When I Was Puerto Rican--Vocabulary Study Guide

 

1.   chronicled  vt.  to record in or as if in a chronicle; list; describe.   . . . the songs and poems chronicled a life of struggle . . . (12)

2.   intractability  n.   unruliness; obstinacy.  intractable adj.   not easily governed, managed or directed; obstinate.   . . . a closeness to nature coupled with a respect for its intractability (12)

3.   husbandry  n.  the control or judicious use of resources; conservation; the cultivation or production of plants and animals.   . . . gave information about crops, husbandry, and the weather.(12)

4.   hypocrisy  n.  a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.  . . . I was puzzled by the hypocrisy of celebrating a people everyone looked down on.(13)

5.   reprove   vt.   to scold or correct, usually gently or with kindly intent; to express disapproval of; censure.  vi.   to express rebuke or reproof.  . . . the eyes . . . as black and reproving  as the hen’s . . . (15)

6.   riveted   vt.  to fasten with or as if with rivets; to fasten firmly; to attract and hold (as the attention) completely.  . . . my eyes riveted on the slow ribbon of smoke . . . (18)

7.   litany  n.  a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation; a resonant or repetitive chant ; a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration.  They were locked in a litany choked with should have’s, ought to’s, and why didn’t you’s. (29)

8.   sullen  adj.  gloomily or resentfully silent or repressed; dismal, gloomy.   Mami was sullen and irritable . . . (29)

9.   incite  vt.  to move to action : stir up : spur on : urge on . . . our voices dulled lest they incite our parents. (29)

10.     transcended   vt.   to rise above or go beyond the limits of; to triumph over the negative aspects of; overcome.  vi.   to rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits.   . . . secrets that transcended the hurt . . .  (29)

11.    transgressions  n.  the exceeding of due bounds or limits; violation of a law, command or duty.  . . . subtle transgressions . . . meant a beating. (32)

12.    injunctions  n.  a command or order; a court order prohibiting a party from a specific course of action.  Her injunctions were always about not punching them too hard. (32)

13.    cachet  n.  an indication of approval carrying great prestige; a characteristic feature conferring prestige; prestige.  . . . Santurce . . . had become as much a metropolis as the capital, though with little of its cachet. (37)

14.     austere  adj.  stern and cold in appearance or manner; somber, grave; morally strict; ascetic; simple or unadorned; without excess or luxury.   An austere Evangelical church rose next to a botánica . . . (38)

15.     jeered   v.  taunt; laugh at with contempt and derision. "What a jíbara," children jeered when I recited a poem . . . (39)

16.     pungent  adj.  sharp or biting, especially in taste or smell.  . . . the pungent smells of restaurants and car exhaust. (39)  . . . her bittersweet breath, pungent of beer and cigarettes. (215)

17.     pursed   vt.  pucker; contract one's lips into a rounded shape.  Dona Mina . . . pursed her lips toward me. (41)

18.     striated  adj.  marked with striations   n.  a minute groove, scratch, or channel especially when one of a parallel series.   [The eggs] looked like soft marbles, pink shooters striated with red . . . (47)   . . . round calves striated with varicose veins and dark, curly hair. (109)

19.     dissipated  vt.   to break up and drive off (as a crowd); to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish; to lose (as heat or electricity) irrecoverably.   vi.   to break up and scatter or vanish.  . . . before the flavor dissipated into the familiar bittersweet oregano and garlic. (48)

20.     distraught  adj.  agitated with doubt or mental conflict.    Juanita Marín was distraught [at the idea of crossed eyes getting stuck]. (48)

21.     guffawed  vi.  laugh boisterously.   Dona Lola guffawed. (56)

22.     brusquely  adj.  markedly short and abrupt; blunt in manner or speech.  She . . . got up from her stool brusquely, startling Alicia . . . (56)

23.     gingerly    adj./adv.  very cautious or careful.  The rest of us stepped out gingerly . . . (59)

24.     imperialist  n.  one who advocates extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas. “Well, [Eisenhower]’s an imperialist, just like all the other gringos!” (71)

25.     goad  vt.  to prod or urge as if with a goad or stick.  .   . .  we rushed ahead in a wave, goaded from behind by boys who crushed against us . . . (74)

26.     exasperate    vt.  to excite the anger of; enrage; to cause irritation or annoyance to. “I don’t know!” she said, exasperated. (80)

27.     compensated  vt.  to make an appropriate payment to; to neutralize the effect of.  vi.    to supply an equivalent (used with for); to offset an error, defect, or undesired effect.    A consoling warmth compensated for the milky smell . . . (82)

28.     receded  vi.  to move back or away; withdraw; to grow less or smaller; diminish, decrease.  . . . children around me jumped and receded into a tittery circle of faces . . . (82)  . . . backgrounds receded into a blur . . . (95)

29.     labyrinth  n.  a place constructed of intricate passageways and blind alleys; a maze formed by paths separated by high hedges; something extremely complex in structure; intricacy.  . . . forming a labyrinth of aisles . . . (87)

30.     exhorted  vt.  to incite by argument or advice : urge strongly.  vi.  to give warnings or advice : make urgent appeals. . . . an Evangelist exhorted his listeners to abandon their sinful lives . . . (92)

