Ground Zero: List 3

by Alan Gratz
A teen in New York City fights for his life during the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, while on September 11, 2019, a teen in Afghanistan gets caught up in war.

This list covers "New York's Bravest"–"Ground Zero."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 443 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    He and his partner were grim and stone-faced, as were the firefighters behind them, no doubt thinking about the long, grueling climb ahead of them.
  2. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    He and his partner were grim and stone-faced, as were the firefighters behind them, no doubt thinking about the long, grueling climb ahead of them.
  3. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    Then, inexplicably, he started singing “God Bless America.”
  4. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
    “I was always more partial to ‘This Land Is Your Land,’” Richard said. “A little less... bombastic.”
  5. mesh
    an open fabric woven together at regular intervals
    She came into the room with an old blue burqa, the kind of garment women had been forced to wear outside during the rule of the Taliban. It was a robe that covered every inch of a woman’s body, from head to foot, with a small mesh window to see out of.
  6. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    There was a palpable sense of excitement from the people around Brandon as they all filed into a short, dark passageway.
  7. hysterical
    characterized by a state of violent mental agitation
    “What if the building comes down on top of us?” a hysterical man asked.
  8. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    He almost balked, almost backed out, but he knew there was no way out across that plaza.
  9. plume
    anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
    She couldn’t even see over their heads anymore, but she could see the black-and-gray plume of smoke as it rose into the air.
  10. skimpy
    containing little excess
    Beyond that would be the Gap, and the Speedo store where Brandon liked to laugh at the male mannequins in their skimpy bathing suits.
  11. aqueduct
    a conduit that carries water over a valley
    The main hallway was like a gushing aqueduct during a storm, but the electricity was still on in the stores.
  12. garish
    tastelessly showy
    For the first time in Brandon’s life, the mall felt incredibly garish. The lights were too bright, the music too happy.
  13. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    “Army Special Forces have to learn a second language, and I was taught Mandarin.”
    “Because so many people in Afghanistan speak Chinese,” Reshmina said wryly.
  14. splay
    widen or spread apart
    He was lying on his side in three inches of water, arms and legs splayed out and pieces of metal and wood on top of him.
  15. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    The world had exploded, and now he was totally, utterly alone.
  16. contour
    any spatial attributes, especially as defined by outline
    His left hand found something plastic in a cardboard package, floating by in the ankle-deep water, and as he searched its contours with his fingers, Brandon recognized with a start what it was.
  17. indistinct
    not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand
    There was no answer. Just the indistinct hum of a tune.
  18. grouse
    complain
    “Stop fussing,” Anaa groused.
  19. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    Anaa finished her song, and things grew deathly, oppressively quiet.
  20. rekindle
    arouse again
    Reshmina felt a tiny spark of hope rekindle in her chest, and she turned excitedly to the others.
  21. varnish
    a coating that provides a hard, lustrous finish to a surface
    It had all kinds of weird curves and contours, and was slick and cool and smooth, like fiberglass covered with a varnish.
  22. wield
    handle effectively
    Along the far wall were a few old English Enfield rifles, and next to that was a stack of curved bows, like the kind the Mongols had once wielded in their conquest of Afghanistan.
  23. conquest
    the act of defeating and taking control of
    Along the far wall were a few old English Enfield rifles, and next to that was a stack of curved bows, like the kind the Mongols had once wielded in their conquest of Afghanistan.
  24. pennant
    a flag that usually tapers and is longer than it is wide
    Reshmina’s flashlight moved across old military medals and flags and pennants.
  25. shroud
    cover as if with a burial garment
    The South Tower was gone. Like some sort of awful magician’s trick, it had just disappeared. Disappeared and been replaced by a mountain of concrete and twisted metal, shrouded in a cloud of dust and smoke.
  26. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    The tall red-and-white antenna on top of the North Tower was just visible, sticking out through the cloud of gray-and-black smoke that billowed from the upper floors.
  27. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    Beside him Carter looked at Taz with a kind of reverence. Almost awe.
  28. thrum
    a low, continuous sound
    In moments, Reshmina heard the familiar thrum of an incoming Apache.
  29. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    Soon they came to a small city park with lush green trees and red and yellow flowers.
  30. extremist
    a person who holds radical views
    On the news, they were guessing it was a group of Islamic extremists called al Qaeda, but no one knew for sure yet.
  31. compensation
    something given or received as payment or reparation
    Now a team of Americans was meeting with each of the families who had lost their homes and their possessions, arranging for financial compensation for their losses.
  32. callous
    emotionally hardened
    Taz grimaced at how callous it all sounded, but Reshmina wasn’t wrong, and they both knew it.
  33. ruefully
    in a manner expressing pain or sorrow
    Reshmina smiled ruefully. “You may be able to do that,” she told him, “but your country never will. They help with one hand and hold a gun in the other.”
  34. coalition
    an organization of people involved in a pact or treaty
    There was this feeling of unity. America invaded Afghanistan with a coalition of countries.
  35. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    And he had come back to check on them. Why? To make sure they were all right? Or to gloat over firing another shot at the American hornet’s nest?
Created on Mon Apr 12 10:58:12 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Apr 13 15:54:29 EDT 2021)

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