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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 High 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. Mitosis

► To certify or attest to (the validity of a signature on a document, for example) as a notary public.

► Vacuously, smugly, and unconsciously foolish.

► The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides.

► Division into ordered groups or categories.

2. Gauche

► Either of two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator.

► Lacking social polish; tactless.

► A plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the cone.

► A stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style; a vocabulary:

3. Photosynthesis

► Any of numerous natural and synthetic compounds consisting of up to millions of repeated linked units,

► The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source.

► To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections.

► To repeat in concise form. To make a summary.

4. Kowtow

► To show servile deference.

► Eating and drinking in moderation.

► An underlying base or foundation especially for an organization or system.

► Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.

5. Obsequious

► A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it.

► Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning.

► Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious.

► A product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away; debris.

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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.