37 pages • 1 hour read
Ursula K. Le GuinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
Index of Terms
This section presents terms and phrases that are central to understanding the text and may present a challenge to the reader. Use this list to create a vocabulary quiz or worksheet, to prepare flashcards for a standardized test, or to inspire classroom word games and other group activities.
1. decorous (adjective):
in keeping with manners, good taste, or custom
“Some were decorous: old people in long stiff robes of mauve and grey, grave master workmen, quiet, merry women carrying their babies and chatting as they walked.” (Paragraph 1)
2. lithe (adjective):
slender and graceful
“[B]oys and girls, naked in the bright air, with mud-stained feet and ankles and long, lithe arms, exercised their restive horses before the race.” (Paragraph 1)
3. archaic (adjective):
obsolete, belonging to an earlier era
“All smiles have become archaic.” (Paragraph 3)
4. litter (noun):
a covered seat or bed attached to poles; used to carry one or more passengers
“Given a description such as this, one tends to look next for the King, mounted on a splendid stallion and surrounded by his noble knights, or perhaps in a golden litter borne by great-muscled slaves.” (Paragraph 3)
5. dulcet (adjective):
sweetly pleasant; often used ironically
“Yet I repeat that these were not simple folk, not dulcet shepherds, noble savages, bland utopians.
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