Unit 2. Word List
When something is arduous, it demands great effort or labor.
The explorers began their arduous hike up the steep mountain.- To attain something means to gain or achieve it, often after a lot of effort.
In two more years, I will attain my high school diploma. - To coexist with something means to exist with it in the same time and place.
Our pets coexist at our home with little or no problems. - To conceive something means to be able to imagine or believe it.
The child could not conceive the actual size of the Earth. - When something or someone is dubious, they are not considered honest.
The police thought that the man’s description of the crime was dubious. - An ego is a person’s sense of their own worth.
Kelly’s ego made her think that she was some kind of a superhero. - Elastic is a rubber that stretches when it is pulled.
He attached the elastic bungee to his legs before he jumped off the platform. - An endeavor is an attempt to do something, especially something new or original. The company’s new advertising endeavor ended in a horrible failure.
- To engrave means to cut a design or words into the surface of something.
The couple engraved their names onto the old pine tree. - To excavate means to dig on land and remove dirt to look for something.
The team wishes to excavate the site in hopes of finding fossils. - When something is jagged, it has a tough, uneven shape or edge.
The swimmer was hurt when he fell on the jagged rocks. - A locale is a small area or place where something specific happens.
The spa was the perfect locale for my mother to relax and enjoy her vacation. - A mold is a hollow container that is used to make certain shapes.
Using a cupcake mold will ensure that they come out just right. - When something is outright, it is open and direct.
Everyone knew that the boy’s story was an outright lie. - The periphery of an area, place, or thing is the edge of it.
A beautiful floral pattern is on the periphery of the stationery. - Plaster is a smooth paste that gets hard when it dries.
He used plaster to fill in the cracks in the old walls. - A shovel is a tool with a long handle that is used for digging.
The boy grabbed his shovel and got all of the snow off of the sidewalk. - When something is skeletal, it relates to bones in the body.
We studied the skeletal system in anatomy class. - If something is terrestrial, it relates to Earth.
There are billions of terrestrial life forms. - When something or someone is vicious, they are violent and cruel.
The vicious dog tried to bite the small child.
The Fossil Hunters
Tim and Dean were great fossil hunters. They were the very best at finding dinosaur bones. Although Tim and Dean were quite similar, they were outright enemies. The two men got into vicious arguments all the time. They couldn’t coexist peacefully because their egos were too large. Tim thought he was the best fossil hunter, while Dean was sure that he was much betterthan Tim. One day, Tim was searching for fossils on the periphery of the city when he discovered a huge bone. He had never seen anything like it! He took his shovel and carefully excavated the dirt around it. As he dug, he uncovered more jagged bones. He realized that he had found an entire dinosaur skeleton! Tim couldn’t conceive a plan to remove the huge skeleton all by himself.
Such an endeavor would be too arduous. He needed help. He tried to think of people who would be capable of helping him remove the skeleton without breaking it. The only person Tim could think of was Dean, his enemy. Tim ran into the city to find Dean. Tim found him and said, “Dean, I’ve found the skeletal remains of a huge terrestrial animal. But I can’t get the skeleton out by myself. Will you please help me? Dean thought that Tim’s claim might be dubious. He replied, “If you’re serious about the skeleton, I’ll help.”
Tim excitedly showed Dean the skeleton’s locale. They worked together to carefully remove each bone. And to keep the bones together, they tied them with elastic strips. When they were finished, they had attained a perfect skeleton. They used plaster to make a mold of the dinosaur’s skull. They engraved their initials into it and gave it to the curator of a local museum. Tim and Dean found out that they could work very well together. They decided to end their feud and become friends. By combining their talents, the men became even greater than they were before.
