Bridge to Terabithia: Chapters 4–5

by Katherine Paterson
Jess and Leslie spend their free time playing in the fantasy land of Terabithia; but when tragedy strikes, one of them will have to learn to cope with loss in the real world.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–5, Chapters 6–7, Chapters 8–10, Chapters 11–13
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. consolation
    the comfort you feel when soothed in times of disappointment
    Jess knew now that he would never be the best runner of the fourth and fifth grades, and his only consolation was that neither would Gary Fulcher.
  2. thrum
    sound the strings of an instrument
    Miss Edmunds fiddled a minute with her guitar, talking as she tightened the strings to the jingling of her bracelets and the thrumming of chords.
  3. prissy
    exaggeratedly proper
    She took note of Leslie and asked for an introduction, which one of the girls prissily gave.
  4. yellow-bellied
    easily frightened
    What was he scared of anyhow? Lord. Sometimes he acted like the original yellow-bellied sapsucker.
  5. consolidated
    joined together into a whole
    She was quiet for a moment, thinking, Jess decided, about her former school, which he saw as bright and new with a gleaming gymnasium larger than the one at the consolidated high school.
  6. reassess
    revise or renew one's appraisal
    “My parents are reassessing their value structure.”
    “Huh?”
    “They decided they were too hooked on money and success, so they bought that old farm and they’re going to farm it and think about what’s important.”
  7. rumpus
    a noisy disturbance
    But Leslie had other problems at Lark Creek that caused more of a rumpus than lack of money.
  8. liable
    likely to be or do something
    Lord, Mrs. Myers was liable to crack her face if she kept up smiling like that.
  9. falter
    speak haltingly
    “What if"—Leslie’s voice faltered; then she shook her head and cleared her throat so the words came out stronger—“what if you don’t have a television set?”
  10. contempt
    open disrespect for a person or thing
    The hissing sounds of disbelief were already building into a rumbling of contempt.
  11. upheaval
    disturbance usually in protest
    She tried to smile across the classroom upheaval to Leslie, but it was no use. “Class! Class! Class!"
  12. ominously
    in a manner suggesting something bad will happen
    Her Leslie smile shifted suddenly and ominously into a scowl that silenced the storm.
  13. abruptly
    quickly and without warning
    “Go away!” She turned abruptly and headed the other way in a fast walk.
  14. vigorous
    characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
    “Sure,” he repeated himself, nodding vigorously.
  15. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    When Leslie spoke, the words rolling out so regally, you knew she was a proper queen.
  16. siege
    an action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place
    They found five old Pepsi bottles which they washed and filled with water, in case, as Leslie said, “of siege.”
  17. yearn
    desire strongly or persistently
    How could he explain it in a way Leslie would understand, how he yearned to reach out and capture the quivering life about him and how when he tried, it slipped past his fingertips, leaving a dry fossil upon the page?
  18. insufficient
    of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
    Between the two of them they owned the world and no enemy, Gary Fulcher, Wanda Kay Moore, Janice Avery, Jess’s own fears and insufficiencies, nor any of the foes whom Leslie imagined attacking Terabithia, could ever really defeat them.
  19. principle
    a basic truth or law or assumption
    It’s the principle of the thing, Jess. That’s what you’ve got to understand.
  20. tyrant
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    You have to stop people like that. Otherwise they turn into tyrants and dictators.
  21. politics
    the activities involved in managing a state or a government
    Mrs. Burke wrote novels and, according to Leslie, was more famous than Mr. Burke, who wrote about politics.
  22. tacky
    tastelessly showy
    Later she would refer to Leslie’s “tacky” clothes.
  23. exhilaration
    the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
    He grabbed the end of the rope and swung out toward the other bank with a kind of wild exhilaration and landed gently on his feet, taller and stronger and wiser in that mysterious land.
  24. strive
    exert much effort or energy
    We must strive to keep it sacred.
  25. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    He nodded, and without speaking, they went back to the creek bank where they shared together a solemn meal of crackers and dried fruit.
  26. jealous
    painfully desirous of another's advantages
    “You just jealous ’cause Daddy didn’t bring you none.”
  27. council
    a meeting of people for consultation
    That afternoon, crouched in the stronghold of Terabithia, they held a council of war.
  28. reckon
    expect, believe, or suppose
    “Willard Hughes, I reckon. Every girl in the seventh grade slides to the ground when he walks by.”
  29. parapet
    fortification consisting of a low wall
    In his head he drew the shadowy castle with the tortured prince pacing the parapets.
  30. stricken
    affected by something overwhelming
    Leslie looked stricken. “You’re not sorry we did it, are you?"
Created on Fri Apr 05 11:21:58 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Jul 06 14:45:11 EDT 2022)

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