Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

RUINOUS

DEFINITION:
Causing, or tending to cause, ruin; destructive; baneful; pernicious.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
Fire officials are used to battling large fires this time of year, but a ruinous combination of extreme conditions and challenging geography hampered early efforts.
The Los Angeles Times, 11/11/2024

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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. Boycott

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

Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

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

To proclaim publicly


2. Salmonella

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

Any of several rod-shaped bacteria, of the genus Salmonella, that cause food poisoning and other diseases.

One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter.

Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.


3. Eclectic

Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

The arrangement of events in time

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

Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles


4. Nocturnal

Not subject to an obligation imposed on others; exempt.

The right or privilege of voting; franchise.

Of, relating to, or occurring in the night

Any of various relatively small sailing or motor-driven vessels used for pleasure cruises or racing.


5. Aspire

To have a great ambition or ultimate goal

An unstable, poisonous allotrope of oxygen.

The food-conducting tissue of vascular plants, consisting of sieve tubes, fibers, parenchyma, and sclereids.

The act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence.


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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.