Words in the News Quiz
5 High 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. Ziggurat
► Lacking serious purpose or occupation; idle.
► The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.
2. Detritus
► Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid.
► A product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away; debris.
► Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid.
3. Tautology
► The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage.
► Of or relating to a holding of something in trust for another.
► Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy.
4. Moiety
► The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides.
► The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
5. Vortex
► Feeling or showing haughty disdain.
► A doctrine holding that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated.
► A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it.
► Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.
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.