Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

SHRAPNEL

DEFINITION:
Pieces of a bomb, shell, or bullet that has exploded.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
The U.S. military exercise that shot live-fire artillery rounds over Interstate 5 on Saturday dropped metal shrapnel onto a California Highway Patrol protective services detail for Vice President JD Vance, agency officials said Sunday.
►The Los Angeles Times, 10/20/2025

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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. Vertebrate

► Having a backbone or spinal column.

► A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

► To condescend to give or grant

► The systematic procedure by which a complex or scientific task is accomplished.

2. Levee

► A movement or procedure involving skill and dexterity.

► An embankment built to prevent flooding

► Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

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

3. Toxin

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

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

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

► The branch of biology that deals with animals and animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals.

4. Jaunty

► A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

► Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk.

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

► A rebirth or revival.

5. Tariff

► A rebirth or revival.

► A proportional part or share.

► A preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen.

► A schedule of prices or fees.

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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.