Scope Magazine: "The Mighty Baba Yaga" Introduction

Scope Magazine: "The Mighty Baba Yaga" Introduction

by Stefanie Kready

​​chamber pot (CHEYM-ber pot)

noun; Chamber is an old term for bedroom. A chamber pot is a container that serves as a portable toilet, meant for use in a bedroom at night. Chamber pots were common in many cultures before the invention of indoor plumbing and flushing toilets.

​hearth (hahrth)

​noun; A hearth is a brick or stone-lined fireplace in a home that extends a short distance into the room.

​gaunt (gawnt)

​adjective; Someone who is gaunt is very thin and bony as a result of starvation, illness, or old age.

​gnarled (nahrld)

​adjective; Something that is gnarled is rough and full of twists and bumps or knots. Tree branches often become gnarled as they get old. People’s hands can become gnarled too, from illness, old age, or from hard work

​grotesque (groh-TESK)

​adjective; Something that is grotesque is unnatural in a strange, unpleasant, and ugly way, as in “Every year, my dad wears a grotesque mask to scare trick-or-treaters. It’s a distorted and hideous half-human, half-bat face!”

​reverberate (ri-VUR-buh-reyt) v

​verb; To reverberate is to ring or echo with sound, as in “Lera’s loud singing reverberated through the house.”

Poll

Good always triumphs over evil.

• Agree

• Disagree

​aspiring (uh-SPAHYE-ring)

​adjective; The verb aspire (uh-SPAHYUHR) means “to long for or aim for something of great or high value.” You might aspire to be president one day. Or you might aspire to sing like Zendaya.

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​Aspiring means “desiring and working to achieve a particular goal.” An aspiring actor is a person who aspires to be—and is trying to become—an actor.

​pluck (pluhk)

​noun; Pluck is spirited courage and determination. In the Harry Potter series, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are known for their pluck.

​resonate (REZ-uh-nayt)

​verb; To resonate is to make a loud, clear, deep sound. A gong being struck resonates; a pencil breaking does not. Resonate can also mean “to have a particular meaning or importance to someone, affecting them in a personal or in an emotional way.” Let’s say you hear a speech that makes a lot of sense to you or that brings up a lot of emotion. You might say, “That speech really resonated with me.”

Poll

No matter how hard things get, there is always hope for a better tomorrow.

• Agree

• Disagree

Multiple Choice

The movie was full of ______ zombies. They were so thin, they looked like skeletons

• gaunt

• aspiring

Multiple Choice

The _________ journalist spent her summer break working on her writing skills.

• aspiring

• grotesque

Multiple Choice

“Ms. Winston,” the princess called, “I’m off to bed. Please bring me my _________.”

• chamber pot

• hearth

Poll

Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.

• Agree

• Disagree

Multiple Choice

The slamming door _________ in my ears for what seemed like an entire minute.

• reverberated

• gnarled

Multiple Choice

The rabbit had become tangled in the bush’s _________ branches.

• aspiring

• gnarled

Multiple Choice

It took a lot of _________ to climb into the sewer in the middle of a rainstorm to rescue the stranded kitten.

• hearth

• pluck

Poll

Forgiving others can’t change the past, but it can change the future.

• Agree

• Disagree

Multiple Select

Which TWO are synonyms for grotesque?

• Ordinary

• Ugly

• Pretty

• Misshapen

Multiple Choice

For which purpose would many people use hearths?

• Heating their homes

• Washing their dishes

Poll

It is not the person who has little, but the person who always craves more, who is poor.

• Agree

• Disagree