Agg. Child abuse, willfully tortures maliciously punishes, or _____ a child.

• A. abandons
• B. cages
• C. neglects
• D. discipline

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is identifying a verb that continues the pattern of extreme, intentional harm toward a child in a parallel list. In aggravated child abuse, actions listed alongside torturing and maliciously punishing should convey direct, violent harm or confinement. The verb that best fits this pattern is the one meaning to imprison or confine a child, which is “cages.” It mirrors the severity and active, coercive nature of the other actions, creating a consistent set of abusive acts.

Abandoning or neglecting a child describes different forms of harm—omission or withdrawal of care—rather than a direct, violent act. Discipline, on the other hand, implies corrective action and often carries a non-abusive or ambiguous connotation, so it doesn’t align with the harsh, criminal tone of the rest of the list.