The answer should be B) therapeutic

melancholic means pensive sadness how can that ease anxiety?

The answer should be B) therapeutic

I found the explanation and correct answer:

Solution

The latter part of the sentence, after the colon, is the clue to the blank. It says baking is a process that eases depression and anxiety. Hence, the word must be a positive one that shows that baking can reduce depression and anxiety.

Let us understand the meaning of the words.

enthralling – captivating and capturing interest
therapeutic – exhibiting healing powers
exasperating – annoying greatly
vindictive – revengeful
melancholic – characterized by causing or expressing sadness
The best word from the options is therapeutic. There is only one other word with a positive connotation – enthralling. However, this is irrelevant to the context. The other three words – exasperating, vindictive, and melancholic – are negative ones and could have been eliminated. Option E, melancholic, is in fact the opposite of the appropriate word.

The correct answer is Option B.

PS... it is not my writing, I found on a webpage via Google search.

how can the answers be E?🤣

It should be (B).

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Many studies have confirmed that baking, especially when it's done for others, is __________: it eases depression and anxiety.

Since it eases depression and anxiety, it has to be therapeutic.

The correct answer is B) therapeutic.

The sentence provides a clear definition for the blank: it describes baking as something that "eases depression and anxiety." The word therapeutic directly means having a healing or curative quality, which perfectly fits this definition.

Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:
- A) enthralling: This means captivating or fascinating, which describes an emotional reaction but not the specific healing effect mentioned.
- C) exasperating: This means intensely irritating or frustrating, which is the opposite of the intended meaning.
- D) vindictive: This means having a desire for revenge, which is completely out of context.
- E) melancholic: This means feeling a pensive sadness, which is a feeling that baking is said to ease, not cause.