Final answer:
The correct answer is a) Raze, which means to destroy a building to the ground. This fits the context of the sentence about it being easier to demolish a building than change a social institution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the sentence "It is a good deal easier to (raze, allege) an old building than it is to destroy a time-honored social institution" is a) Raze. The word raze means to completely destroy a building, structure, or site to the ground, making it synonymous with demolish or tear down. On the other hand, allege means to assert without proof or before proving. In the context of the sentence, the comparison is being made between the physical destruction of a building and the figurative 'destruction' or change of a social institution, so raze fits the context correctly.