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Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

RESPIRATORY

DEFINITION:
Relating to breathing.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
They weren’t warned to wear respiratory and other personal protection because the burning composite materials from the F-35 stealth fighter were releasing potentially harmful airborne particles and fibers, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.
►The Albuquerque Journal, 03/30/2026

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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. Xylem

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

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

► The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

► The supporting and water-conducting tissue of vascular plants, consisting primarily of tracheids and vessels; woody tissue.

2. Impertinent

► A proportional part or share.

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

► A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters.

► A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.

3. Rainforest

► A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.

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

► Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder

► A dense evergreen forest occupying a tropical region with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches.

4. Labyrinth

► A metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile).

► A weather phenomenon in the Eastern Pacific that is precisely equivalent to a hurricane.

► Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

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

5. Pulverize

► Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

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

► A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

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

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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.