Cambridge Primary Checkpoint English Review

Vocabulary terms and definitions derived from the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint English past paper booklet, covering key concepts, literary terms, and technical vocabulary found in the reading passages.

Bow

The front part of a ship.

Simultaneously

Occurring at the same time.

Starboard

The right-hand side of a ship when facing forward.

Transatlantic

Crossing or spanning the Atlantic Ocean.

Theobroma cacao

The scientific name for the small tropical tree that produces chocolate, where 'Theobroma' is Greek for 'food for gods.'

Fermentation

The process where cacao beans are placed in earthen pits or wooden bins and covered with banana leaves to change bitter flavors into edible ones.

Nibs

Crushed pieces of cacao beans that remain after the broker shells have been blown away during the winnowing process.

Chocolate Liquor

A thick, bitter paste created by crushing and grinding cacao nibs.

Conching

A manufacturing process that involves mixing and mashing chocolate in a machine to refine its texture, lasting from a few hours up to six days.

Vulpine

A term relating to foxes; the Red Fox is noted as the largest of all vulpine foxes.

Digitigrades motion

A method of locomotion where an animal walks and runs on its toes, with its heels positioned high off the ground.

Nocturnal

Describing animals that sleep during the day and are active at night, such as the Aardvark.

Colloquially

Informal or familiar speech; for example, the Aardvark is sometimes colloquially called an 'antbear.'

Active Volcano

A volcano that erupts often.

Dormant Volcano

A volcano that is currently quiet but is expected to erupt in the future.

Extinct Volcano

A volcano that has stopped erupting entirely.

Exoskeleton

An external skeleton that provides support and protection for insects.

Habitat

The natural environment or home where an animal or plant lives.

Nerpa

The world's only species of freshwater seals, found in Lake Baikal.

Golomyanka

A unique little fish from Lake Baikal with a translucent body consisting of nearly $40\%$ oil, allowing it to swim at depths of $1400\,\text{meters}$.

Dawn Chorus

A spring phenomenon where birds burst into a collective song around first light.

Repertoire

The collection of different songs a specific bird species, like the nightingale, is capable of singing.

Sonorous

A deep, rich, and full voice, used to describe the speech of the scarecrow in Philip Pullman's story.

Dishevelled

Untidy or messy in appearance, particularly regarding hair or clothing.

Crevasses

Deep open cracks or fissures common in glaciers or ice sheets.

Brindled

A brownish or tawny color with streaks or patches of a darker color, used to describe the fur of the gerbil Bubble.

Gibbon

A small ape mentioned in Kensuke's Kingdom known for howling and screeching in the forest.

Agate urn

A stone vase made from agate, which Sophie imagines sitting in her room.

Toutled

Disordered or untidy hair, used to describe Barney's grandpa in 'An Eagle in the Snow.'

Pinching

A slang term used in the text to mean stealing.