Vocabulary Lesson

The beach near Elisenda and Pelayo's house is muddy and covered with rotten shellfish, and their courtyard is marshy, like a ___, because of the heavy rain.

• grimace

• visage

• bayou

• vibrant

• whimsically

The old man has the ___ of a sailor. Elisenda and Pelayo guess from his face that he is a castaway from a foreign ship wrecked by the storm.

• grimace

• mentor

• axiom

• bayou

• visage

Because the old man has wings and cannot speak Spanish, Elisenda and Pelayo are not ___ toward him. They turn away and leave him lying in the mud.

• indomitable

• amiable

• malleable

• melodramatic

• whimsical

They do not try to change the old man in any way, so they do not know if he is ___. With encouragement he might have adapted to their household.

• amiable

• indomitable

• whimsical

• malleable

• melodramatic

Because the old man is ___ in the face of bad treatment, Pelayo and Elisenda begin to ignore him, believing that he can withstand anything.

• indomitable

• whimsical

• malleable

• amiable

• melodramatic

Garcia Marquez is a master of portraying odd and fanciful stories. They seem to come alive, much like a ____ painting.

• melodramatic

• indomitable

• malleable

• vibrant

• whimsical

Elisenda and Pelayo hope that the old man does not ___ to illness and die because they do not know how to dispose of a body in their marshy area, which is like a ______.

• grimace ... bayou

• succumb ... bayou

• succumb ... visage

• grimace ... visage

The townspeople are ___ and change whenever a more exciting, ___ circumstance presents itself.

• melodramatic ... vibrant

• whimsical ... malleable

• malleable ... melodramatic

• indomitable ... amiable

• vibrant ... indomitable

The townspeople hope for even a twisted ____ on the old man's _____, but his face remains expressionless.

• visage ... bayou

• grimace ... visage

• grimace ... melodrama

• visage ... whimiscal

The ____ nature of the townspeople is shown in their bizarre, silly suggestions about what to do with the ___ old man, who seems unable to be controlled by them.

• amiable ... grimacing

• indomitable ... melodramatic

• malleable ... amiable

• whimsical .... indomitable