Select the synonym, that is, the word closest in meaning to "deprive", from the options given below.

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question tests understanding of the verb deprive. To deprive someone of something means to take it away from them or prevent them from having it. The correct synonym must express this idea of removal or loss, not giving or adding. Recognising this helps in reading legal, social, and literary texts where such verbs are commonly used.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Target verb: deprive. - Options: bestow, confer, dispossess, endow. - Only one option should express the idea of taking something away or denying it.

Concept / Approach:
Dispossess means to deprive someone of land, property, or other possessions. It aligns directly with the notion of taking away something that someone previously had. The other options move in the opposite direction: bestow, confer, and endow all mean to give or grant something. Therefore, dispossess is the only option that matches the core meaning of deprive.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that deprive is used in sentences like The new law will deprive people of their rights. Step 2: Examine dispossess, which is used in contexts such as The tenants were dispossessed of their homes, meaning their homes were taken away. Step 3: Check bestow, which means to give an honour or gift, such as bestow an award. Step 4: Consider confer, which means to grant a degree, title, or right. Step 5: Look at endow, which means to provide with a quality, resource, or income. Step 6: Notice that bestow, confer, and endow are all about giving, while dispossess is about taking away.

Verification / Alternative check:
Substitute each option into example sentences. The government decided to dispossess the illegal occupants matches the idea of depriving them of property. The government decided to bestow the illegal occupants does not make sense and reverses the direction of action. Similar problems appear with confer and endow. These checks confirm that dispossess is the only viable synonym for deprive in a negative, removal sense.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Bestow expresses the act of giving something valuable, usually honour or gifts, so it is conceptually opposite to deprive. Confer means to grant something like a degree or status. Endow involves providing someone or something with a quality or resource, often in a permanent way, such as endowing a college with funds. All of these verbs imply adding to someone's possession rather than removing it.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners pay attention only to the general context of importance or value and ignore the direction of action, picking any formal sounding verb. A more precise approach is to ask whether the verb involves giving or taking. Deprive and dispossess both involve removing or withholding, while bestow, confer, and endow involve giving. Keeping such pairs in mind will help in both synonym and antonym questions.

Final Answer:
dispossess is the correct synonym of deprive.