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. Lichen

► A fungus, usually of the class Ascomycetes, that grows symbiotically with algae,

► Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

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

► The method or result of concealing personnel or equipment from an enemy by making them appear to be part of the natural surroundings

2. Aspire

► To have a great ambition or ultimate goal

► A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.

► To honor the memory of with a ceremony

► Strikingly unconventional and far-fetched in style or appearance; odd

3. Divulge

► To rejoice greatly; be jubilant or triumphant

► To proclaim publicly

► A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

► Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous.

4. Deduction

► The drawing of a conclusion by reasoning; the act of deducing.

► The food-conducting tissue of vascular plants, consisting of sieve tubes, fibers, parenchyma, and sclereids.

► One that is inconvenient, annoying, or vexatious; a bother.

► The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables

5. Unanimous

► Sharing the same opinions or views; being in complete harmony or accord.

► A rebirth or revival.

► A preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen.

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

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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.