In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which is the best single-word substitute for the phrase “urge someone to act in a violent or unlawful way”.

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question asks you to choose a single English word that captures the idea of encouraging or urging someone to commit violent or unlawful acts. Such single-word substitute questions are common in competitive exams and help assess your ability to connect detailed definitions with precise terms used in law, politics, and everyday discussions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The phrase given is “urge someone to act in a violent or unlawful way”.
• The options are “taunt”, “solicit”, “incite”, and “psych”.
• The context clearly suggests encouraging or provoking wrongdoing.

Concept / Approach:
The verb “incite” means to encourage, stir up, or provoke someone to behave in a violent, unlawful, or otherwise negative way. Courts and laws often use phrases like “incite violence” or “incite a riot”. The other options describe different kinds of urging or psychological influence but do not have the specific legal and moral sense of provoking unlawful or violent acts.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the central idea: urging someone to commit violence or acts that break the law. Step 2: Consider “incite”. It directly means to encourage or urge someone to behave violently or illegally, as in “incite a crowd to riot”. Step 3: Look at “taunt”. This means to provoke or challenge someone with insulting remarks. Although it may lead to anger, it is not specifically about urging illegal acts. Step 4: Examine “solicit”. This usually means to ask for or try to obtain something from someone, or in legal context, to request or encourage certain acts, but it is not chiefly associated with violent or unlawful action in the sense the question highlights. Step 5: Check “psych”. Informally, “to psych someone up” means to mentally prepare or motivate them, often before a performance or competition. It does not inherently involve unlawfulness or violence. Step 6: Therefore, “incite” is the only option that exactly matches the meaning of the phrase.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider a typical sentence: “The speaker was accused of trying to incite the crowd to violence.” This shows that “incite” is the standard verb when someone encourages illegal or violent behaviour. Substituting any of the other options into that sentence either changes the meaning or makes the sentence sound unnatural and incorrect for the context.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• taunt: Means to mock or insult; it may anger someone but does not specifically mean urging them to commit unlawful acts.
• solicit: Often used for asking for money, help, or support; while it can appear in legal language, it is not specific to violent or unlawful urging in general.
• psych: Informal term relating to mental preparation or intimidation, without the specific connotation of encouraging crime or violence.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may be misled by words they recognise from everyday speech and choose them without matching the legal or moral nuance of the definition. When a phrase explicitly includes “violent or unlawful”, you should look for words used in legal or disciplinary contexts, such as “incite”, “abet”, or “instigate”. Among the options here, “incite” clearly fits that requirement.

Final Answer:
The best single-word substitute for “urge someone to act in a violent or unlawful way” is incite.