Question

read the passage and then answer the question.
the roaring twenties was a decade of great optimism and enthusiasm following the end of world war i. it was also an era marked by wealth and excess in the united states.
during this exuberant period, many people participated in precarious financial endeavors,
such as risky investments in the stock market. as stock prices began to soar, more people
were encouraged to invest. many individuals even borrowed money to buy stocks,
believing that the market would continue to rise indefinitely. these events set the scene
for the panic that would spread across the nation when the market finally crashed.
on october 29, 1929—a day now referred to as black tuesday—the new york stock
exchange witnessed the most devastating stock market collapse that the nation had ever
seen. prior to the collapse, the market had seen several days of rocky trading, and
eventually fear set in. people tried to unload their stocks before they lost everything,
which caused stock prices to plummet. the problem was exacerbated by rumors that
even bankers were selling their stocks, causing prices to drop further. over sixteen million
shares of stock were sold on black tuesday, and billions of dollars were lost. the crash
signaled the beginning of a lasting economic downturn that came to be known as the
great depression.
what is the meaning of exacerbated as used in the passage?
made worse
lessened
highlighted
created

Explanation:

The context mentions that stock prices were plummeting, and then rumors that bankers were selling their stocks caused prices to drop further. This indicates that the situation (stock price decline) was made worse. "Exacerbated" means to make a problem, situation, or negative feeling worse. "Lessened" means to make smaller or less, which is the opposite. "Highlighted" means to emphasize or make prominent, not relevant here. "Created" means to bring into existence, but the problem (stock price drop) already existed and was just made worse.

Answer:

made worse