What kind of a plan for rescue was Timothy thinking about? What kind of plan
would you make?
5. Prediction: How long will it be before they are rescued? What will be their major
problems?
The Cay Vocabulary Chapters 11- 15
1. voodoo - Also called voodooism. A religious cult involving witchcraft and
communication by trance with ancestors and animistic deities; common in Haiti and
other Caribbean islands.
2. connive (conniving) – (1)
3. tether(ed) – (1 a)
4. harass – (1)
5. submerge – (2)
6. treacherous – (3)
7. crevice(s) –
8. stob(s) –
9. recede 1(d) – (1)
The Cay Vocabulary Chapters 16-19
1. grope(d) – (2)
2. muted – (1a)
3. bung – (1)
4. legacy – (2)
5. flail(ing) – (2, the first one)
6. gingerly 7. smudge – (noun 1)
8. badger(ing) - (tr. V.)
9. priority – (1)
The Cay Vocabulary Test
Match the following vocabulary words with the correct definition.
_____1. Mutiny
A. to cause to sleep or rest
_____2. Cay
B. dazed or rendered senseless
_____3. Recollect
C. to cover with water
_____4. Legacy
D. to irritate or torment persistently
_____5. Lull
E. a small low island composed of coral or sand
_____6. Tether
F. something handed down from an ancestor
_____7. Priority
G. open rebellion against authority, especially by sailors
_____8. Latitude
H. a narrow crack or opening
_____9. Treacherous I. to remember something
_____10. Douse
J. to shake or destroy the courage of
_____11. Defiant
K. established by order of importance or urgency
_____12. Gingerly
L. the distance north or south of the equator
_____13. Dishearten M. a rope or chain for holding an animal in place
_____14. Crevice
N. boldly resisting
_____15. Stunned
O. dangerous or deceptive
_____16. Harass
P. with great care or delicacy
_____17. Submerge Q. to wet thoroughly
_____18. Grope
R. to search blindly or uncertainly
_____19. Bung
S. a short straight piece of wood
_____20. Stob
T. a stopper for the hole of a keg or barrell