Excerpt from "Travels with Charley"

Find out what happens when a man and his dog meet bears in Yellowstone National Park in this nonfiction excerpt from John Steinbeck's memoir "Travels with Charley: In Search of America."

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 6 Unit 2's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Walk Two Moons, The Little Mermaid, …And Although the Little Mermaid Sacrificed Everything…, He Might Have Liked Me Better with My Tail, Travels with Charley, Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal, Dogs Make Us Human, My Story, Temple Grandin
20 words 100 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. laxness
    the quality of being lax and neglectful
    I must confess to a laxness in the matter of National Parks.
  2. enclose
    confine, hold in
    Perhaps this is because they enclose the unique, the spectacular, the astounding
  3. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    the greatest waterfall, the deepest canyon, the highest cliff, the most stupendous works of man or nature
  4. tendency
    an attitude of mind that favors one alternative over others
    Again it might have been the American tendency in travel. One goes, not so much to see but to tell afterward.
  5. tranquility
    a disposition free from stress or emotion
    This is a dog of peace and tranquility.
  6. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    I suggest that the greatest danger to your bears will be pique at being ignored by Charley.
  7. intolerance
    unwillingness to respect differences in opinions or beliefs
    But our bears have developed intolerance for dogs.
  8. demonstrate
    provide evidence for
    One of them might demonstrate his prejudice with a clip on the chin, and then--no dog.
  9. critical
    marked by a tendency to find and call attention to flaws
    Not only do they steal but they are critical of anyone who tries to reform them.
  10. amble
    walk leisurely
    Less than a mile from the entrance I saw a bear beside the road, and it ambled out as though to flag me down.
  11. screech
    make a high-pitched noise
    He screeched insults at the bear, which hearing, the bear reared up and seemed to me to overtop Rocinante.
  12. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    Frantically I rolled the windows shut and, swinging quickly to the left, grazed the animal, then scuttled on while Charley raved and ranted beside me, describing in detail what he would do to that bear if he could get at him.
  13. resist
    withstand the force of something
    For the first time in his life Charley resisted reason, even resisted a cuff on the ear.
  14. primitive
    characteristic of an earlier ancestral type
    He became a primitive killer lusting for the blood of his enemy, and up to this moment he had no enemies.
  15. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    Once in a while he tries a bluff, but it is a palpable lie.
  16. spectacle
    something or someone seen, especially a notable sight
    It was too nerve-wracking, a shocking spectacle, like seeing an old, calm friend go insane.
  17. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    No amount of natural wonders, of rigid cliffs and belching waters, of smoking springs could even engage my attention while that pandemonium went on.
  18. reluctant
    not eager
    I moved fast, back the way I had come, and I was reluctant to camp for fear there might be some unofficial non-government bears about.
  19. deplete
    use up, as resources or materials
    Mostly he reminded me of a man coming out of a long, hard drunk--worn out, depleted, and collapsed.
  20. gesture
    motion of hands or body to emphasize a thought or feeling
    In the night I heard him whining and yapping, and when I turned on the light his feet were making running gestures and his body jerked and his eyes were wide open, but it was only a night bear.
Created on Wed Aug 13 12:25:05 EDT 2014 (updated Wed Aug 13 16:23:09 EDT 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.