This question is a word analogy. The first word in the given pair means to make something worse, and the second word means to make it less severe. To find the matching option, replace each option's words with a simpler synonym and see if the same worse to better switch happens.
- Aggravate : Alleviate: Aggravate is a direct synonym of exacerbate (both mean make worse). Alleviate is a direct synonym of mitigate (both mean make easier to bear). The switch from worse to better is preserved exactly.
- Alleviate : Precipitate: Alleviate fits the make better side, but precipitate means bring on suddenly, which has nothing to do with easing a problem. The pattern breaks here.
- Aggravate : Precipitate: Aggravate fits the make worse side, but again precipitate does not mean make better, it means trigger quickly. The pattern breaks.
- Emancipate : Exonerate: Both words mean roughly to set free or clear of blame. They point in the same direction as each other instead of opposite directions, so this pair does not copy the given relationship at all.
Only option (A) swaps a worsen word for an ease word the same way the question does, so aggravate : alleviate is the answer.
Let's summarize:
- Exacerbate : Mitigate is a make worse, make better pair.
- Aggravate : Alleviate carries that exact same opposite relationship.
- The other three options either break the opposite relationship or use two words that mean almost the same thing.
So the correct pair is aggravate : alleviate, option (A).