Concept:The phonetic symbol is the schwa, written /ə/.
It is a very short, unstressed vowel sound in English.
Explanation:Check the pronunciation of each option.
A. "pence" is pronounced /pens/ — it has the vowel /e/, not /ə/.
B. "abuse" is pronounced /əˈbjuːz/ — the first syllable contains the schwa sound /ə/.
C. "cat" is pronounced /kæt/ — it has /æ/, not /ə/.
D. "refer" is pronounced /rɪˈfɜː/ — its vowel sounds are /ɪ/ and /ɜː/, not /ə/.
Only "abuse" contains the required schwa sound.
Answer:B. abuse