The Night Diary: August 31, 1947–November 10, 1947

by Veera Hiranandani
In 1947, British India was divided into two separate and independent countries: India, a mostly Hindu nation, and Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim nation. The partition leaves Nisha, a girl with both Hindu and Muslim heritage, without a clear place to call home. She and her family must make a treacherous journey to try to find a safe haven in a country rocked by turmoil and violence.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: July 14, 1947–August 1, 1947; August 2, 1947–August 8, 1947; August 15, 1947–August 20, 1947; August 21, 1947–August 30, 1947; August 31, 1947–November 10, 1947
25 words 416 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cleft
    a split or indentation in something
    Back in Mirpur Khas, a dried fruit vendor at the market had always worn a scarf over his mouth and nose, and Papa said it was because he had a cleft palate and showed me in his medical book what it was.
  2. palate
    the surface of the mouth separating oral and nasal cavities
    Back in Mirpur Khas, a dried fruit vendor at the market had always worn a scarf over his mouth and nose, and Papa said it was because he had a cleft palate and showed me in his medical book what it was.
  3. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    I walked under an archway to a formal sitting room, with a long couch, several wooden chairs, embroidered pillows, and a low carved table in the middle.
  4. grime
    thick or ingrained dirt
    I would need a full bath later to peel the layers of grime away, but it was so nice to see the skin on my hands not caked with dirt.
  5. lopsided
    having one side lower or smaller or lighter than the other
    I walked closer and studied the painting, his strange upturned mouth, like an invisible string pulled his top lip up from the middle, the shock of pink gum showing, the lopsided teeth one almost on top of another, his flat nose.
  6. mince
    cut into small pieces
    He chopped the onions every which way and didn’t mince the ginger anywhere near as fine as Kazi would have.
  7. defect
    an imperfection in a bodily system
    I’m just like Rashid Uncle, born with a defect that makes it hard to speak, even impossible, except that you can’t see mine.
  8. scowl
    a facial expression of dislike or displeasure
    She sat on the ground braiding and unbraiding her hair, biting her lip with a scowl.
  9. scramble
    move hurriedly
    Amil scrambled back inside. We ducked under the window for a few seconds until we got the courage to peek over the ledge.
  10. gape
    look with amazement
    Amil gaped at me, his mouth hanging open.
  11. nestle
    lie in a sheltered position
    “Wonderful,” Papa said, taking in the bright orange cubes of sweet potato nestled among the fried green beans and onions.
  12. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    I thought of my old doll, Dee, and my stomach clenched.
  13. stutter
    speak haltingly
    “Did you, was she,” Amil stuttered.
  14. jolt
    move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
    “Me?” I asked pointing to myself, jolted upright with surprise.
  15. upright
    in a vertical position; not sloping
    “Me?” I asked pointing to myself, jolted upright with surprise.
  16. coarse
    rough to the touch
    Her hair felt soft and smooth, not coarse and wavy like mine.
  17. blurt
    utter impulsively
    “It’s the best thing anyone ever gave me,” I blurted out.
  18. jostle
    make one's way by pushing or shoving
    I glanced around me as we jostled into the middle.
  19. trample
    tread or stomp heavily or roughly
    One conductor stepped on my bare toe, crushed it, as he trampled past.
  20. accusation
    an assertion that someone is guilty of a fault or offense
    Some of the passengers started to respond to the accusations and rush out to join the other men, their wives pulling on their arms begging them not to go.
  21. turban
    a headdress made of a long scarf wrapped around the head
    A Sikh man fell, his turban unraveling.
  22. unravel
    become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers of
    A Sikh man fell, his turban unraveling.
  23. sludge
    any thick, viscous matter
    I haven’t been writing. I don’t know why. My brain is filled with sludge.
  24. crest
    the top or extreme point of something
    It felt like I had been riding on the crest of a high wave and now it tumbled onto shore.
  25. contort
    twist and press out of shape
    His face contorted like he was crying, but no tears came.
Created on Tue Dec 04 19:38:37 EST 2018 (updated Fri Dec 14 10:15:43 EST 2018)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.