"Gape” means stare with open-mouthed amazement, so "stare" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "gape": "probe" means search or investigate; "conceal" means hide; and "divulge" means reveal or show something that had previously been hidden. "Divulge" and "reveal" are synonyms of one another and antonyms of "conceal."

You may have heard of a fish called a carp—which could certainly befoul your kitchen if you left it out for too long. Here, though, all of the answer choices are verbs, so we're looking for a synonym for the verb "to carp." This word means to complain.

To "bilk" means to cheat or defraud. To "swindle" carries the same sense of attaining by dishonest methods. While the two words may be distant cousins, do not confuse "bilk" with "balk," which means to refuse or hinder.

Be careful not to confuse the word "garble" with similar-sounding words such as "gobble," "gargle," or "garbage"—to do so would garble (confuse or distort) the true meaning of the word.

Since "wail" as a noun means a prolonged cry of pain, grief, or anger, or, as a verb, to make such a noise; we're looking for words that have to do with noises people make, specifically those they make when something bad is happening or has happened. Of the given answer choices, "whistle," "shriek," and "cheer" all refer to noises people can make; however, only "shriek," which as a noun means a high-pitched piercing cry or sound; a scream, or as a verb, to make such a noise, is the closest in meaning to "wail" and so is the correct answer.

"Harangue," when used as a verb, means "lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner." So, we need to pick out an answer that refers to speech and means something like "lecture someone aggressively." "Chat," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "chat," when used as a verb, means "talk in a friendly and informal way," making "chat" an antonym of "harangue." "Admonish," however, is a verb that means "warn or reprimand someone firmly," and because "admonish" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "harangue," "admonish" is the correct answer.

"Carp" means find fault or complain, so "grumble" is the best match here.

"Murmur" is a verb meaning speak in a low tone, so the answer closest in meaning to "murmur" is "whisper," a word that when used as a verb means speak softly. Considering the other options, none are close in meaning to "murmur": "yell," when used as a verb, means speak in a loud voice; "converse," when used as a verb, means talk informally; and "point," when used as a verb, means direct attention to.

"Jeer" is a verb meaning "make rude and mocking remarks, typically in a loud voice," so we need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb and means something like "mock." "Ridicule," when used as a verb, means "subject someone or something to mockery and derision," and is the only answer choice that is close in meaning to "mock." So, "ridicule" is the correct answer.

"Ramble," when used as a verb, can mean either "walk for pleasure, typically without a definite route," when describing a plant, "put out long shoots and grow over walls or other plants," or "talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way." While all of the possible answer choices have to do with talking, only "drone," a verb that can mean "speak tediously in a dull monotonous tone," is a synonym of "ramble," so "drone" is the correct answer.