The Teacher of Nomad Land: Chapters 1–7

by Daniel Nayeri
In this historical fiction novel, a boy and his sister trek across Iran during the Allied invasion of WWII.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–12, Chapters 13–19, Chapters 20–28
15 words 30 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nomad
    a member of a people who have no permanent home
    It doesn’t say that he liked peaches better than cantaloupes. That he raised Babak and Sana alone. That he taught the nomad tribes to read. He taught. He was a teacher.
  2. ambush
    wait in hiding to attack
    He only knows Baba, who was killed—said Traveler the nomad—when British soldiers mistook a group of goatherds on a mountainside as resistance fighters crouching in wait to ambush their envoy.
  3. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Auntie Joon is only used to sons, who will eventually break a stare with their mother, but Sana will not relent.
  4. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    Auntie opens and closes her hand a couple times to beckon her.
  5. motorcade
    a procession of people traveling in vehicles
    Everyone is scared, even though neither the British nor the Soviet armies ever marched into the city in a conquering motorcade.
  6. depose
    force to leave an office
    The shah, Reza, was deposed and replaced with his son.
  7. clamor
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    It’s the clamor and shouting of a chasing game that is neither happy nor sad.
  8. naive
    inexperienced
    Mrs. Turani shakes her head, “Pfft. Ungrateful and naive, what a combination.”
  9. corrugated
    shaped into alternating parallel grooves and ridges
    The roofs are sheets of corrugated metal or black tarps made of goat hair.
  10. minaret
    a slender tower with balconies, especially on a mosque
    They hear it through the new electric loudspeakers mounted on the tall minarets.
  11. scrutinize
    examine carefully for accuracy
    He knows she’s been thinking of a counterexample the whole time. As if every statement should be puzzled out and scrutinized for exact truthfulness.
  12. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    The fingers of her hand are gnarled and knuckled, and curl like a bird’s.
  13. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    His eyes are unyielding and Babak imagines that no one has been able to look into them long enough to discern their color.
  14. patriarch
    the male head of family or tribe
    Babak has the impression that Traveler is The Lady’s brother. Not the patriarch of the family, but a respected uncle.
  15. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    “What’s the test, then? How do we assess the job he’s done?”
Created on Fri Nov 06 03:04:32 EST 2026 (updated Mon Nov 09 12:47:33 EST 2026)

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