“Admonish” means to punish, scold, or criticize, so "scold" is the correct answer. “Laud” means praise or celebrate; “demean” means lessen the significance of or mock and bully; “lessen” means reduce the quantity or intensity of; and "hoist" means use a pulley system to raise up into the air.

“Fathom” means understand or comprehend. As for the incorrect answers, “deceive” means lie to or trick; “retain” means keep; "submerge" means to sink something beneath the surface of water so that no part of it extends above the water; and "disorient" means confuse the inherent sense of direction and balance of.

“Assuage” means relieve, calm, pacify, or make less severe, so "relieve" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "portend" means be a sign of or foreshadow; "wager" means bet; "assimilate" means take on the characteristics of the culture in which one is living; and "contradict" means to speak against something and contend that it is false or, when describing facts, be in disagreement with.

“Disavow” means to deny responsibility for or association with something, so "deny" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, “accede” means agree to a demand; “reject” means not accept or say no to; “deride” means mock and make fun of; and “peddle” means to sell something.

“Capitulate” means surrender or run away from battle, so "surrender" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, “wield” means hold and use as a weapon; “grieve” means express sadness over a loss, most often the loss of a friend; “imitate” means copy; and “incite” means cause something to happen.

"Elucidate” means to make clear, or in other words, to explain or “illuminate.” As for the other answer choices, “eradicate” means completely destroy; “postulate” means suggest a solution to a problem; “circumnavigate” means travel all the way around the world or evade a topic in conversation; and "reconsider" means rethink a decision, possibly changing it.

“Incite” means encourage to do something, especially something illegal. "Ignite" can mean to start a fire or, more broadly, kindle or instigate. "Ignite" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "incite," so "ignite" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, “disavow” means deny responsibility for or renounce; “exonerate” means absolve; “ramble” means to talk without purpose or direction; and "pursue" means chase after.

The word "allow" is a verb that means to permit or yield. "Permit" is the best choice since it is part of the definition of "allow." Considering the other choices, "sell" is a verb that means give an item to someone else for a set monetary price, "affect" is a noun that means alter the consequences of, "advocate" means speak on behalf of a person or cause, and "verify" means confirm the truth of. 

"Equivocate" means to prevaricate or avoid an issue. "Venerate" means to revere or cherish. "Precipitate" means to expedite or hurry. "Imply" means to indicate or hint. "Corroborate" means to authenticate or confirm. 

"Prevaricate" and "deceive" both mean to exaggerate or stretch the truth. "Confront" means to challenge or defy. "Absolve" means to free from responsbility. "Cadge" means to beg. "Breach" means to crack or rupture.