Unit 1: Survival - Academic and Literary Vocabulary

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering academic argument terms, literary concepts, and unit-specific vocabulary across Unit 1: Survival.

evidence

Facts or details that support a position or claim; proof.

credible

Believable; convincing.

valid

Well-founded; sound; effective.

formulate

Build; state definitely; develop.

logical

Based on reason or sound judgment.

craving

Deep, intense longing.

beseeching

Demanding in a hopeful and persuasive way.

supplication

Act of humbly begging for something.

pestered

Bothered repeatedly with trivial requests or actions.

pleading

Agreeably persuasive; imploring.

insisted

Made a firm demand.

conscientiously

Carefully, with a lot of effort.

contrition

Guilty feeling; remorse.

uncomprehending

Lacking understanding.

incredulous

Unable to believe something.

convulsive

Moving in an uncontrolled way.

plot

The sequence of connected events that occur in a story.

exposition

The stage of plot where characters, setting, and basic situation are introduced.

rising action

The stage of plot where conflict starts with an inciting incident and begins to intensify.

climax

The stage of plot where conflict reaches its highest point of drama or tension.

falling action

The stage of plot where tension in the story lessens.

resolution

The stage of plot where conflict ends, and remaining issues are resolved.

external conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force, such as another character, nature, or society.

internal conflict

A struggle where a character contends with their own opposing feelings, beliefs, needs, or desires.

expression

Look on someone's face showing what they think or feel.

provisions

Supplies of food or other necessary items.

possessions

Items someone owns.

frame story

A story that brackets—or frames—another story or group of stories, creating a story-within-a-story structure.

flashback

A scene from the past that interrupts the present action of a story.

mood

The overall feeling or atmosphere that a literary work evokes in the reader.

diction

Word choice; the type of vocabulary the author uses.

syntax

The organization of words in sentences; the types of sentences a writer uses, such as short or long, simple or complex.

burden

Oppressive emotion, such as guilt, anxiety, or a sense of failure.

remorse

Deep sense of regret for having done wrong.

culpability

Guilt or blame that is deserved; blameworthiness.

entrusted

Given the responsibility of doing something or caring for someone or something.

conscience

Inner sense of what is morally right or wrong in one's actions.

empathic

Characterized by empathy, the ability to identify with the feelings or thoughts of others.

irrational

Without logic or reason.

subjective

Influenced by belief or feeling, not facts.

magnitude

Great size or extent.

imperative

Act or duty that is very important or required.

semper fidelis

Latin phrase meaning "always faithful"; the motto of the United States Marine Corps.

self-indictment

Expression of strong disapproval toward oneself; self-blame.

claim

The central idea of the text—the position or message the writer wants readers to understand.

supporting evidence

Facts, anecdotes, examples, expert quotations, or other specific details that help show an author's claim is valid and accurate.

zero-sum game

A situation where each participant's loss or gain is exactly balanced by the opponent's losses or gains.

rheumatism

Disease characterized by pain in the joints.

sciatica

Pain in the lower back, hip, or leg caused by damage to the sciatic nerve.

paraphrase

To restate a text in your own words while maintaining the meaning and logical order of the original.