Question

choose the word whose connotation and denotation best match the text.
the only thing that would ______ the pain in liams back was cold-water immersion. while this offered some relief, he could only stay in the ice bath for fifteen minutes at a time. even so, the cold therapy made his recovery time shorter and more bearable.

sedate
appease
mollify
alleviate

Explanation:

• "sedate" means to calm a person, not pain.
• "appease" refers to satisfying a demand or calming anger, not physical discomfort.
• "mollify" means to soothe feelings, not bodily pain.
• "alleviate" specifically means to make pain or suffering less severe, which matches the context of relieving Liam's back pain.

Answer:

alleviate