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.
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. Phloem
► Having a backbone or spinal column.
► Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder
2. Silhouette
► The act of resting or the state of being at rest.
► A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.
3. Gargoyle
► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.
► A weather phenomenon in the Eastern Pacific that is precisely equivalent to a hurricane.
► An unstable, poisonous allotrope of oxygen.
► A metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile).
4. Toxin
► A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.
► One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.
► The distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year.
► Incorrectness of reasoning or belief
5. Jovial
► Incorrectness of reasoning or belief
► Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.
► Exceeding the limits of propriety or good manners; improperly forward or bold
