Home Order Login Verify About NIE Sponsor NIE Contact Us
Geography Last Week Front Page Cartoons News Video Words Use the News History Special Report Pulse NASA

Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

BACKLOT

DEFINITION:
An area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who serves the 4th District, makes her way across an empty, unnamed backlot, presenting her case to be the city’s next mayor.
The Los Angeles Times, 05/18/2026

Generate your own quiz
Select a grade level
 Elementary
 Middle School
 High School
Select a quiz type
 By words
 By Definitions
Select how many questions
5   10   15   20  

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. Kilometer

A rebirth or revival.

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

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

The locus of points for which the sum of the distances from each point to two fixed points is equal


2. Vaccine

An ammunition belt, worn over the shoulder, having loops or pockets for cartridges.

Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

A state of uncertainty or perplexity.

A preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen.


3. Tumult

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

An alteration or change, as in nature, form, or quality.

The act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence.

A disorderly commotion or disturbance.


4. Sect

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

A cult or religious movement, a group sharing particular (often unorthodox) political and/or religious beliefs.

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

A movement or procedure involving skill and dexterity.


5. Decorum

A movement or procedure involving skill and dexterity.

A picture or decorative design made by setting small colored pieces, as of stone or tile, into a surface.

Self-examination.

Appropriateness of behavior or conduct


Get more Quizzes 

 Elementary School    Middle School   High School  

 By Word     By Definition    5  10  15  20 Questions

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.