The recent economic downturn served only to _______ the already precarious financial situation of many small businesses.

A alleviate

B ameliorate

C exacerbate

D aggravate

✓ Correct Answer: Option C

The sentence indicates the downturn worsened a bad situation. Both 'exacerbate' and 'aggravate' mean to make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse. 'Alleviate' and 'ameliorate' mean to make better.

💡 Why is C) the correct answer?

The correct answer to the question "The recent economic downturn served only to _______ the already precarious financial situation of many small businesses." is Option C: exacerbate.

The other options — A) alleviate, B) ameliorate, D) aggravate — are incorrect for this GRE Exam Prep question. As explained above: The sentence indicates the downturn worsened a bad situation. Both 'exacerbate' and 'aggravate' mean to make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse. 'Alleviate' and 'ameliorate' mean to …

📚 About This GRE Exam Prep Practice Question

This 2-level GRE Exam Prep question from the Verbal Reasoning topic is part of BrainForge Quiz's free exam preparation library. Each question includes the correct answer and a detailed explanation to help you understand the underlying concept, not just memorize the answer.

How to use this page: Read the question above, consider all four options (A through D), then check the highlighted correct answer and explanation. For active timed practice, start a free GRE Exam Prep practice test or use flashcards for spaced repetition review.

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The recent economic downturn served only to _______ the already precarious financial situation of many small businesses.

✓ Correct Answer: Option C

📚 About This GRE Exam Prep Practice Question

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