Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

PLOY

DEFINITION:
A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
“First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” said the 44th president, conceding that it does serve as an effective distraction and ploy for attention.
►The Boston Herald, 02/16/2026

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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. Deduction

► The drawing of a conclusion by reasoning; the act of deducing.

► A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

► Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

► Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

2. Cower

► Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

► Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

► An unstable, poisonous allotrope of oxygen.

► To cringe in fear

3. Nebula

► Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous.

► A diffuse mass of interstellar dust or gas or both, visible as luminous patches or areas of darkness

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

► The main character in a drama or other literary work.

4. Solstice

► The main character in a drama or other literary work.

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

► The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, arranged in order of wavelengths.

► Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

5. Quandary

► The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

► A state of uncertainty or perplexity.

► To condescend to give or grant

► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

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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.