The Light in Hidden Places: Chapters 6–8

by Sharon Cameron
Based on a true World War II story, this novel details how, as a teenager, Stefania Podgórska managed to take care of her younger sister, while hiding and supporting Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–8, Chapters 9–15, Chapters 16–22, Chapters 23–30
35 words 18 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. concoct
    devise or invent
    I said the birthday I’d concocted, with a year that made me sixteen.
  2. feigned
    not genuine
    I handed him a paper saying Emilika was my cousin with all the feigned confidence in the world.
  3. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    This man was dusty and a little crumpled, machine gun limp in his hands. He looked almost as dejected as the rest of us.
  4. currant
    a small red or black berry used in jellies and jams
    The lies rolled across my tongue like currant wine.
  5. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    I stood alone in that room and decided then and there that I was just as foolish as Mrs. Diamant had said. And very, very naive.
  6. lax
    without rigor or strictness
    Izio had said the guards were often lax. That the prisoners were unchained at night. That if he walked away after the evening work session, he might not be missed until the night ration.
  7. turret
    a self-contained weapons platform housing guns
    Far ahead there were tanks crossing the tracks, guns poking out of their turrets, jeeps with swastikas driving along by their side.
  8. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    I, on the other hand, was easy to spot. Conspicuous in the twilight.
  9. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    And then I heard a “pssst.”
    I looked around. The new guard was beckoning.
  10. chisel
    carve with an edge tool
    The rock was smooth, flat, and now that there was light, I could see writing chiseled on it.
  11. nicker
    a soft sound made by a horse
    No whoosh and nicker from the horses.
  12. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    I stepped slowly, warily inside.
  13. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    Some of Mama’s oldest clothes were still in the closet, and one or two of Tata's jackets, but her jewelry was missing, along with my grandmother’s gilded egg that opened like a box.
  14. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    There had never been electricity, but I found matches on the mantel that no one had bothered to take, and there was some firewood still in the pile.
  15. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    I fished the one cup I owned out of the knapsack and poured in hot water and a spoonful of sugar from my supplies, plus a sprig of mint from Mama’s window box.
  16. dandle
    gently or playfully move a baby up and down
    Mrs. Zielinski had been a great friend of my mother’s, dandling baby Helena on her knee.
  17. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    They’d taken both my families. My insides writhed.
  18. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    Her face was solemn above her indecent dress, and she held my hand so tight it hurt.
  19. bleary
    tired to the point of exhaustion
    I knocked, and an old man, a stranger with a few strands of white and rumpled hair, peered blearily into the sunlight.
  20. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    And for every day you made her go hungry, I’m going to pray that you go ten days with nothing to eat and especially with nothing to drink. I’m going to pray that you break out in boils. That you’re bitten by a rabid dog.
  21. cinch
    pull, fasten, or tie something tightly
    She woke up a little, putting her arms in the huge sleeves while I cinched the belt tight.
  22. torrent
    a violently fast stream of water or other liquid
    And suddenly the dam inside me burst, and grief gushed out in a torrent.
  23. prod
    poke or thrust abruptly
    The boots stopped, and a German toe prodded Helena’s side.
  24. austere
    severely simple
    I laid Helena on a bench in an austere hallway bright with electric light, and two of the policemen searched my knapsack.
  25. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    I did what he said, watching him intently over the cup.
  26. surreptitiously
    in a secretive manner
    I walked down the street, thinking, then stood on a street corner, turned my back to the road, and reached surreptitiously for the money in my bra.
  27. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    There was an abandoned warehouse inside, a dark, dank sort of place where rats scuttled.
  28. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    There was an abandoned warehouse inside, a dark, dank sort of place where rats scuttled.
  29. denounce
    speak out against
    “Because anyone will denounce anyone to the Germans. Even Jews, if they think it will save their life.”
  30. brooch
    a decorative pin
    And there was no one there the next night, either, when Max handed me two shirts, a watch, and a brooch that had been stowed safely inside Mrs. Diamant’s girdle.
  31. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    The man glanced from my overbright face to the line behind me. He almost faltered.
  32. chutzpah
    unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity
    I woke up in the night. Worrying about Max and the failure of my chutzpah.
  33. sash
    a sliding framework that holds the panes in a window
    I threw up the window sash and leaned out as far into the cool night as I dared.
  34. throng
    press tightly together or cram
    Train cars were lined up, people thronging so thick it was impossible to make out individual bodies.
  35. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    The din made me want to cover my ears.
Created on Wed Nov 30 12:11:30 EST 2022 (updated Thu Feb 02 16:18:16 EST 2023)

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.