88. Pretty and Dumb

Aria was always the pretty girl at school. She had voluminous, and curly hair. She was tall and thin. Because she was pretty, her classmates assumed she was dumb. Aria was not the smartest girl, but she wasn't the dumbest either. 

She wanted to prove people wrong by enrolling in Advanced Placement English Literature. On the first day of class, people were shocked to see her there. The teacher even said that she was in the wrong class. Aria had to show the teacher her class schedule.

The teacher assigned the students a passage to read and analyze. The teacher put them in groups of four. Aria's group just ignored Aria and analyzed the passage. Aria tried to talk, but they kept ignoring her and cutting her off. 

Being sick of the poor treatment, Aria finally yelled, "I'm trying to talk here!" "Nobody wants to listen to you. What you have to say is probably dumb anyways," one of her group members said.

At the end of the class, Aria told the teacher she was dropping. Ms. Sanchez said, "Don't drop, because then you're proving them right. Show them you're capable of using your brain. 

Share your thoughts out loud in class, and work on getting As on your essays." Ms. Sanchez was right. She would never get rid of her "dumb" reputation if she dropped the class.

Vocabulary

1. Pretty – attractive in appearance
   Aria was always the pretty girl at school.

2. Voluminous – very full or large in size
   She had voluminous, curly hair.

3. Curly – having curls or ringlets
   Her curly hair bounced when she walked.

4. Assume – to believe something without proof
   Her classmates assumed she was dumb.

5. Dumb – not intelligent or smart (informal and negative)
   People thought Aria was dumb because of how she looked.

6. Enroll – to sign up for a class or course
   Aria decided to enroll in Advanced Placement English.

7. Advanced Placement (AP) – a challenging high school class that can earn college credit
   She took an Advanced Placement English Literature class.

8. Passage – a short part of a text or reading
   The teacher assigned a passage to read and analyze.

9. Analyze – to study something carefully by looking at its parts
   The students had to analyze the passage.

10. Group – a number of people working or sitting together
    Aria’s group ignored her during class.

11. Ignore – to pay no attention to someone or something
    Her group ignored her when she tried to speak.

12. Cut off – to stop someone from speaking
    They kept cutting her off during the discussion.

13. Sick of – tired or annoyed by something
    Aria was sick of being ignored.

14. Yell – to shout loudly
    She finally yelled, "I'm trying to talk here!"

15. Reputation – what people generally think about someone
    Aria didn’t want to keep her “dumb” reputation.

16. Drop – to quit or leave a class or activity
    Aria thought about dropping the class.

17. Prove – to show that something is true
    The teacher told Aria not to prove them right.

18. Capable – having the ability to do something
    Ms. Sanchez said Aria was capable of doing well.

19. Thoughts – ideas or opinions
    She was encouraged to share her thoughts out loud.

20. Essay – a short piece of writing on a topic
    She wanted to get As on her essays.