31.     opulent  adj.  sumptuous, luxurious; characterized by opulence   n.  wealth, affluence; abundance, profusion.  . . . Abuela’s room was opulent, with its [nice décor]. (94)

32.     mesmerize   vt.  hypnotize; spellbind.  I had sat mesmerized in the almost holy silence . . . (94)  Mami sat mesmerized through the whole pageant. (259)

33.     cadences  n.  a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language; the beat, time, or measure of rhythmical motion or activity.  . . . their voices soft but strained . . . into these secret cadences. (103)

34.     ominous   adj.  being or exhibiting an omen; portentous; foreboding or foreshadowing evil; inauspicious.  We heard the ominous quiet of the hurricane’s eye . . . (109)

35.     vigilance  n.  attentiveness; paying close and continuous attention. . . . I took advantage of Gloria's vigilance with the younger kids to make my own getaway . . . (114)

36.     avert   vt.  to turn away or aside (as the eyes) in avoidance; to see coming and ward off; avoid.  But I . . . couldn’t avert my eyes quickly enough to miss their hate-filled looks. (123)

37.     charlatans   n.  a deceiver; one who attracts customers with tricks or jokes.   "I'll find a specialist . . . not like those charlatans in white coats who call themselves doctors." (157)

38.     inhibited   adj.  held back, restrained or prevented.  . . . they lived dull, inhibited lives. (164)

39.     infallible   adj.  incapable of failure or error.  Our family never went to church, and I worried that people who did were infallible and we were wrong in our willful resistance to religious guidance. (164)

40.    impertinent   adj.   improperly forward or bold.  . . . if they all thought I was a spoiled, disrespectful, impertinent brat. (166)

41.     precocious   adj.  appearing, developing or maturing early.  But my fear was too great, my conscience too precocious to allow me to relinquish control of my well-guarded soul. (175)

42.     relinquish   vi.  give up; release; yield.  see above; and    But I felt as if by handing [my books] over I would be relinquishing something more precious than my math homework. (196)

43.     imperceptible   adj.  impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses.   . . . an almost imperceptible tremor . . . (178)

44.     euphemisms   n.  an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive.  But Titi Generosa wasn't inclined toward elegant speech, nor toward euphemisms. (182)

45.     obliterate  vt.  to make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or wearing away; to remove utterly from recognition or memory; to remove from existence; destroy utterly all trace, indication or significance of.   . . . open sewers . . . obliterated the spicy smells . . . (183)    . . . a fog of pain that obliterated all hope . . . (204)

46.     impropriety  n.  improper behavior or character; an improper act.  I heard them whisper at the impropriety of my roving about unaccompanied . . . (183)

47.     ingenuousness   n.  openly straightforward or frank; the quality of innocent naivete.  The freedom I gained from Titi Generosa's ingenuousness was usually given only to boys . . . (183)

48.     sequestered  vt.  to set apart; segregate; seclude; withdraw.   . . . she remained sequestered in her pink room . . . (185)

49.     enthralled   vt.  to enchant, charm, or hold spellbound.  I was puzzled and frightened by this transformation but at the same time enthralled by it. (189)

50.    palpable   adj.  capable of being perceived by the senses or the mind; especially capable of being handled,  touched or felt.  . . . to chill the heat [men's looks] gave off, palpable as the clothes I wore. (190)

51.     morose  adj.  showing a brooding ill humor; sullen; gloomy.  [Papi] was . . . withdrawn . . . morose . . . (191)   . . . Chico was quiet and morose.  (247)

52.     diminish   vt.  lessen the authority, dignity or reputation of; decrease in size, extent or range.  Each word diminished them, flattened them . . . (207)

53.     disfigure   vt.  to mar or spoil the appearance of.   . . . a dim spotlight that disfigured their features into grimaces. (207)

54.     grimace  n.  a contorted facial expression, usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain.  see above. 

55.     inscrutable  adj.  difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.   . . . Papi, his face inscrutable . . . (209)

56.     inducement   n.    a motive or consideration that leads one to action.  . . . her handbag, which we worried was an inducement for muggers, since it was big and bulging. (246)

57.     dour   adj.    silently ill-humored; gloomy; sternly obstinate; unyielding.  . . . the receptionist with the dour expression who wouldn't smile . . . (250)

58.    dishevelled  adj.  in disarray; rumpled.  . . . her hair dishevelled and her eyes cast down and furtive. (250)

59.     furtive  adj.  quietly cautious and secretive; sly.  see above.

60.     incoherent  adj.   unable to think or express one's thoughts clearly, fluently or logically.  Tata was sometimes dependable, but just as often she was incoherent . . . (254)  

61.     façade   n.  the front of a building; an artificial or deceptive front or appearance.  . . . the façades of the buildings opened into dark hallways . . . (260)

62.     breach  vt.  to make a hole or gap in; break through.   . . . if so many locks had to be breached to go in or step out. (260)

63.    proclivity   n.  a natural inclination; tendency.  ". . . a tigress . . . with unmentionable proclivities suppressed on the side." (261)

64.     impeccably  adj.   faultless; flawless; perfect.   . . . I faced these three impeccably groomed women . . . (264)