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To “equivocate” is to use ambiguous or evasive language, often to mislead or avoid commitment. “Prevaricated” (B) is the closest synonym, meaning to speak or act in an evasive way, frequently bordering on deceit. The context—“when pressed on costs”—implies pressure that prompts non-answers rather than clarity. “Clarified” (A) reverses the meaning. “Exaggerated” (C) relates to overstatement, not ambiguity. “Confessed” (D) suggests admission of guilt or responsibility, which is inconsistent with evasion. Nelson–Denny items frequently rely on pragmatic cues in discourse: being “pressed” typically elicits either a concession or hedging; “equivocate” encodes the latter. A quick morphological check can mislead here; there’s no obvious prefix to negate meaning. Instead, rely on collocation knowledge—politicians, spokespeople, and defendants are described as “equivocating” when they avoid direct answers. Substituting “prevaricated” preserves the sentence’s rhetorical situation and tone, confirming the choice and supporting efficient elimination of distractors.