Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

PLOY

DEFINITION:
A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
“First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” said the 44th president, conceding that it does serve as an effective distraction and ploy for attention.
►The Boston Herald, 02/16/2026

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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. Ozone

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

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

► An unstable, poisonous allotrope of oxygen.

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

2. Tumult

► Any of various nonplacental mammals, including kangaroos, opossums, bandicoots, and wombats, found principally in Australia and the Americas.

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

► A characteristic rate or rhythm of activity; a pace

► A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

3. Impertinent

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

► To proclaim publicly

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

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

4. Spectrum

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

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

► A treeless area between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, having a permanently frozen subsoil and supporting low-growing vegetation

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

5. Fallacy

► A rebirth or revival.

► A person with masterly skill or technique in the arts.

► The arrangement of events in time

► Incorrectness of reasoning or belief

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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.