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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. Silhouette

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

Any of various nonplacental mammals, including kangaroos, opossums, bandicoots, and wombats, found principally in Australia and the Americas.

A dense evergreen forest occupying a tropical region with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches.

A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.


2. Enthusiastic

Appropriateness of behavior or conduct

The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder

Having or demonstrating enthusiasm


3. Omnivore

To take in by elaborate methods of deceit

One that takes in everything available, as with the mind.

Harmful, malevolent, injurious. Harmfully cancerous.

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


4. Parasite

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

In a deplorable state of distress or misfortune; miserable.

One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.

An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.


5. Impertinent

A prohibition by a government on certain or all trade with a foreign nation

The act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence.

A metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile).

Exceeding the limits of propriety or good manners; improperly forward or bold


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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.