An oath is 'a solemn _______ or ____________' made by a person (often called the affiant) with an appeal to God, or a Supreme Being, to attest to the truth of the person's words.

• A. prayer; invocation
• B. claim; assertion
• C. pledge; promise
• D. vow; commitment

Answer: (C)

An oath is a formal, solemn commitment to tell the truth, often made with an appeal to God or a higher power. That makes the best fit “pledge” and “promise” because these terms capture the binding, ceremonial nature of an oath in legal settings: a pledge or promise binds the signer to truth under the authority invoked. Other options don’t fit as well: a prayer or invocation is about addressing a deity, not the act of certifying truth; a claim or assertion is just stating something, not making a binding promise; while a vow or commitment can be religiously tinged or too general, the standard oath phrasing uses pledge and promise to convey the formal, enforceable nature of the oath.