PONDER

[verb] [formal] - to think carefully about (something), esp. for a noticeable length of timeShe sat back in her chair for a few minutes to ponder her next move in the game. [T]Doctors should ponder a while on the wisdom of separating babies from their mothers. [I]Many journalists are pondering why the leading goal-scorer of the World Cup has scored no goals so far this season. [+ wh- word]