Vocabulary (Closest Meaning) – Choose the option that best matches the highlighted verb in context. Sentence: The angry villagers have “lynched” two suspected child-lifters already.

Introduction / Context:
“Lynched” is a highly specific term meaning killed by a mob without legal trial, typically by hanging or other extrajudicial violence. The sentence states that villagers acted against suspected offenders; the core of “lynch” is unlawful killing, not mere capture or assault.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target verb: lynched.
• Context: mob justice against suspected child-lifters.
• Options: beaten up, captured, killed, mutilated.

Concept / Approach:
Select the word that conveys death caused by a mob. “Killed” matches the essential meaning. The other options describe nonfatal harm or different acts that may or may not involve death, thus failing to capture the defining outcome of lynching.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Substitute: “have killed two suspected … already” carries the necessary gravity. Dictionaries define lynch as “to put to death without legal sanction,” confirming the choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• beaten up: Assault may be nonfatal; not equivalent.
• captured: No killing implied.
• mutilated: Injury/maiming, not necessarily death.

Common Pitfalls:
Underestimating the specificity of “lynch.” It is not a generic “attack”; it denotes unlawful killing by a group.

Final Answer:
killed