Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

COMMUNAL

DEFINITION:
Individuals who gather into social groups.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
It has also proved especially deadly among some communal mammals, such as elephant seals and sea lions in South America, as well as caged fur-farmed animals in Europe.
►The Los Angeles Times, 04/15/2024

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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. Sacrifice

► A preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen.

► Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.

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

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

2. Jovial

► A rebirth or revival.

► Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

► A schedule of prices or fees.

► Any of various nonplacental mammals, including kangaroos, opossums, bandicoots, and wombats, found principally in Australia and the Americas.

3. Repose

► The act of resting or the state of being at rest.

► The act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence.

► Exceeding the limits of propriety or good manners; improperly forward or bold

► One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol.

4. Laconic

► One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol.

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

► Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.

► A treeless area between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, having a permanently frozen subsoil and supporting low-growing vegetation

5. Jaunty

► To condescend to give or grant

► One that is inconvenient, annoying, or vexatious; a bother.

► Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

► Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk.

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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.