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. Impertinent
► Exceeding the limits of propriety or good manners; improperly forward or bold
2. Commemorate
► To honor the memory of with a ceremony
► To move back or away from a limit, point, or mark
► To condescend to give or grant
► One that speaks for, represents, or advocates
3. Nuisance
► One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.
► One that is inconvenient, annoying, or vexatious; a bother.
► To take in by elaborate methods of deceit
4. Spectrum
► To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
► Being without or almost without hope
► The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, arranged in order of wavelengths.
5. Gargoyle
► An embankment built to prevent flooding
► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.
► Grossly offensive to decency or morality.
► Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.
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.