Scheme is an elaborate plan intended to deceive, which option is best?

• A. An elaborate plan that is devised in order to gain something and, often, trick people
• B. A routine schedule
• C. A simple rule
• D. A law

Answer: (A)

Scheme is a word for a carefully crafted plan, especially one meant to gain something through deceptive or manipulative means. The description that frames it as an elaborate plan designed to gain something and often trick people matches this sense exactly, highlighting both the complexity of the plan and the intent to mislead. In everyday use, the word often carries that negative undertone of plotting against others, which is why this description fits best. The other options describe something else entirely—a routine schedule, a simple rule, or a formal law—none of which imply a plotted scheme to deceive.