The labourers who were fired broke into the office building and destroyed some ofthe machinery. Rather than finding a solution to their problems, they __________

The sentence describes labourers who, after being fired, reacted destructively by breaking into the office and damaging machinery. Instead of addressing their grievances through constructive means, they chose a violent approach that worsened their circumstances. The blank requires a phrase that captures how their actions negatively intensified the original problem rather than resolving it.

The correct answer is "exacerbated the situation" (Option A) because it means they made their problems worse through destructive actions, exactly what happened when they broke equipment instead of solving issues constructively. 

The other options don't fit: "extended troubles" (Option B) is vague, "exaggerated hardships" (Option C) implies overstating problems rather than worsening them, and "extenuated" (Option D) means making circumstances seem less serious (the opposite of what occurred). Only "exacerbated" accurately describes how their violent response intensified the original conflict.