Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

ACQUAINTANCE

DEFINITION:
A person one knows slightly, but who is not a close friend.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
When photographer Peter Turnley was just 20 years old, an acquaintance from the California Office of Economic Opportunity reached out to him with a question.
►The Los Angeles Times, 12/01/2025

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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. Quarantine

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

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

► Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

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

2. Toxin

► To rejoice greatly; be jubilant or triumphant

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

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

► The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, arranged in order of wavelengths.

3. Hologram

► The arrangement of events in time

► The pattern produced on a photosensitive medium that has been exposed by holography and then photographically developed.

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

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

4. Salmonella

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

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

► To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.

► An embankment built to prevent flooding

5. Sect

► An embankment built to prevent flooding

► A proportional part or share.

► To proclaim publicly

► A cult or religious movement, a group sharing particular (often unorthodox) political and/or religious beliefs.

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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.