Definition: the act of sticking closely to a rule, plan or belief; faithful following.

From the reading: "historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation and neatness."

Synonyms:

observance, compliance, faithfulness

Antonyms:

disregard, departure, violation

Root:Latin adhaerere, "to stick to" (ad- "to" + haerere "to cling").

Definition: Belonging to a church parish, as in a parochial school; narrow in outlook, concerned only with small local matters. Tests often check the second sense.

From the reading: "grades 5–8 in public, private or parochial schools, or homeschooled."

Synonyms:

(sense 1) parish, church-run; (sense 2) narrow, provincial, small-minded

Antonyms:

(sense 2) broad-minded, worldly, cosmopolitan

Root:Latin parochia, "parish," from Greek paroikia, "a dwelling nearby."

Definition: the quality of being exactly correct and true to the facts.

From the reading: "Imagination with accuracy."

Context: An imagined story set in 1776 still needs historical accuracy, so no one in it may text a cousin the news.

Synonyms:

precision, correctness, exactness

Antonyms:

inaccuracy, error, carelessness

Root:Latin accuratus, "done with care," from ad- + cura, "care."

Definition: an exact copy of a document, picture or printed page.

From the reading: "Facsimile printed by order of Congress"

Context: Most pictures of the Declaration that we see today are facsimiles made from William J. Stone's 1823 engraving.

Synonyms:

replica, reproduction, duplicate

Antonyms:

original

Root:Latin fac simile, "make it like" (facere "to make" + similis "like").

Definition: to announce publicly and officially; to declare aloud.

From the reading: "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof"

KJV: The same words of Leviticus 25:10 are cast on the Liberty Bell.

Synonyms:

announce, declare, publish

Antonyms:

conceal, suppress, hush up

Root:Latin proclamare, "to cry out" (pro- "forth" + clamare "to shout").

Definition: a person or animal that lives in a certain place.

From the reading: "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof"

Context: In July 1776 the inhabitants of a small town might crowd the square to hear a rider read the news.

Synonyms:

resident, dweller, citizen

Antonyms:

visitor, stranger, outsider

Root:Latin inhabitare, "to dwell in" (in- + habitare "to live").

Definition: A large printed sheet posted or read in public; a strong attack in words. The second sense is common on college tests, as in "a broadside against the new tax.".

From the reading: "A large printed sheet posted or read in public; the Declaration was first spread as a broadside."

Synonyms:

(sense 1) poster, handbill, bulletin; (sense 2) attack, tirade, blast

Antonyms:

(sense 2) praise, tribute, compliment

Root:broad + side. It first meant the whole side of a ship, then the firing of all its guns at once, then a large printed sheet.

Definition: (noun) a messenger who announces important news; (verb) to announce, or to be a sign that something is coming.

Context: Riders heralded the Declaration from town to town, and the clatter of hooves heralded news before anyone could read it.

KJV: "Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages," (Daniel 3:4).

Synonyms:

messenger, announcer; (verb) announce, signal, foreshadow

Antonyms:

(verb) conceal, follow

Root:Old French heraut, "messenger," from a Germanic word meaning "army officer."

Definition: to long for something deeply and tenderly.

Context: Billy Colman yearned for a pair of coon hounds so badly that the wanting made him sick at heart.

KJV: "And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep" (Genesis 43:30). In the KJV, bowels means the deepest feelings.

Synonyms:

long, ache, crave

Antonyms:

spurn, shun, be indifferent

Root:Old English giernan, "to strive, desire."

Definition: to be very sparing with money; to save by doing without.

Context: For two long years Billy scrimped. He sold bait and berries to fishermen and kept every coin in an old can.

Synonyms:

economize, skimp, pinch pennies

Antonyms:

squander, splurge, waste

Root:Probably Scandinavian; related to scrimpy and skimp, "scant, meager."

Definition: to gather or collect a large amount over time.

Context: Coin by coin, Billy amassed the fifty dollars he needed for his pups.

KJV link: "Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase" (Proverbs 13:11). Billy amassed his money by labour, not by luck.

Synonyms:

accumulate, gather, collect

Antonyms:

scatter, spend, disperse

Root:French amasser, from à "to" + masse "heap, mass."

Definition: a solemn promise, often made before God; to promise solemnly.

Context: Billy had vowed that if his dogs treed a coon, he would do the rest, so he chopped at a giant sycamore for two days and prayed for strength.

KJV: "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed" (Ecclesiastes 5:4).

Synonyms:

pledge, oath, promise

Antonyms:

breach, betrayal; (verb) renounce

Root:Latin votum, "a promise to a god," from vovere, "to vow."

Definition: firm and constant in standing by a person, cause or country.

Context: Old Dan was so loyal to Little Ann that he would not hunt or eat without her.

Synonyms:

faithful, devoted, true

Antonyms:

disloyal, faithless, treacherous

Root:Old French loial, from Latin legalis, "according to law": one who keeps faith.

Definition: able to move quickly and easily; (also) quick in thinking.

Context: Little Ann was smaller than Old Dan, but she was agile and clever, and she could work out a coon's tricks along the river.

Synonyms:

nimble, spry, quick

Antonyms:

clumsy, sluggish, awkward

Root:Latin agilis, "easily moved," from agere, "to drive, do."

Definition: the strength to keep going through long effort, hardship or pain.

Context: In the championship hunt, the hounds showed great stamina as they ran on through a freezing storm long after the men were worn out.

Synonyms:

endurance, staying power, grit

Antonyms:

weakness, frailty, fatigue

Root:Latin stamina, "threads," plural of stamen. The old idea was the "threads of life" spun for each person.

Definition: An animal or person being hunted; a pit where stone is dug out. Both senses appear on tests.

Context: The wily "ghost coon" was the hardest quarry the hounds ever chased.

Synonyms:

(sense 1) prey, game, target

Antonyms:

(sense 1) hunter, pursuer, predator

Root:(sense 1) Old French cuiree, the part of a kill given to the hounds; (sense 2) Latin quadrare, "to square" stone. These are two different words that happen to be spelled alike.

Definition: sadly deprived of something or someone; left without.

Context: After he lost both hounds, Billy felt bereft until he found the red fern growing between their graves.

Synonyms:

deprived, robbed, forsaken

Antonyms:

blessed, provided, comforted

Root:Old English bereafian, "to rob" (be- + reafian "to plunder").

Definition: (noun) giving up something valuable for a higher good, or an offering made to God; (verb) to give up for the sake of something else.

Context: Old Dan made the last sacrifice when he fought the mountain lion to defend his master.

KJV: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

Synonyms:

offering, surrender, self-denial

Antonyms:

selfishness, hoarding

Root:Latin sacrificium, from sacer "holy" + facere "to make": to make holy.

Definition: a serious promise; to promise solemnly, often putting something of value at stake.

Context: At the end of the Declaration, the signers pledged to one another their lives, their fortunes and their honor.

Synonyms:

vow, oath, commitment

Antonyms:

refusal, retraction, betrayal

Root:Old French plege, "security, bail": something handed over to guarantee a promise.

Definition: of great importance, especially for what comes after.

Context: Hearing the Declaration read aloud in July 1776 was a momentous day for a family, and for Billy, the night of the championship hunt was momentous too.

Synonyms:

historic, weighty, significant

Antonyms:

trivial, minor, insignificant

Root:Latin momentum, "movement, weight." A momentous event carries weight.