© brent coley 2008 | key vocabulary houghton mifflin reading theme 1 – nature’s fury

© Brent Coley 2008 | www.mrcoley.com

Earthquake Terror

Key VocabularyHoughton Mifflin ReadingTheme 1 – Nature’s Fury

See if you can correctly define

the following vocabulary

words.

If necessary, use the context clues from the sample

sentences to help you.

debris

debrisSample Sentence:There was much debris after the

earthquake.

debrisDefinition:

n. The remains of something broken

or destroyed

devastation

devastationSample Sentence:

The devastation caused by the

earthquake would cost millions of

dollars to repair.

devastationDefinition:

n. Destruction or ruin

fault

faultSample Sentence:

An earthquake typically occurs

near a fault.

faultDefinition:

n. A break in a rock mass caused

by a shifting of the earth’s crust

impact

impactSample Sentence:The impact of the two cars colliding

made a loud, crashing sound.

impactDefinition:

n. The striking of one object against

another

jolt

joltSample Sentence:The jolt from the person next to me caused me to drop

my books.

joltDefinition:

n. A sudden jerk or bump

shudder

shudderSample Sentence:The earthquake

caused the ground to shudder under

our feet.

shudderDefinition:

v. To suddenly shake, vibrate, or

quiver

susceptible

susceptibleSample Sentence:

California is susceptible to earthquakes

because of its many faults.

susceptibleDefinition:

adj. Easily affected

undulating

undulatingSample Sentence:

The undulating ground made it

difficult to stand.

undulatingDefinition:

adj. Moving in waves or with a smooth, wavy

motion

upheaval

upheavalSample Sentence:

The mountain range was created

by a great upheaval.

upheavalDefinition:

n. A lifting or upward movement

of the earth’s crust