Question

starbucks iconoclastic founder has gone through a reeducation in the rigors of running a more typical company.
source: businessweek
in the sentence above, rigors has the same or almost the same meaning as:
○ hardships
○ fatalities
○ generalities
○ decorums

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the meaning of "rigors" in the context of running a company. "Rigors" here refers to the difficult or demanding aspects.

• "hardships" means difficult circumstances or challenges, which matches the meaning of "rigors" in this context.
• "fatalities" refers to deaths, which is irrelevant.
• "generalities" are general statements or ideas, not related.
• "decorums" refers to proper behavior or etiquette, which is not related.

Answer:

A. hardships