r

Question 1

rancid

Answer 1

(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich.)

Question 2

rancor

Answer 2

(n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes.)

Question 3

rapport

Answer 3

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport.)

Question 4

raucous

Answer 4

(adj.) loud, boisterous (Sarah’s neighbors called the cops when her house party got too raucous.)

Question 5

raze

Answer 5

(v.) to demolish, level (The old tenement house was razed to make room for the large chain store.)

Question 6

rebuke

Answer 6

(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.)

Question 7

recalcitrant

Answer 7

(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)

Question 8

reclusive

Answer 8

(adj.) solitary, shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in
the woods.)

Question 9

rectitude

Answer 9

(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.)

Question 10

redoubtable

Answer 10

1. (adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with a standing ovation.)

Question 11

refract

Answer 11

(v.) to distort, change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism.)

Question 12

refute

Answer 12

refute (v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president’s argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.)

Question 13

relegate

Answer 13

1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrology conference, Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a
   drink on a customer’s shirt, the waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative shift.)

Question 14

remedial

Answer 14

(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students’ basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn’t read, Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English.)

Question 15

remiss

Answer 15

(adj.) negligent, failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard, remiss in his duties, forgot to lock the door.)

Question 16

renown

Answer 16

(n.) honor, acclaim (The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize.)

Question 17

renunciation

Answer 17

(n.) to reject (Fiona’s renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those people who thought she’d been a vegetarian for years.)

Question 18

repentant

Answer 18

(adj.) penitent, sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother’s vase.)

Question 19

replete

Answer 19

(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)

Question 20

repose

Answer 20

(v.) to rest, lie down (The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna fish, reposed in the sun and took a long nap.)

Question 21

reprehensible

Answer 21

(adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean’s cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations.)

Question 22

reprieve

Answer 22

(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted hundreds of reprieves to prisoners.)

Question 23

reproach

Answer 23

(v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian reproached the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.)

Question 24

reprobate

Answer 24

(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

Question 25

reprove

Answer 25

(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.)

Question 26

repudiate

Answer 26

(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)

Question 27

repulse

Answer 27

1. (v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2. (v.) to push back (With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach, Lacy repulsed Jack’s attempt to kiss her.)

Question 28

resolute

Answer 28

(adj.) firm, determined (With a resolute glint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.)

Question 29

respite

Answer 29

(n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise.)

Question 30

resplendent

Answer 30

(adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress.)

Question 31

restitution

Answer 31

(n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors.)

Question 32

restive

Answer 32

(adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.)

Question 33

revel

Answer 33

(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.)

Question 34

revere

Answer 34

(v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered.)

Question 35

rhapsodize

Answer 35

(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie, calling it an instant classic.)

Question 36

ribald

Answer 36

(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

Question 37

rife

Answer 37

(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors.)

Question 38

ruminate

Answer 38

(v.) to contemplate, reflect (Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river, staring pensively into the water.)

Question 39

ruse

Answer 39

(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)