Select the one word that best expresses the phrase to leave a place suddenly or secretly, especially in order to avoid attention or trouble.

Introduction / Context:
This question is about one word substitution. You are given a descriptive phrase, to leave a place suddenly or secretly, and you must choose the single English word that best captures this meaning. Such questions test your vocabulary depth and your familiarity with precise verbs that describe specific types of movement or behaviour. In reading and writing, using the exact word rather than a phrase makes language more concise and expressive, so exams frequently include this type of item.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The phrase is: to leave a place suddenly or secretly.
• We must select a single word that summarises this idea accurately.
• The options provided are scarce, ligger, decamp, loiter, and linger.
• We assume the context includes leaving in a way that minimises attention or avoids confrontation, as opposed to leaving slowly or casually.

Concept / Approach:
The key verbs to consider here are those related to movement and presence. Some words describe staying in a place, others describe moving away, and still others describe how that movement happens. The phrase suddenly or secretly suggests both speed and a desire to avoid being noticed. We must therefore look for a verb that inherently carries this sense of quick or stealthy departure. Many legal and literary texts use the verb decamp to describe a person or group leaving quickly and quietly, especially to escape responsibility, debt, or danger.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider option a, scarce. As an adjective, scarce means limited in quantity or not easily available. As a verb in informal use, make oneself scarce can mean to leave a place, but the single word scarce by itself does not directly express the idea of leaving. Step 2: Consider option b, ligger. This is an obscure or dialect term not commonly used in standard exam English. It does not match the widely taught one word substitution for leaving secretly. Step 3: Consider option c, decamp. This verb means to depart suddenly or secretly, often to escape arrest or avoid trouble. It matches the phrase in the question very closely. Step 4: Consider option d, loiter. This means to stand or wait somewhere in a slow or idle way, often without purpose. It describes remaining in a place, not leaving it. Step 5: Consider option e, linger. This means to stay somewhere longer than necessary or to be slow in leaving. Again, this is the opposite of leaving suddenly. Step 6: Only decamp accurately and directly expresses the idea to leave a place suddenly or secretly. Therefore, option c is the correct one word substitution.

Verification / Alternative Check:
To verify, insert the options into a sample sentence. For example, The thief decided to decamp before the police arrived. This sentence clearly shows sudden and secret departure. If you try loiter or linger in the same sentence, you get The thief decided to loiter before the police arrived, which implies staying around, not escaping. The collocation make oneself scarce is close in meaning to the phrase in the question, but the single word scarce alone does not match as neatly as decamp. Dictionaries and exam guides consistently list decamp as the standard one word substitution for leaving suddenly or secretly, which confirms our choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a, scarce, mainly functions as an adjective and only indirectly relates to departure in the idiom make oneself scarce, not as a direct standalone verb for secret leaving.
Option b, ligger, is rare and not a standard exam word, and it does not mean to leave a place suddenly or secretly in common usage.
Option d, loiter, refers to hanging about or wasting time in one place, which is the opposite of departing quickly.
Option e, linger, refers to staying longer than expected, again conflicting with the idea of sudden departure.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may be tempted by loiter or linger because they are familiar verbs connected with time spent in a place, but both describe staying rather than leaving. Others may overinterpret the idiom make oneself scarce and wrongly choose scarce, forgetting that the core word does not usually function as the precise one word substitute in exam style questions. To succeed with one word substitution problems, it is helpful to build a personal list of common exam verbs such as abscond, decamp, desert, and evacuate, each with its specific nuance and typical usage.

Final Answer:
The word that best expresses the meaning to leave a place suddenly or secretly is decamp, so option c is correct.