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Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

MITIGATION

DEFINITION:
The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
But after years of record investment by the state in such wildfire risk mitigation, two key money sources are drying up, potentially reducing the state’s annual budget for vegetation removal by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Los Angeles Times, 06/01/2026

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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. Acumen

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

A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

Quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment or insight.

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.


2. Vehement

Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid.

Feeling or showing haughty disdain.

A part, portion, or share.

To modify, as by shortening or simplifying or by skewing the content in a certain manner.


3. Equinox

A part, portion, or share.

To modify, as by shortening or simplifying or by skewing the content in a certain manner.

The lowest point

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


4. Vacuous

Lacking serious purpose or occupation; idle.

The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.

Of, relating to, or produced by motion.

Clear to the understanding.


5. Infrastructure

Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious.

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

To seize another’s place, authority, or possession wrongfully.

Extremely rapid, hasty, or abrupt; precipitate.


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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.