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? highlighted created made worse lessened

Explanation:

In the passage, before the use of "exacerbated", stock prices were already plummeting due to panic selling. The rumors of bankers selling stocks caused prices to drop further, meaning the existing problem became more severe. Among the options, "made worse" matches this context.

Answer:

made worse