Curriculum text vocabulary

acrid – bitter, pungent in taste or smell. The air was acrid with smoke from the fire.

antagonism – open hostility or opposition. Jack felt increasing antagonism toward Ralph's authority.

apex – the topmost point. At the apex of the cliff, they looked out over the sea.

assented – agreed after consideration. Ralph assented to Jack’s plan for building shelters.

assimilating – absorbing or taking in. Ralph was assimilating the horror of their actions.

bastion – stronghold or fortification. The rock served as a bastion where they felt safe.

blatant – offensively obvious. Jack’s blatant disregard for the signal fire angered Ralph.

clamoured – shouted loudly and insistently. The littluns clamoured for attention as they described the beast.

clambering – climbing awkwardly. He was clambering over the rocks to reach the meeting place.

compelled – forced or driven to act. He felt compelled to speak out, despite the fear.

corpulent – very fat. Pushing through the crowd, Piggy looked corpulent and vulnerable.

coverts – hidden shelters underbrush. They crept through coverts near the mountain.

crestfallen – disappointed and dejected. Ralph was crestfallen when the group doubted his ideas.

cynically – with distrust of human motives. Ralph laughed cynically, doubting rescue would come.

daunting – intimidating. The mountain looked daunting in the storm’s shadow.

decorous – proper and respectful in behaviour or appearance. They tried to remain decorous even as fear and disorder grew.

declivities – downward slopes. They ran down steep declivities toward the shore.

demure – modest and reserved. Piggy’s demure manner discouraged confrontation.

demented – crazy; insane. They looked demented, lost in ritual.

derision – ridiculing scorn. The boys greeted the news of the beast with derision.

derisive – mocking. Jack’s derisive laughter cut through Ralph’s speech.

effervescence – blossoming; flowering. The jungle around them was full of green effervescence and tropical bloom.

effigy – crude representation of a person. They built an effigy of the beast from sticks.

effulgence – brilliant radiance; shining splendour. The morning sun poured effulgence over the beach.

enimity – deep hostility or mutual hatred. There was growing enimity between Jack and Ralph.

ephemeral – lasting for a very short time. Their hope was ephemeral, vanishing with the smoke.

fervour – intense passion. The chant was sung with tribal fervour.

festooned – hung like decoration. Vines festooned the trees, making the jungle look alive.

fulcrum – the pivot or support point for leverage. Ralph used a stick as a fulcrum to open the conch.

furtive – secretive; sly. Roger gave a furtive grin as he sneaked closer.

gesticulated – made expressive gestures when speaking. Ralph gesticulated wildly to emphasise how important the signal fire was.

glowered – stared angrily. Jack glowered at Ralph across the fire.

hayrick – haystack (period term used figuratively). They joked that the forest looked like a giant hayrick from above.

hiatus – a break or gap in action. There was a sudden hiatus in the conversation as they waited for Piggy to speak.

impervious – not affected by outside influence. The rain seemed impervious, soaking through everything.

impalpable – cannot be felt by touch. Fear made the air seem impalpable, thick with tension.

inarticulate – unable to speak clearly. Simon felt inarticulate trying to describe his vision.

indignation – anger over unfair treatment. Piggy's indignation rose when the others ignored his ideas.

indignant – angry at perceived injustice. Piggy sounded indignant when called fat.

ineffectual – not effective. Ralph felt ineffectual, unable to control the boys.

inscrutable – mysterious; hard to understand. Simon’s smile was inscrutable, hard to read.

jeer – to mock or taunt. The littluns began to jeer Piggy for his glasses.

lamentably – in a regrettable manner. Piggy spoke lamentably about their failure to keep the fire going.

leviathan – huge sea creature. The waves looked like a leviathan rising from the deep.

ludicrous – absurd and laughable. Their idea of the beast seemed ludicrous in daylight.

luminous – softly bright. The conch sat luminous by Piggy’s body.

malevolently – with evil intent. Roger smiled malevolently as he aimed a rock.

mutinously – rebelliously. The group behaved mutinously, ignoring Ralph’s commands.

myopia – short-sightedness; also narrow-mindedness. Piggy’s myopia extended to his outlook on power and control.

oppressive – overwhelming; causing discomfort. The heat was oppressive, making everyone sluggish.

palled – lost attraction or appeal. The joy of hunting palled after Piggy’s death.

parried – skilfully deflected. Ralph parried Jack's attack with the conch.

pendant – something hanging down. A leafy pendant dropped from overhead, brushing Piggy’s hair.

proffer – to offer formally. Piggy proffered his glasses to Ralph so he could start the fire.

propitiatingly – pacifying; trying to appease. They looked at Jack propitiatingly, hoping to calm him.

recrimination – mutual accusations. There was recrimination between Jack and Ralph during the meeting.

rebuke – sharp criticism. Ralph’s rebuke of Jack’s behaviour fell on deaf ears.

sauntered – walked casually. Ralph sauntered down to the beach, trying to hide his fear.

sinewy – lean muscular strength. Jack appeared sinewy, built for the hunt.

snivelling – whining weakly. The littluns began snivelling as chaos reigned.

susurration – whispering or rustling sound. The susurration of leaves haunted the forest's edge.

swarthiness – dark complexion. The hunters had a certain swarthiness, hardened by sun and mud.

taboo – forbidden by social custom. The boys treated the beast as a taboo, afraid to speak its name.

tacit – understood without being said. A tacit understanding bound them—Ralph was chief.

talisman – object believed to hold magic power. Piggy saw the conch as a talisman of authority.

tirade – long, angry speech. Ralph’s tirade at the group about responsibility ended in silence.

truculently – aggressively defiant. Jack replied truculently, daring them to challenge him.

tremulously – in a trembling way. Simon spoke tremulously about the beast’s nature.

tumult – noisy confusion or disorder. A tumult of excitement followed the sighting of the ship.

ululation – long, wavering, high-pitched cry (like a howl). The hunters gave a wild ululation, spiralling into chaos.

vicissitudes – unexpected changes in life or fortune. They suffered the vicissitudes of fear, hunger, and conflict.

whelming – engulfing completely. The tide was whelming the platform beneath them.