In the following English vocabulary question, you are given a descriptive phrase. Choose, from the four alternatives, the one word that best substitutes the phrase "the state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote".

Introduction / Context:
This one word substitution question deals with a political and legal term. The phrase given is the state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote. You must choose the single word that describes the condition in which citizens lose their voting rights or other important civic privileges.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The phrase focuses on deprivation of rights, especially voting rights.
• Option A: Abolishment.
• Option B: Disenfranchisement.
• Option C: Abandonment.
• Option D: Abatement.
• We assume that one of these words is commonly used in the context of citizens losing the right to vote.

Concept / Approach:
The word enfranchise means to grant a person or group the right to vote. Adding the prefix dis gives disenfranchise, meaning to take away or deny that right. Disenfranchisement is the noun form that describes the condition of having been deprived of such rights. Abolishment refers to completely ending a practice or institution. Abandonment is giving up or leaving something, and abatement refers to reduction or lessening. Only disenfranchisement captures the specific idea of being deprived of rights, especially voting rights.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the key element in the phrase: loss of a legal or civic right, particularly the right to vote.Step 2: Recall that enfranchisement is the granting of voting rights, for example during the extension of suffrage.Step 3: Note that disenfranchisement is the opposite, describing the condition where those rights have been taken away or denied.Step 4: Examine abolishment, which applies to cancelling laws or institutions, not primarily to removing rights from specific individuals.Step 5: Reject abandonment and abatement, which do not focus on rights or voting. This leaves disenfranchisement as the only precise answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Look at example usages. A sentence like The new law led to the disenfranchisement of many poor voters clearly shows that the word deals with the loss of voting rights. Abolishment would be used in contexts such as the abolishment of a tax or a practice, and abandonment might describe leaving a project or place. Abatement is common in phrases like noise abatement. None of these match the idea of citizens being deprived of their right to vote, confirming that disenfranchisement is the correct substitution.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Abolishment refers to the act of ending or eliminating something entirely, such as the abolishment of slavery. It does not emphasise the removal of a right from certain people. Abandonment describes leaving something behind or giving it up, but it is usually voluntary and not tied to civic rights. Abatement means reduction, such as tax abatement or pollution abatement, and is not connected to the deprivation of voting rights. Therefore, these options are not accurate for the phrase in the question.

Common Pitfalls:
Because abolish is a strong word associated with ending injustices, some learners may mistakenly choose abolishment. However, the phrase in the stem highlights the condition of people who have lost a right, not the act of ending an institution. The presence of the root franchise in disenfranchisement is an important clue: franchise in politics is directly linked to voting rights, so its negative form naturally refers to losing that right.

Final Answer:
The one word that best substitutes the phrase is Disenfranchisement, so option B is correct.