Disaster Vocabulary & Exercises

1. Target Words & Definitions

1. anticipate

• Meaning: To expect something before it happens
• Example: By placing sensors in earthquake-prone areas, scientists can anticipate tremors in time to warn the public.

2. catastrophic

• Meaning: Extremely harmful or damaging
• Example: The architect died in a catastrophic elevator accident.

3. collide

• Meaning: To come together with great or violent force
• Example: Their holiday was ruined when their opinions collided with those of their in-laws.

4. eruption

• Meaning: A sudden, often violent, outburst
• Example: The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 changed the mountain forever.

5. famine

• Meaning: Severe hunger or a drastic food shortage
• Example: The potato famine in Ireland forced many people to emigrate.

6. flood

• Meaning: An overflowing of water; also used for an excessive amount of something
• Example: Constant rain and poor drainage caused a flood in the town.

7. impact

• Meaning: A strong influence or effect
• Example: The speech made a lasting impact on me.

8. persevere

• Meaning: To keep going despite obstacles
• Example: The hikers persevered despite the cold and icy trail.

9. plunge

• Meaning: To fall suddenly or drop sharply
• Example: The company’s stock plunged after the CEO was arrested.

10. unleash

• Meaning: To release or set free (a thing or emotion)
• Example: When they saw the stranger, they unleashed their dogs.

2. TOEFL Prep I – Opposites Matching

Instructions:
Choose the word or phrase that is the opposite of the word on the left. Write the corresponding letter.

1. persevere → _____
2. anticipate → _____
3. famine → _____
4. collide → _____
5. catastrophic → _____

Choices:

• (a) to pass by without hitting
• (b) to give up
• (c) to not see something coming
• (d) harmless
• (e) excess of food

Answer Key:

1. persevere – (b) to give up
2. anticipate – (c) to not see something coming
3. famine – (e) excess of food
4. collide – (a) to pass by without hitting
5. catastrophic – (d) harmless

3. TOEFL Prep II – Sentence Completion

Instructions:
Circle the word that best completes each sentence.

1. Residents of Hawaii must accept the possibility of a volcanic
   • (eruption / perseverance).
2. Years after the accident, she was finally able to
   • (anticipate / unleash) her feelings of anger.
3. Houses along the river often face
   • (famine / flooding) during the rainy season.
4. Many people think it is cruel to
   • (collide / plunge) live lobsters into boiling water.
5. A well-written essay should make some kind of
   • (catastrophe / impact) on its readers.

Answer Key:

1. eruption
2. unleash
3. flooding
4. plunge
5. impact

4. TOEFL Success – Reading Comprehension

Passage:

Nature challenges humans in many ways, through disease, weather, and famine. For those living along the coast, one unusual phenomenon capable of catastrophic destruction is the tsunami. A tsunami is a series of waves generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and even the impact of meteorites can create tsunamis.

Starting at sea, a tsunami slowly approaches land, growing in height and losing energy. However, when it reaches the shore, the tsunami unleashes tremendous energy as it plunges onto the land. It can crush buildings and flood hundreds of meters inland by the force with which it collides with everything. To reduce the damage, scientists are trying to anticipate tsunamis more accurately. Even though it is hard to predict them, researchers in meteorology persevere in their studies.

Questions:

1. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the passage?
   • a. Tsunamis could become a new source of energy.
   • b. Tsunamis cause more damage than ordinary floods.
   • c. Tsunamis can have a catastrophic impact on coastal communities.
   • d. Scientists can predict tsunamis accurately, reducing their damage.
2. In the first sentence, why does the author mention weather?
   • a. Because tsunamis are caused by bad weather.
   • b. Because tsunamis are more destructive than weather events.
   • c. As an example of nature’s destructive forces.
   • d. As an introduction to coastal storms.

Answer Key:

1. c. Tsunamis can have a catastrophic impact on coastal communities.
2. c. As an example of nature’s destructive forces.

Note: The phrase “Despite this” (from another version) means “even so” or “regardless.”

5. Teaching Tips

• Warm-Up:
  • Review the vocabulary words with the class.
  • Ask students if they have heard about any natural disasters in the news.
• Group Work:
  • Let students work in pairs or small groups on the opposites matching and sentence completion exercises.
  • Discuss the answers together as a class.
• Discussion:
  • Talk about how natural disasters affect communities and what can be done to minimize damage.
• Extension Activity:
  • Have students write a short paragraph describing a natural disaster using at least five of the vocabulary words.