In the sentence "The minister's candid remarks, far from pacifying the crowd, only exacerbated the tension," the word "exacerbated" is closest in meaning to:
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. made the tense situation more severe
- Step 1: The phrase "far from pacifying" tells us the remarks did the opposite of calming the crowd.
- Step 2: The word "only" shows the result was a worsening of the existing tension.
- Step 3: "Exacerbate" means to make a problem or feeling worse.
Answer
made the tense situation more severe.
Why not the others: hiding, explaining and reducing the tension would all fit a calming effect, which the sentence explicitly denies.
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