The word "exasperate" comes from Latin roots meaning rough. The word "asperity" refers to the trait of being rough or harsh. If a person's attitude expresses asperity, he or she is pretty nasty and harsh to others. Whenever someone is "exasperated," he or she could be said to be "worn out" by someone or something. It is like something rough has just totally worn away his or her patience. Therefore, the best option is "enraged," as this word expresses the emotional state of being quite angry after being worn down by someone or something.

The definition of "belittle" is to put someone down. To "skimp" is to use less of a material (e.g. money) to minimize expenses, while to "shrink" is to reduce in size or amount. To "entertain" is to provide amusement and to "abandon" is to give up completely. The only word that fits the definition of "belittle" is "condescend."

"Pacify" is defined as quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of. "Aggravate" is an antonym of this, as it means to worsen a situation or to bother. None of the other answer choices relate to the definition of "pacify;" "personify" means to embody or symbolize, to "joke" is to talk humorously, and to "clean" is to sanitize.

A "quarrel" is an argument. The best choice is "argument" as it is a part of the definition of "quarrel." Considering the other choices, a "quarry" is a pit from which stone is obtained, "calm" means peaceful, and an "announcement" is a formal message where information is made publicly known for the first time.

"Flourish" can stand as either a noun or a verb, one meaning "an embellishment or decoration," the other meaning "to thrive or succeed." So, in this case, if one is not sure which part of speech this is, the answers can give a clue-- there are no nouns in the answers, only verbs and adjectives. Since flourish is never an adjective, flowery and old do not make sense. To overturn means exactly what it sounds like, which is not necessarily a successful or thriving event. Extend is close, but does not have any connotation, successful or otherwise. So grow is the best option.

"Withhold" is a verb that means either "refuse to give (something that is due to or is desired by another)" or "suppress or hold back (an emotion or reaction)," so we need to pick out an answer that means something like "refuse to give" or "suppress." "Proffer," then, cannot be the correct answer because "proffer" is a verb that means "hold out (something) to someone for acceptance; offer," making it an antonym, not a synonym, of "withhold." "Retain," however, is a verb that can mean "continue to have (something); keep possession of," and because "retain" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "withhold," "retain" is the correct answer.

"Grovel" is a verb that means either "to kneel, lie, or crawl on the ground," or "to treat someone with too much respect or fear in a way that shows weakness in order to be forgiven or to gain approval or favor." So, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "to kneel" or "to treat someone with too much respect or fear to gain approval." While "pardon" may look like a potentially correct answer, "pardon" means "forgive or excuse (a person, error, or offense)," so while someone may grovel to a person who can pardon them for past offenses, "pardon" does not mean the same thing as "grovel," so "pardon" cannot be the correct answer. "Crawl," however, is synonymous with the first meaning of "grovel," so "crawl" is the correct answer because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "grovel."

"Mar" means to spoil the appearance of or disfigure. A scar might mar someone's face or a wooden table could be marred by a deep scratch.

"Languish" means to weaken and become feeble, so it is most similar in meaning to "deteriorate," which means to waste away. "Enliven" and "flourish" both have positive connotations and mean to prosper or to come alive. "Stagnate" means to remain without growth or movement, and "concern" (which means consternation) is unrelated in meaning to "languish."