Name________________________________________________________Date___________________________Period_________________
Monkey’s Paw Vocabulary
Vocabulary Word to
Know
Context Clue
Sentence
Fakir
Typically, Fakir’s sell
lucky charms and perform
incredible feats, such as
laying on a bed of nails or
appearing to float.
Peril
The stormy weather had
placed the family into
unnecessary peril.
Talisman
“Before the test, Herbert
took out his talisman and
wished for an A.”
Avaricious
“He came across as a
greedy, uncaring,
avaricious person driven by
money.”
Antimacassar
“My grandmother had a
knitted antimacassar on to
top of her favorite chair on
which the cat would sit.”
“The fire had a simian look
in the flames, like a howler
monkey staring back.”
Simian
Enthralled
“The three sat enthralled,
listening to the Sergeant
Major’s story eagerly.”
Context Clue
Used
My Definition
Actual definition
Fate
Surveying
Prosaic
Credulity
Amiably
Intercept
Maligned
Grimaced
Is it possible to control
your fate, or is your destiny
a path from which you can
not veer?
Surveying the quad for her
friend, Alitza saw everyone
but who she sought.
“There was an air of
prosaic sameness in the
room, just like every other
day.”
It is easy to trick people
who have a lot of credulity,
because they are quick to
believe even nonsense.
“Mr. White welcomed the
guest amiably, with a smile
and a handshake.”
“Mr. White looked up, just
in time to intercept a
knowing glance between
mother and son.”
“The woman was quite
maligned when the
dimwitted man asked her
age. Didn’t he know you
never ask a woman her
age?”
Sarah bit into the cooked
octopus and grimaced at the
taste.