2. I saw a special on PBS once on children who were geniuses. These kids could remember complicated strands of numbers and recall words and pictures in correct sequence and quote long passages of poetry. So can I. What does recall mean?

3. She rocks for hours in the corner under one of the dumb smiling flowers. The teachers are always trying to coax her out, but she wraps her arms around herself like she’s cold and keeps on rocking.

What does coax mean?

4. She peeked her head in to check on me and said, “I’m going to lie down for a couple of minutes, Melody. Are you okay for a few?”. . . I laughed so hard, I jerked forward in my chair and found myself face down on the floor. Butterscotch went to the closed door and scratched. Mom came to the door, looking groggy. Her hair was all messed up. What does groggy mean?

5. “Well, Melody is, well, you know, really special, ”Dad said hesitantly. “All kids are special,” Mrs. V had replied with authority. “But this one has hidden superpowers. I’d love to help her find them.” “We can’t possibly pay you what this is worth to us,” Dad began. Mrs. V had shrugged and said with a smile, “I’ll appreciate whatever you can give me.” My dad looked sheepish. “Well, thanks. What does sheepish mean?

6. She ignored me, walked away, and flipped on her CD player. Loud marching band music blared through the room. What does blared mean?

7. Then my tornado explosion took over. I flailed and jerked and basically spazzed out. I kicked so hard that my shoes popped out of the foot straps on my chair. That made me tilt to one side, and I screamed even louder. What does flailed mean?

8. Mom took the CD, dug down in her purse for a moment, gave Mrs. Billups a five-dollar bill, and deftly snapped the disc in half. What does deftly mean?

9. For a long time it was just me, my mom and dad, and my goldfish, Ollie. He lived in a small bowl on the table in my room. The bottom of the bowl was covered with tiny pink rocks, and a fake plastic log sat wedged in the rocks. I guess it was supposed to look like something from under the sea, but I don’t think there are any lakes or oceans that really have rocks that color. What does wedged mean?

10. But suddenly, for no reason I could figure, Ollie dove down to the bottom of his bowl, rushed to the top, and hurled himself right out of the bowl. I screeched. Ollie continued to flop and gasp, looking more desperate. Ollie needed water. What does hurled mean?

11. I can’t go very fast, but I can propel myself down the hall with just a little lever on the handrail. Or, if I flip the switch to manual, I can still be pushed if necessary. What does propel mean?

12. “I did not help her! Did it ever occur to you that she might have some smarts of her own?” “She can’t even sit up by herself!” Claire replied, her voice petulant. What does petulant mean?

13. “They think my brain is messed up like the rest of me.” I felt like crying. “Then we’ll just have to study and show them they’re wrong!” Catherine said, a hint of defiance edging her voice. “Why?” I asked. “So you can be on the quiz team,” she told me. What does defiance mean?

14. “Then, let’s do our very best,” Mr. D said. “I’m going to create extra-challenging questions so that we will be stupendously prepared this year.” What does stupendously mean?

15. Volcanoes were named for the Roman god Vulcan. I could’ve figured that one out myself. I found out about lava and ash. I learned about how the whole city of Pompeii got covered up when Vesuvius erupted.

What does erupted mean?

16. Penny walks with such determination, her face alternating between frowns and smiles as she concentrates on marching down the path between our two houses, then climbing the front steps with both hands and both feet. I’m still boggled by how easily she does stuff. What does boggled mean?

17. Then he announces, “The two teams with the highest scores from all preliminary rounds will meet for what we call a ‘quiz-off,’ so point totals are critical. What does critical mean?

Claire stays on the other side of the room with her parents, but Connor ambles over and stands next to Rose. What does ambles mean?

19. Butterscotch, who still sleeps in my room, nuzzles my hand. She always seems to know how I feel, but it doesn’t help this time. What does nuzzles mean?

20. “Molly beat you by two points, Claire,” Mr. D explained. “But you still get to come with us and cheer us on and tour the city.” “But it was me who helped her study!” Claire said, outrage in her voice. “That is so not fair!” Molly looked smug and not at all sorry. What does smug mean?