The word Deplore and the word Lament share the same central sense in the context tested by the question, although usage, tone and grammatical form should still be checked before substituting one for the other. A synonym is not required to be identical in every possible sentence; it must preserve the intended meaning in the relevant context. Here, replacing Deplore with Lament keeps the core idea intact without reversing the tone or changing the action, quality or state expressed by the target word. The alternatives Begin, Drain and Exonerate do not express the same central meaning as Deplore. This distinction matters because competitive examinations often place one accurate synonym beside three familiar but contextually unsuitable words. If the sentence retains its essential meaning and grammatical structure, the synonym relationship is supported. Learners should revise Deplore together with Lament, a brief usage cue and the contrasting distractors.