Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

PARLIAMENTARIAN

DEFINITION:
A consultant who advises the presiding officer and other officers, committees, and members on matters of parliamentary procedure.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
Mia Cooper, a parliamentarian for the district, brought her daughter to district meetings and state-level education forums as the girl grew up.
The Los Angeles Times, 03/09/2026

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Words in the News Quiz
5 Middle School Words

Click on the correct answer in the quiz below.
Then see if you can find the word in your newspaper -- the print edition, the website or the digital edition and copy the sentence for context. NOTE: High School words are much harder to find!


1. Quota

Relating to a system of writing, such as that of ancient Egypt, in which pictorial symbols are used to represent meaning or sounds or a combination of meaning and sound.

The arrangement of events in time

A proportional part or share.

A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.


2. Lichen

A fungus, usually of the class Ascomycetes, that grows symbiotically with algae,

To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust.

Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder

A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.


3. Boycott

A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion

The branch of biology that deals with animals and animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals.


4. Toxin

The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables

The pattern produced on a photosensitive medium that has been exposed by holography and then photographically developed.

The science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war.

A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.


5. Tumult

A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

Enforced isolation or restriction of free movement imposed to prevent the spread of contagious disease.

One that is inconvenient, annoying, or vexatious; a bother.

An embankment built to prevent flooding


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Common Core State Standard
LS.CCS.4/5/6 Grades 3-12: Students are asked to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words through multiple choice vocabulary quizzes. Quizzes are designed to help students demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in words, acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words, and gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. Students are then asked to find the words within the newspaper and copy the sentence for context to its overall meaning or function in a sentence.