Use reasoning to lead to the answer of the following question:
An attempt to confirm an applicant's reference would fail if the reference does what?
Options:
- question
- dispute
- deny
- contradict
- refuse
 Reasoning process:

Show your work and conclude with the exact phrasing "Therefore, the final answer is [answer]." where [answer] is just the final number or expression that solves the problem.
user
If a confrmation is denied, the confirmation fails. When a refrence deny the confirmation, it means they do not know that person which fails the confirmation. Therefore, the final answer is deny.