When someone has “resolve,” that person has a steadfast attitude, generally based upon a definite choice. While the word “resolution” can mean “solution,” as in “the resolution to a problem,” it often is used in the sense of “making a resolution.” In the usage “resolution to a problem,” you can think of the word as meaning “something that resolves a problem.” Among our answers, the closest meaning is “decision.” Here, think of the phenomenon of “making New Year’s resolutions,” that is, making decisions and promises for the New Year.

Revelry is a rambunctious or noisy form of partying. Often, it comes with the implication that the partying is accompanied by heavy drinking of alcohol. Among the answers, the word “festivity” best signifies this sense of partying.

Revelry is a rambunctious or noisy form of partying. Often, it comes with the implication that the partying is accompanied by heavy drinking of alcohol. Among the answers, the word “festivity” best signifies this sense of partying.

Clearly, the word “villainy” is related to “villain.” It is a noun meaning “an action that is immoral,” often implying some kind of illegality. For example, one could say, “The mafia boss committed many acts of villainy, often killing his enemies in a brutal manner without any regret.”

The word libation comes from the Latin meaning “to pour out,” generally implying that it is being done as a sacrifice to the God. Such a “libation” would be poured as a type of sacrifice. The term has been made to be somewhat informal in regular speech and is often used to refer to a drink in general. To say, “Let us share a libation,” can sound far more refined than a mere, “Let us share a drink.” Among the options provided, the only one that matches either sense is “offering.”

The word “weal” is perhaps a bit strange in its usage, but it is found in a number of other words. It is related to the word “wealth,” thus meaning something like “good” or “interest” or “wealth.” A commonwealth is a governmental body that comes together for the common interest or good of the group. Likewise, to say that you will stay with someone in “weal and woe” is to say that you will stay with that person in good times and in bad. Thus, the word can be used to express something that is in the interest of a party and is thus used in expressions like, “For the public weal, I must keep this secret, for it would destroy society to know its details.”

The word “woe,” is often used in interjections like, “Woe is me! Such horrible things always happen to me!” The sense implied is, “How unhappy and unfortunate I am!” The word “woe” more generally can be used as a noun meaning “sorrow” or “great sadness.” For instance, you could say, “By age ten, the young man had already experienced many more woes than his classmates, whose lives were passed in relative bliss and joy.”

The word “fraud” is related to Latin words for “deceit.” Although its strict meaning is a lie that is meant to gain something (money, fame, etc), fraud can mean any willful deception done by a person who claims to be something that he or she is not. Among the options provided, “sham” best matches this general sense. Several of the other options (such as “robber,” “theft,” and “larceny”) are far too specific.

The word “hiatus” comes from the Latin for “gap.” For instance, the word would be used in a sentence, “After a three year hiatus, the two men were once again friends, acting as though they had not spent those years apart and out of contact.” In general, the term can mean any interval, though it is often mean to indicate an interval of time.

The word “adulation” comes from Latin roots related to “to fawn upon.”   When someone “fawns,” he or she praises someone in order to gain that person’s favor. Adulation can described as an act of “adoration.” Though this synonym overlooks some of the flattery involved, it is far better than the other, weaker options provided for this question.