Open Court U5L4 Vocabulary

And throughout his lifetime, Jefferson scattered seeds, like a brisk wind,

around the world. What does the word 'brisk' mean?

• slow or lethargic

• calm or relaxed

• dull or boring

• quick or energetic

And like any farmer imagining the harvest of a newly tilled field, Thomas

envisioned a nation of farmers.What is the meaning of the word 'envisioned'?

• predict or forecast

• remember or recall

• imagine or visualize

• ignore or disregard

The weather produced an infestation of lowly reptiles and insects. What does 'infestation' refer to?

• Large number of unwanted reptiles and insects present in a place

• A single reptile or insect that appeared in the area

• The process of reptiles and insects becoming friendly to humans

• A type of weather pattern that occurs during winter months

Jefferson pulled out his pen, uprooted every mistake in Buffon’s

books, and planted the truth in his own book called Notes

on the State of Virginia. What is the definition of 'uprooted'?

• Dug up plants and trees from the soil

• Completely removed or got rid of something

• Moved people or things to a new place

• Found something that was lost or hidden

“The skeleton of the mammoth . . . bespeaks an animal of five or six times” the size of an elephant,

he said. What does the term 'bespeaks' mean?

• to indicate or suggest something

• to explain or clarify something

• to hide or conceal something

• to deny or reject something

Now the United States had to cultivate its own commerce, and Thomas was perfect for the

job. He established trade agreements to help New Englanders sell whale oil and Southerners sell tobacco. What is the meaning of the word 'commerce'?

• The act of communicating or exchanging information

• The study of celestial bodies and their movements

• The activity of buying and selling goods and services

• The process of creating and maintaining websites

Although the dry rice helped family farmers grow food to eat, it failed as a cash crop because people did not want to buy it in large amounts. What is a "cash crop"?

• A cash crop is a crop grown for personal consumption.

• A cash crop is a crop grown for research purposes.

• A crop that farmers plant during the dry season

• A cash crop is a crop grown for sale and profit.

New York City, the nation’s capital, was a hothouse of dispute. What is a 'hothouse'?

• A building used to grow plants in warm conditions

• A place where many intense activities or conflicts happen

• A location that is extremely hot and uncomfortable

• A gathering place where people meet to relax and chat with others

Thomas set up a committee to study “the best means of preventing or destroying the Insect,” and on his trip north he

quizzed farmers about the fly’s habits. What is the purpose of a 'committee'?

• The purpose of a committee is to promote individual interests rather than collective goals.

• The purpose of a committee is to facilitate collaboration and decision-making among a group of individuals.

• The purpose of a committee is to waste time and delay decision-making.

• The purpose of a committee is to create unnecessary bureaucracy.

In 1794, Thomas left Philadelphia, eager to live at Monticello again. But overgrown fences and weedy fields greeted him. “A

10. years abandonment of them . . . to the unprincipled ravages of overseers, has brought on a degree of degradation far beyond what I had expected.” What does 'degradation' refer to?

• Transformation or evolution into something else

• Stabilization or maintenance

• Process of deterioration or decline

• Improvement or enhancement