This section presents terms and phrases that are central to understanding the text and may present a challenge to the reader. Use this list to create a vocabulary quiz or worksheet, to prepare flashcards for a standardized test, or to inspire classroom word games and other group activities.

1. gargantuan (adjective):

extremely large, giant

"'Once...' he whispered, ‘...a gargantuan serpent as wide as twenty houses and as long as three states could not decide whether to slither west toward the ocean or east toward the mountains.” (Chapter 1, Page 4)

2. chasm (noun):

a deep ditch, crack, or opening in a surface

“Back and forth it went, side-winding across the earth, its body leaving a huge chasm in its wake. The chasm eventually filled with rain and became the river.” (Chapter 1, Page 4)

3. merlons (plural noun) and crenels (plural noun):

two features that can add to the protective value of a parapet or battlement at the top of a fort or castle wall, consisting of solid, upright sections (merlons) and the gaps (crenels) in between each upright section

“He let his gaze continue upward toward a jagged cliff where a stone tower loomed. Everyone called the stronghold La Reina Gigante, the giant queen, because she looked like the most powerful piece on a chessboard.