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. bandanna (noun):

a large handkerchief, usually red or blue with designs printed on it, sometimes worn over the face as protection against noxious fumes

“They didn’t know where he came from. But they knew their lives had been saved by the man in the red bandanna.” (Prologue, Page 3)

2. radioactivity (noun):

release of particles from the nuclei of unstable atoms

“Alison stopped working at Rockefeller in 1976, to avoid any further exposure to the radioactivity in her lab.” (Chapter 1, Page 11)

3. hook and ladder (noun phrase):

a truck that holds long ladders and a water-pump engine and hoses for fire suppression; also used in names for individual fire departments

“He now belonged to Empire Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 of Upper Nyack.” (Chapter 1, Page 16)

4. lacrosse (noun):

a game invented by Native Americans in which a ball is thrown back and forth between team members who catch it in nets on the ends of sticks as they try to maneuver the ball into the opponent’s goal