Vocabulary.

1. Hubris –noun

excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.

 

His hubris made him annoying to be around.

 

Own logic: I vaguely knew what the word ment from reading.

 

2.  Tenuously- adjective

thin or slender in form, as a thread.

lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak: a tenuous argument.

thin in consistency; rare or rarefied.

 

He gave a rather tenous definition of the word when I asked what it meant, which didn't help me.

 

Synonym: I knew a synonym for the word was 'carelessly'.

 

3. Haphazard –adjective

characterized by lack of order or planning, by irregularity, or by randomness; determined by or dependent on chance; aimless.

 

He has a very haphazard way of doing things.

 

Own logic: I knew it meant sloppy or undeterminted.

Vocabulary.

1. Intrigue (verb) - to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities.

The war intrigued her.


Own logic: I use the word intrigue regularly.

I was intrigued by this book.


2. Shrill- (noun) high-pitched and piercing in sound quality

Elongated and narrow, like pieces of blackened leather, the tongues were threaded along a length of copper wire, one overlapping the next, the tips curled upward as if caught in a final shrill syllable.


Own logic: I've read the word in a book before.


Then, the hawk let out a loud shrill.


3. Impassive- (adjective) Without emotion; apathetic; unmoved.

His eyes were flat and impassive.

Context clues, and own logic: The use of the word 'flat' as well as 'impassive' to describe his eyes.

He gave me an impassive glance when he walked by.

Vocabulary

1. Stash (verb) - to put by or away as for safekeeping or future use, usually in a secret place (usually followed by away ):

Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in finatite quantites, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest, we steadly increase our moral capital in preperation for that day when the account must be drawn.

Own logic- I knew what 'stash' meant based on the several other meanings for the word stash, and the synonyms.

The squirrel stashes away nuts for winter.


2. dispense (verb) - to deal out; distribute: to dispense wisdom.

It dispensed with all those bothersome little acts of daily courage; it offered hope and grace to the repetitive coward; it justified the past while amortizing the future.

Context clues - The use of the words 'offered', and how the word 'dispensed' clearly means to give.

He dispensed soap from the soap dispensor.

 

 

3. aggression (noun) - the action of a state in violating by force the rights of another state, particularly its territorial rights; an unprovoked offensive, attack, or invasion.

 

A war of national liberation or simple aggression?

 

Own logic - I previously knew what the word agression meant. Also, context clues include war, and the overall tone of the line.

 

There was a lot of agression between them.

Vocabulary

Tangible (adj) - capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial.

Grief, terror, love, longing - these were the intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.

Context clue: 'Their own mass and specific gravity.'
The Antonym on tangible is intangible, which has been explained in the text as a mental thing.

You can physically feel the tangibles, but you must deal with the intangibles yourself.