Question

Exacerbate : Mitigate :: __________
Choose the option with the correct pair of words to fill the blank.

• A. Aggravate : Alleviate
• B. Alleviate : Precipitate
• C. Aggravate : Precipitate
• D. Emancipate : Exonerate

Hint:

Exacerbate and Mitigate are antonyms describing worsening versus improving a situation; find the option with the same relationship.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understand the relationship in the given pair.
"Exacerbate" means to make a situation worse, while "Mitigate" means to make a situation less severe or better. So the given pair "Exacerbate : Mitigate" expresses a relationship of direct antonyms, specifically two words that describe opposite effects on the severity of a situation.

Step 2: Check each option for the same antonym relationship.
Option 1, "Aggravate : Alleviate": "Aggravate" means to make worse (a near-synonym of exacerbate), and "Alleviate" means to make less severe (a near-synonym of mitigate). This is a clean pair of antonyms carrying exactly the same meaning-relationship as the original pair.

Step 3: Rule out the remaining options.
Option 2, "Alleviate : Precipitate": "Alleviate" means to lessen severity, but "Precipitate" means to cause something to happen suddenly; these two words are not opposites of each other, so this pair fails to match. Option 3, "Aggravate : Precipitate": "Aggravate" means to worsen, but "Precipitate" again means to trigger a sudden event rather than to improve a situation, so there is no antonym relationship here either. Option 4, "Emancipate : Exonerate": "Emancipate" means to set free, and "Exonerate" means to clear of blame; both words carry a positive, similar connotation rather than being opposites, so this pair also fails to match the required antonym structure.

Conclusion: Only "Aggravate : Alleviate" mirrors the exact worsen-versus-improve antonym relationship of "Exacerbate : Mitigate", making option 1 the correct choice.