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. Gargoyle
► The quality or state of being tranquil; serenity.
► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.
► An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.
► A person with masterly skill or technique in the arts.
2. Toxin
► A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.
► A characteristic rate or rhythm of activity; a pace
3. Phloem
► Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.
4. Salmonella
► Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.
► The act of resting or the state of being at rest.
► To stress or emphasize; intensify
5. Analogy
► To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust.
► A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.
► Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar.
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.