Question

select the text from the paragraph that best helps you understand that exacerbated means made worse. there may be more than one correct choice.

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.

Explanation:

To understand that "exacerbated" means "made worse", we look for context that shows a worsening of the problem (stock market collapse). The phrase "causing prices to drop further" after the rumors about bankers selling stocks shows the problem (stock price drop) got worse, which aligns with the meaning of "exacerbated". Also, prior to this, stock prices were already plummeting, and the rumors made it worse. The relevant text is "The problem was exacerbated by rumors that even bankers were selling their stocks, causing prices to drop further." as it shows the problem (stock market situation) was made worse (prices dropped further) due to the rumors.

Answer:

The problem was exacerbated by rumors that even bankers were selling their stocks, causing prices to drop further.