Name: ____________________________
English 10
MAD GAB October Sky
DUE: ______________________________
Directions: Using the context clues provided in the sentences below, and your vocabulary
worksheet, fill in the blanks with one of the words from the WORD BOX below. Make sure
you use the correct Part of Speech. Except for “prodigious”, each word can only be used one
time. You may use your personal thesaurus and today’s vocabulary sheet to help you.
Sonorous(ADJ)
impotent (ADJ)
cohesiveness(N)
pernicious(ADJ)
truncated(V)
congregating(V)
intrepid(ADJ)
prowess(N)
inexorable(ADJ)
succinctly(ADV) insidious(ADJ)
nefarious(ADJ) prodigious(ADJ)-2
petulance(N)
coalescing(V)
guile(N)
syncopated(V)
inanely(ADV) covertly(ADV)
surreptitiously(ADV)
Homer wouldn’t give up on his dream, he was
(ADJ)___________ after he saw the launch of the Russian
Sputnik, but his father’s (N)_____________ toward Homer caused
him to wonder if his dream was (ADV)______________ out of
reach; even most of the townspeople thought he was being
ridiculous. Mr. Hickam told Homer, “Don’t be ridiculous – I work
in the mines, your grandfather worked in the mines, and you will
too.”
Homer knew his dream was (ADJ)____________, therefore
he refused to give up, but first he had to learn physics. He was
completely (ADJ)___________________ when it came to physics,
but Quentin, the school outcast, had great (N)_________________
in the subject and (ADV)__________ showed Homer how to
overcome his inability in the subject.
The boys’ (N)_________________________ was extremely
important because they each brought an important skill to the
group. (V)_________________ (ADV)____________________
was not something Homer liked, but he had to hide it from his dad.
Even the principal of Big Creek High School, Mr. Turner, didn’t
have any confidence in the Rocket Boys, he might even be
considered an (ADJ)___________________ person because he
blamed the boys for a fire that was not their fault. Worst of all, the
(ADJ)_____________ boys on the football team called the Rocket
boys (ADJ)___________________ names; they were relentless in
their teasing and taunting of the boys. However, the Rocket boys
were more (ADJ)_______________ than most people would be
when faced with great adversity.
The clever women in the novel sometimes had to use
(N)____________________ in order to talk the men into allowing
the boys to enter the rocket in the Science Fair. Miss Riley, and
Homer’s mother never gave up on Homer, even when he had to
drop out of school to work for his father down in the mines.
Although working in the mines (V)____________________ his
time on the rockets, he figured out how to
(ADV)____________________ continue the project behind his
father’s back.
Finally, Homer (V)___________________ the Rocket launch
formula and proved that hard work and believing in yourself pays
off. The (ADJ)_________________ sound of the launch stopped
everyone in their tracks, and Homer and his boys became
(ADJ)_________________ heroes of Coalwood, West Virginia.