TIE | The Los Angeles Times in Education

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. Labyrinth

► A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

► An intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze.

► A proportional part or share.

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

2. Wretched

► In a deplorable state of distress or misfortune; miserable.

► Having a backbone or spinal column.

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

► Being without or almost without hope

3. Random

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

► Being without or almost without hope

► A rebirth or revival.

► Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective.

4. Impertinent

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

► Enforced isolation or restriction of free movement imposed to prevent the spread of contagious disease.

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

► Relating to a system of writing, such as that of ancient Egypt, in which pictorial symbols are used to represent meaning or sounds or a combination of meaning and sound.

5. Metaphor

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

► A form of a verb that in some languages, such as English, can function independently as an adjective.

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

► One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol.

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.

SUREFIRE

Words in the News Quiz
5 Middle School Words

SUREFIRE
DEFINITION: Certain or likely, especially to succeed.	FOUND IN THE NEWS: Kirby taught himself how to count cards, a surefire way to get barred from gambling at a casino, “raking in money on trips to Atlantic City and Las Vegas,” the article stated. ►The Las Vegas Review-Journal, 05/04/2026

SUREFIRE

Words in the News Quiz5 Middle School Words

Words in the News Quiz
5 Middle School Words