Select the synonym (word most similar in meaning) of "rendezvous".

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question asks for a synonym of the noun rendezvous. Synonym questions check your depth of word knowledge and your ability to connect less common words with more familiar ones that share similar meanings. Rendezvous is often used in romantic or secret contexts and also in formal arrangements to meet.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target word: rendezvous.
• Options: tryst, dispersal, rift, split, departure.
• We are looking for the option closest in meaning to a planned meeting or appointment.

Concept / Approach:
Rendezvous means a planned meeting at a particular time and place, often between two people and sometimes with a romantic or secret flavour. Tryst is a very close match in meaning, referring to a private, sometimes romantic, meeting between lovers. The other options describe separation or movement away rather than meeting at a single point. Therefore, tryst is the correct synonym.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define rendezvous as a prearranged meeting or appointment at a particular time and place.Step 2: Check each option for a similar idea of meeting.Step 3: Recognise that tryst refers to a private or secret meeting, especially between lovers.Step 4: Notice that dispersal, rift, split, and departure all suggest separation or moving away.Step 5: Conclude that tryst is the only word with meaning close to rendezvous.

Verification / Alternative check:
If two people agree to meet at a cafe at six in the evening, that arrangement can be called a rendezvous. It could also be described as a tryst if it is secret or romantic. By contrast, dispersal is what happens when a crowd breaks up, a rift is a serious break in a relationship, a split is a division, and departure is leaving a place. None of these capture the idea of a meeting at a specific place and time.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• dispersal: Means scattering or spreading out, the opposite of people coming together to meet.
• rift: A serious break or separation, usually in relations between people or groups.
• split: Division into parts or a break up of a group, not a coming together.
• departure: Act of leaving a place, again the opposite direction to a meeting.

Common Pitfalls:
The unusual spelling of rendezvous can distract students, making them think of any strange looking word as a likely synonym. To avoid this, always rely on the meaning you know rather than visual similarity. Remember simple context clues: rendezvous is connected with meeting; tryst is also a meeting. The rest clearly deal with separation or leaving.

Final Answer:
The synonym of rendezvous is tryst.