From the words or group of words lettered A to D below each of the following sentences, choose the one that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word or ...

From the words or group of words lettered A to D below each of the following sentences, choose the one that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word or group of words as it is used in the sentence.
Within a short time, what was meant to be a peaceful demonstration escalated into a riot.

Answer Details

In this sentence, the underlined word "escalated" means that the peaceful demonstration became more intense and violent, resulting in a riot. Among the options given, the word that is nearest in meaning to "escalated" is "developed," which implies that the situation became worse and more serious. Therefore, the correct answer is D.