This word, with its companion, affirmant, was formerly used in American colleges, and was applied to those who engaged in the syllogistic discussions then incident to Commencement.
But the main exercises were disputations upon questions, wherein the respondents first made their theses.—Mather's Magnalia, B. IV. p. 128.
The syllogistic disputes were held between an affirmant and respondent, who stood in the side galleries of the church opposite to one another, and shot the weapons of their logic over the heads of the audience.—Pres. Woolsey's Hist. Disc., Yale Coll., p. 65.
In the public exercises at Commencement, I was somewhat remarked as a respondent.—Life and Works of John Adams, Vol. II. p. 3.
RESPONSION. In the University of Oxford, an examination about the middle of the college course, also called the Little-go.—Lyell.
See LITTLE-GO.
RETRO. Latin; literally, back. Among the students of the
University of Cambridge, Eng., used to designate a behind-hand
account. "A cook's bill of extraordinaries not settled by the
Tutor."—Grad. ad Cantab.
REVIEW. A second or repeated examination of a lesson, or the lesson itself thus re-examined.
He cannot get the "advance," forgets "the review."
Childe Harvard, p. 13.
RIDER. The meaning of this word, used at Cambridge, Eng., is given in the annexed sentence. "His ambition is generally limited to doing 'riders,' which are a sort of scholia, or easy deductions from the book-work propositions, like a link between them and problems; indeed, the rider being, as its name imports, attached to a question, the question is not fully answered until the rider is answered also."—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 222.