Term 4 ATV Vocab

Question 1

Dissent

Answer 1

Disagree; Waverly dissents when her mother pressures her to be perfect at chess.

Question 2

Surmount

Answer 2

Overcome; Jing-mei tries to surmount her feelings of guilt about her relationship with her mom.

Question 3

Usurp

Answer 3

Take smth by force or w/o permission; Lena feels like her husband usurps control in their marriage.

Question 4

Candid

Answer 4

Honest/direct; Jing-mei gives a candid answer when her mother asks about the piano.

Question 5

Derisive

Answer 5

Mocking or showing disrespect; Waverly makes derisive comments aimed towards Jing-Mei during the family dinner.

Question 6

Ebullient

Answer 6

Full of energy; The mothers seemed ebullient when they shared stories at the Joy Luck Club meetings.

Question 7

Articulate

Answer 7

Speak clearly; Jing-mei struggles to articulate her feelings to her mother.

Question 8

Daunt

Answer 8

Make someone feel scared/nervous; The piano recital does not daunt young Jing-Mei, even though she is unprepared.

Question 9

Embroil

Answer 9

To get someone involved in a conflict; The mothers are often embroiled in family tensions with their daughters.

Question 10

Evasive

Answer 10

Avoiding truth; Suyuan is evasive when Jing-Mei asks about the lost twins.

Question 11

Fatalistic

Answer 11

Believing that things are decided by fate; Ying-ying has a fatalistic view of her life after her miscarriage.

Question 12

Fervent

Answer 12

Showing strong feelings; The mothers have a fervent hope that their daughters will succeed in the US.

Question 13

Rectify

Answer 13

Correct; Jing-mei hopes to rectify her relationship with her mother by traveling to China to meet her half-sisters.

Question 14

Revile

Answer 14

Insult; Waverly feels reviled by her mother’s harsh criticism, especially about her chess playing.

Question 15

Annihilate

Answer 15

Destroy; Lena’s mother’s negativity seems to annihilate Lena’s self-confidence.

Question 16

Untenable

Answer 16

Unjustifiable; The daughters find their mothers’ strict expectations untenable as they try to live in modern American society.

Question 17

Incredulous

Answer 17

Disbelieving; Jing-mei is incredulous when she learns she has twin half-sisters in China.

Question 18

Indignant

Answer 18

Offended; Waverly becomes indignant when her mother uses her success to boast to others, rather than support her privately.

Question 19

Denounce

Answer 19

Condemn; Lindo feels hurt when her Americanized daughter seems to denounce her traditional Chinese values.

Question 20

Exonerate

Answer 20

Clear up; Jing-mei’s trip to China helps exonerate her mother’s past choices in her eyes.

Question 21

Spurn

Answer 21

Reject; Rose decides to spurn her husband’s dominance and finally speaks up for herself during their divorce.

Question 22

Stolid

Answer 22

Unemotional; Harold remains stolid even as Lena expresses her frustrations about their unequal relationship.

Question 23

Insolent

Answer 23

Disrespectful; Waverly’s insolent tone angers her mother during their argument about Rich.

Question 24

Reticent

Answer 24

Reserved; Ying-ying is reticent about her tragic past until she finally opens up to Lena.