Stories with too many unfamiliar words are hard to follow because I must stop constantly and look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary, but I like a book that builds my vocabulary a little. When I come across a word I don't know, I copy it inside the back cover. The first time I read Frazier's novel, I collected a hefty list of unfamiliar words. What follows is an informal test involving a few of these words. Circle the answer you feel is correct.
Answers are at the end, but no cheating.
A cabriolet is a horse-drawn carriage with two wheels. Homunculus is a little man, or a manikin. That's not all that's odd about the family, but you'll have to read the book to learn more. For some reason I always think of a shot glass when I see this word, but that's not right. A tompion is a plug or cover for one's rifle muzzle.