Death in the Jungle: Part 2

by Candace Fleming
This work of nonfiction tells the tragic story of the Peoples Temple, an American cult founded by Jim Jones.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue-Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5-Part 6
15 words 16 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. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
    Still others were regaled with descriptions of idyllic California.
  2. adversity
    a state of misfortune or affliction
    In the face of adversity, they were fighting for their dream of racial equality.
  3. scrimp
    be very thrifty or frugal
    And since she’d scrimped most of her life to get by, she knew how to stretch a dollar.
  4. ad hoc
    often improvised or impromptu
    His actions made clear that they were an ad hoc family, and he was, in essence, their father, a model of love.
  5. infraction
    a violation of a law or rule
    And these had been for minor infractions.
  6. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
    The woman—twenty-three, lean, and taciturn, her long, dark hair caught back in a tight ponytail—was fretful.
  7. methodical
    characterized by orderliness
    Such gushing was uncharacteristic for their serious, methodical daughter.
  8. persistent
    never-ceasing
    If she was dutiful enough, loving and persistent enough, she could fix her husband’s flaws.
  9. reinvigorate
    impart new strength, vitality, or energy
    She reinvigorated him in a way that allowed him to go on with their important work.
  10. virtuous
    morally excellent
    Jones wasn’t virtuous—he was cheating on his wife.
  11. charlatan
    a flamboyant deceiver
    She hated Jones for making her mother sad, and she heartily agreed with her father: Jim Jones was nothing more than “a charlatan.”
  12. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    The Temple reverberated with the sound of adoring worshippers.
  13. senile
    mentally or physically infirm with age
    Donning clever disguises, they weaseled their way into people’s homes by pretending to be a senile senior citizen, or a suddenly faint expectant mother, or a door-to-door makeup saleswoman.
  14. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    Soon after the PC’s formation, Jones began insisting that members divulge private things about themselves through gossip sessions, written assignments, questionnaires, and reports.
  15. virulence
    extreme harmfulness
    Week after week the congregation’s virulence increased, and sometime in 1971 it spilled over into physical violence.
Created on Wed Jan 21 07:35:59 EST 2026 (updated Wed Feb 25 10:38:08 EST 2026)

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.