Which best describes the purpose of the words “meagre,” “scaffold,” “stern,” and “punishment of death”?

I don't know the context of your question, but all those words together paint a picture of something serious (stern for example means serious), and yet miserable ("meagre").

If they are used in a sentence describing a situation or a landscape they could serve the purpose of underlying the desperation and misery of the situation.

So far i know that you cant