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. Detritus
► Cheerfully confident; optimistic.
► The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.
► A product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away; debris.
► Vacuously, smugly, and unconsciously foolish.
2. Fiduciary
► To modify, as by shortening or simplifying or by skewing the content in a certain manner.
► An advocate of the extension of political voting rights, especially to women.
► Of or relating to a holding of something in trust for another.
3. Diffident
► To increase the positive charge or valence of (an element) by removing electrons.
► Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid.
► To repeat in concise form. To make a summary.
4. Paradigm
► A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality
► To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of.
► Having a harmful effect; injurious.
► Physics that deals with the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy.
5. Evanescent
► Vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor.
► Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective.
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.