Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Chapters 1-4

by Mildred D. Taylor
Set in Mississippi during the Great Depression, this classic novel follows Cassie Logan and her family as they face prejudice and economic hardship.

Learn these word lists for the novel: Chapters 1-4, Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-12
15 words 15983 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    “You keep it up and make us late for school, Mama’s gonna wear you out,” I threatened, pulling with exasperation at the high collar of the Sunday dress Mama had made me wear for the first day of school — as if that event were something special.
  2. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    “Ah, Cassie, leave him be,” Stacey admonished, frowning and kicking testily at the road.
  3. multitude
    a large indefinite number
    Beyond the protective fencing of the forest, vast farming fields, worked by a multitude of share-cropping families, covered two thirds of a ten-square-mile plantation.
  4. expansive
    able or tending to extend in one or more directions
    In the very center of the expansive front lawn, waving red, white, and blue with the emblem of the Confederacy emblazoned in its upper left-hand corner, was the Mississippi flag.
  5. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    As the last gong of the bell reverberated across the compound, I swooped up my pencils and notebook and ran inside.
  6. anticipation
    expecting with confidence of fulfillment
    My anticipation at having my own book ebbed to a sinking disappointment.
  7. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
    Although Mama had been a teacher at Great Faith for fourteen years, ever since she had graduated from the Crandon Teacher Training School at nineteen, she was still considered by many of the other teachers as a disrupting maverick.
  8. wary
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    The fact that she had not grown up in Spokane County but in the Delta made her even more suspect, and the more traditional thinkers like Miss Crocker were wary of her.
  9. formidable
    inspiring fear or dread
    But now, gazing upward at the most formidable-looking being we had ever encountered, we huddled closer to Papa.
  10. accelerate
    move faster
    Five minutes later we were skidding like frightened puppies toward the bank again as the bus accelerated and barreled down the narrow rain-soaked road; but there was no place to which we could run, for Stacey had been right.
  11. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    And for once in his life, Little Man was happily oblivious to the mud spattering upon him.
  12. contagious
    easily diffused or spread as from one person to another
    Yet just one glance at each other and we were lost, slumping on the table in helpless, contagious laughter.
  13. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    He collapsed in silence by the door, breathing hard, and although I could not see him, I knew that his face was drawn and that his eyes had taken on a haggard look.
  14. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    Then, thrusting his arm around Stacey’s shoulders, he chided, “Friends gotta trust each other, Stacey, ’cause ain’t nothin’ like a true friend.”
  15. patronize
    be a regular customer or client of
    She also spoke of finding another store to patronize, one where the proprietors were more concerned about the welfare of the community.
Created on Mon Jul 01 20:01:35 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Jun 12 11:34:14 EDT 2025)

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