I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964: Chapters 1–7

by Lauren Tarshis
In this twenty-third book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Jackson Barrett, toughened by living in the Alaskan bush, suddenly starts to shake when he is in town.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15
35 words 219 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. tsunami
    a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave
    Giant tsunami waves smashed into towns and villages along the coast.
  2. dock
    a landing in a harbor where ships are loaded and unloaded
    Just moments before it started, Jackson had been at the waterfront in the small town of Valdez. The docks were crowded with families and happy kids.
  3. harbor
    a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo
    The freezing water in the harbor seemed to boil like an evil witch’s brew.
  4. swerve
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    On the streets, cars swerved and spun.
  5. sway
    move back and forth
    Trees and telephone poles swayed.
  6. gash
    a trench resembling a furrow made by erosion or excavation
    A massive gash opened in the ground right in front of him.
  7. peer
    look searchingly
    Jackson peered down into the hole he and Dad had chopped through the thick river ice.
  8. practically
    almost; nearly
    Finally, it was summer—and they were practically eaten alive by swarms of bloodthirsty Alaska mosquitoes.
  9. stew
    food prepared by slowly cooking meat or fish with vegetables
    “How about moose stew,” Mom said.
  10. barely
    in a sparse or scanty way
    They barely had any meat all winter.
  11. grizzly
    powerful brownish-yellow bear of western North America
    The forest was filled with grizzlies and wolves.
  12. plain
    simple
    It was small and plain—just four walls made of logs, with moss stuffed into the cracks to keep out the cold.
  13. gorge
    overeat or eat immodestly
    During the fall, they gorged themselves on roots and fish and whatever food they could find.
  14. lunge
    make a thrusting forward movement
    “We have to stop it!” Mom cried, lunging forward.
  15. salmon
    any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters
    The jars that filled their kitchen shelves—the preserved moose meat, jams, and berries. The can of salmon they were saving for Dad’s birthday next month.
  16. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    Jackson’s eyes widened as smoke started seeping from under the front door of the cabin.
  17. ember
    a hot, smoldering fragment of wood left from a fire
    But a grizzly could have knocked it over, scattering glowing embers, bits of wood that could ignite a fire.
  18. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    The grizzly staggered through a curtain of smoke.
  19. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    It looked at them and let out a weak, rasping cry.
  20. jerky
    meat cut in strips and dried in the sun
    Moose jerky and dried blueberries for energy.
  21. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    Dad used his knife to pry open the bear-proof lids.
  22. sturdy
    substantially made or constructed
    Inside was everything they needed to keep from freezing and starving to death: a sturdy tent, sleeping bags, flashlights, a first aid kit, a camping stove, and a pot to melt snow for water.
  23. trek
    any long and difficult trip
    Jackson tried not to imagine what could happen to them on such a long trek in the winter.
  24. tarp
    a sheet of waterproofed canvas
    “We’ll call Uncle Solly from the general store,” Mom said, spreading out a tarp over the snowy ground.
  25. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    He braced himself for the bone-crunching bite.
  26. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    It took a few seconds for his groggy head to clear.
  27. bitterly
    extremely and sharply
    He shivered as he remembered the three bitterly cold nights they’d spent in their tent.
  28. slug
    an idle, slothful person
    Eight o’clock?! He’d never slept that late in his life! One night in Valdez and already he’d turned into a lazy slug.
  29. scramble
    move hurriedly
    He scrambled out of bed and threw on his clothes.
  30. drift
    a large mass of material heaped up by wind or water currents
    There was at least a foot of fresh snow, on top of the five feet that had been there last night. Drifts rose up past the first-floor window of the house next door.
  31. manage
    be successful; achieve a goal
    He and Mom had always managed to squeeze three or four hours of school into their busy days.
  32. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    He’d trudged twenty miles in the freezing cold.
  33. churn
    be agitated
    Jackson’s stomach started to churn, and the pancakes and two glasses of milk from breakfast sloshed around in his stomach.
  34. ancestor
    someone from whom you are descended
    “But it was definitely more than ten thousand years ago. And some of those people were my ancestors. As you all know, I am Unangax.”
  35. custom
    a specific practice of long standing
    They have different languages and customs, different myths and arts.
Created on Wed Nov 22 08:48:17 EST 2023 (updated Wed Nov 22 12:02:33 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.