8thL7
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Page 01
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 (14731543) 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
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.
_____ 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
(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.
_____ 05. word:
adj. flesh eating
(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.
_____ 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
(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.
_____ 09. word:
adj. not flowing; foul from standing still; stale;
sluggish
(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.
_____ 10. word:
n. animals collectively, especially those of a
particular region or period
(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