Story: IBA High-Frequency Word List #2

It was a scorching June morning in Mirpur, and the students of Prodigy Coaching Center were preparing for their English vocabulary test. Their teacher, Mr. Kamal, was a man who loved to manifest (show clearly - প্রকাশ করা) his power by shouting at students for even sneezing during class.

“Your laziness will only exacerbate (make worse - আরও খারাপ করা) your misery in the exam!” he roared, waving a piece of chalk like a sword.

But the students were used to his capricious (changeable - খামখেয়ালি) moods. One minute he praised them, the next minute he threatened to fail everyone.

Today, however, things got interesting. Rahim, the class clown, decided to denounce (criticize publicly - নিন্দা করা) the “tyranny” of Mr. Kamal in front of everyone.

“Sir,” Rahim said, “You treat us worse than load-shedding treats Dhaka city!”

The class burst into laughter, and the teacher’s face got entangled (twisted up - জড়িয়ে যাওয়া) between anger and disbelief.

“Rahim!” Mr. Kamal shouted, “I admonish (warn - সতর্ক করা) you to behave!”

But Rahim was not done. When Mr. Kamal tried to rebuke (scold - বকাঝকা করা) him again, Rahim innocently said, “Sir, I’ll take your censure (strong disapproval - কঠোর সমালোচনা) as a compliment.”

That was the last straw. Mr. Kamal decided to castigate (punish severely - কঠোর শাস্তি দেওয়া) the entire class with an instant surprise test.

Unfortunately for him, his plan was too facile (too simple - সহজসাধ্য) to scare them. The students had been conscientious (careful and responsible - দায়িত্বশীল) and had studied the night before. Especially Amina, who was known for her meticulous (very careful - যত্নবান) note-taking.

Meanwhile, lazy Rafiq tried to importune (beg repeatedly - বারবার অনুরোধ করা) Amina for the answers, whispering like a desperate man at an exam hall.

The questions themselves were rather prosaic (dull - নীরস), except one which was surprisingly compelling (very interesting - মনোযোগ আকর্ষণকারী): “Write a paragraph about why Dhaka traffic should be declared a natural disaster.”

When Mr. Kamal graded the papers, he found Rahim’s essay both funny and inconsequential (not important - তুচ্ছ) but somehow comprehensive (complete - পূর্ণাঙ্গ) in its chaos.

Outside, a heavy rain began, turning the Mirpur alley into a mini river. Mr. Kamal sighed, watching the blight (ruin - ধ্বংস) of his freshly ironed pants as a rickshaw splashed muddy water on him.

Later that evening, the coaching center roof started leaking again, dropping water in fragmentary (broken - খণ্ডিত) patterns on the desks. “This building’s plan must’ve been drawn in a nebulous (unclear - অস্পষ্ট) dream,” grumbled the caretaker.

After a long day, the students ran to the nearby tea stall for samosas and cha. They ate until they were satiated (completely full - পরিতৃপ্ত) and decided they deserved a reward for surviving Mr. Kamal’s wrath.

Next week, their test scores came out. Everyone’s marks had increased by a small increment (increase - বৃদ্ধি) - except Rahim’s, whose paper was mysteriously missing.

Still, Rahim smiled. “At least our teacher is amenable (open to change - অনুকূল) now,” he said, as Mr. Kamal waved at them with an amiable (friendly - সদয়) grin.

The students realized that beneath his strictness, their teacher had always been amicable (good-natured - সৌহার্দপূর্ণ) - just buried under layers of chalk dust and grammar rules.