The Mystery of the Shattered Ice Exercises

An Intermediate Level Lesson to Practice Winter Vocabulary

This lesson is for intermediate students (see our chart of English levels). It practices reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, essay writing, sentence structure, and role play.

Follow these steps:

1. Before reading: go over the story's glossary. It contains winter words and other more advanced words.
2. Reading: read the story. It has 3 parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
3. After reading: do the exercises. The exercises section has several parts:
   - vocabulary questions 1 (winter words) (this page)
   - vocabulary questions 2 (non-winter words)
   - grammar questions
   - comprehension and essay writing
   - sentence jumbles and role play
4. Answers: check your answers using the answer key.

After Reading: Exercises

Vocabulary Questions

Winter Words (answer at least 5 questions correctly):

A) What does "ice" mean?

1. A sweet substance that is spread on cookies and cakes
2. Fancy jewelry
3. Water that is frozen
4. A very cold liquid

B) What does "snow" mean?

1. A type of weather where tiny pieces of frozen water fall from the sky
2. A type of weather that is sunny and warm
3. A type of weather where it is very windy and cold
4. A type of weather is that is cold and dry

C) What does "flurries" mean?

1. When a person moves quickly
2. When a very small amount of snow falls from the sky
3. When the weather is calm just before a blizzard
4. When snow melts before it lands on the ground

D) What does "chilly" mean?

1. A kind of spicy soup made with meat and beans
2. A type of ice cream
3. Slowly warming up
4. Cold

E) What does "slippery" mean?

1. Easy to slide on
2. Wet from bad weather
3. Covered in ice
4. Completely dry

F) What does "blizzard" mean?

1. When it doesn't rain for a long time
2. A very large snowstorm that leaves a lot of snow on the ground
3. A storm that includes big, dangerous gusts of wind
4. When the weather doesn't change for weeks

Gׁ) What does "frigid" mean?

1. Extremely hot
2. Kind of hot
3. Kind of cold
4. Extremely cold

H) What does "puff" mean?

1. A small burst of air or another gas
2. A pastry filled with cream
3. A fuzzy ball of fabric or yarn
4. An untrue story

I) What does "mist" mean?

1. Forget about plans
2. A group of very small drops of a liquid sprayed into the air that usually looks like a cloud
3. A solid stream of water that freezes due to the cold weather
4. Ice that is beginning to melt into liquid water

J) What does "icicles" mean?

1. Sugary treats made from flavored ice
2. Long, pointy pieces of ice that hang off of something
3. Broken pieces of ice with sharp edges
4. A large, flat piece of ice you can skate on

Click here to move on to the next exercise (Vocabulary Questions Part 2) if you have 5 correct answers.

If not, you can continue:

K) What does "overcast" mean?

1. When the news reports on the same story many times
2. When the weather is warm and calm
3. When many people gossip about something
4. When the sky is dark and grey because it is covered with clouds

L) What does "drafty" mean?

1. Large and empty
2. Full of moving cold air
3. Small and crowded
4. Too hot to handle

M) What does "windchill" mean?

1. How cold the wind makes the temperature feel
2. How strong the wind is blowing
3. When the wind blows from a cold place to a warmer place
4. When the wind blows snow around

N) What does "hoodie" mean?

1. A teenager who gets into trouble
2. A thick, heavy coat
3. A sweatshirt with a hood attached to it
4. A person who likes to hide their face

O) What does "gingerbread man" mean?

1. A popular cartoon character
2. A hard, spicy cookie shaped like a person
3. A mean name for a cop
4. A soft, flakey pastry made mostly in winter

P) What does "snowflakes" mean?

1. Piles of snow on the side of the road
2. Single pieces of frozen water that falls from the sky during snow
3. Snow that is soft and fluffy
4. Sculptures made out of snow

Q) What does "jacket" mean?

1. Waterproof pants worn on top of your regular pants
2. Long underwear that cover your legs to keep you warm
3. A piece of clothing worn over your shirt, usually to keep you warm and dry
4. An extra layer of clothing worn under your shirt to keep you warm

R) What does "defroster" mean?

1. A device that removes decorations from cookies
2. A device that blows snow away from sidewalks
3. A device that has a sharp edge to scrape ice off windows
4. A device that blows hot air on something to remove ice from it

S) What does "fog" mean?

1. A group of a lot of tiny drops of water in the air or on a surface that makes it difficult to see
2. A small, green animal that jumps a lot
3. A sky that is completely blue and has no clouds in it
4. A confusing story with a lot of complicated details

T) What does "slush" mean?

1. Snow that is between the clouds and the ground
2. Snow that has just fallen
3. Snow that is hard and solid
4. Snow that has partially melted so it is a mix of ice and water

U) What does "boots" mean?

1. Shoes that don't cover your toes
2. Shoes that are usually stronger and offer more protection than regular shoes
3. Shoes that don't have laces, so you won't trip in the snow
4. Shoes are used for running long distances

V) What does "brisk" mean?

1. So cold you can't even go outside
2. Cold enough that you only need a very light jacket
3. Cold in a good way that gives you energy
4. Suddenly warm after a long period of cold

W) What does "eggnog" mean?

1. A type of Christmas cake that is shaped like a log
2. A traditional Christmas breakfast that includes several different styles of egg
3. A thick, sweet drink made with milk, sugar, and eggs, usually consumed around Christmas
4. A Christmas cookie that is the color of an egg yolk

X) What does “frost” mean?

1. A very thin layer of ice
2. A thick layer of snow
3. A partially frozen puddle
4. A very small piece of ice

Click here to go to Vocabulary Questions Part 2 (non-winter words).