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Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

ADVERSITY

DEFINITION:
A difficult or unpleasant situation.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
Indeed, the Dodgers shrugged off the early adversity, with Ohtani allowing no further damage over a six-inning start; finishing his postseason pitching debut with nine strikeouts and four monumental scoreless frames after the second.
►The Los Angeles Times, 10/06/2025

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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. Polygon

► A preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen.

► Not subject to an obligation imposed on others; exempt.

► A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.

► Grossly offensive to decency or morality.

2. Tranquility

► One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol.

► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

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

► The quality or state of being tranquil; serenity.

3. Nebula

► A picture or decorative design made by setting small colored pieces, as of stone or tile, into a surface.

► To move in waves or with a smooth, wavelike motion.

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

► A Y-shaped protein on the surface of B cells that is secreted into the blood or lymph in response to an antigenic stimulus

4. Strategy

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

► The science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war.

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

► The locus of points for which the sum of the distances from each point to two fixed points is equal

5. Dialogue

► One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.

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

► Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

► Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar.

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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.

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