Select the synonym that is closest in meaning to defuse in the context of reducing danger, tension, or hostility in a situation.

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your understanding of the verb defuse, which is commonly used both in literal and figurative senses. Literally, it means to remove the fuse from a bomb so that it can no longer explode. Figuratively, it is often used to describe calming a tense situation or reducing the intensity of anger or conflict. Competitive exam questions frequently ask for synonyms in this figurative sense, so you must know which option expresses the idea of reducing danger, tension, or pressure rather than increasing it.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The given word is defuse.
• We must pick the option with the nearest meaning in standard modern English.
• The context is usually figurative, such as defuse a crisis, defuse tension, or defuse an argument.
• The options include irritate, alleviate, agitate, incite, and inflame, all of which relate to emotional or situational states.

Concept / Approach:
The main idea behind defuse is to neutralise a threat or calm a tense atmosphere. Any correct synonym should convey the sense of making something less dangerous, less tense, or less severe. By contrast, words that suggest provoking, stirring up, or making matters worse cannot be correct. Thus, we look for an option that indicates reducing intensity rather than increasing it. A well known word that carries this sense is alleviate, which means to make something less severe or to ease pain or difficulty.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the meaning of defuse. It literally means to remove the fuse from a bomb and, by extension, to make a dangerous or tense situation less harmful or less explosive. Step 2: Examine option a, irritate. This means to annoy, anger, or provoke someone. It increases tension, so it is opposite to the idea of defusing a situation. Step 3: Examine option b, alleviate. This verb means to make suffering, pain, or a difficult situation less severe. For example, medicines alleviate pain, and good communication may alleviate tension. Step 4: Examine option c, agitate. This means to disturb, upset, or stir up feelings and emotions, making people more anxious or angry. It also goes in the opposite direction of defuse. Step 5: Examine option d, incite. This verb means to provoke or encourage someone to behave in a violent or unlawful way, which again increases danger and conflict. Step 6: Examine option e, inflame. This means to make feelings stronger, especially anger or hostility, which is clearly the opposite of calming or defusing. Step 7: Only alleviate matches the idea of making something less severe and fits contexts such as alleviate tension, which is similar to defuse tension. Therefore, option b is the correct synonym.

Verification / Alternative Check:
To verify, place the options into a typical sentence: The leader tried to defuse the situation after the argument. If you replace defuse with alleviate, it becomes The leader tried to alleviate the situation. Although we more commonly say alleviate tension, it still indicates easing the problem. If you try irritate, agitate, incite, or inflame in the same sentence, the meaning changes to making the situation worse, not better. That is completely opposite to what defuse usually expresses. Dictionaries also list meanings like make a situation less tense or dangerous for defuse and make less severe for alleviate, confirming that alleviate is the closest standard synonym in this set.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a, irritate, means to annoy or provoke; it increases anger or discomfort rather than reducing it.
Option c, agitate, means to disturb or stir up people's feelings, again creating more tension, which is the opposite of defuse.
Option d, incite, means to encourage or provoke people to act, often violently or unlawfully, which clearly escalates trouble instead of calming it.
Option e, inflame, means to make feelings such as anger or hatred stronger, directly contradicting the calming effect implied by defuse.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to focus only on emotional intensity and to treat all the options as roughly similar without carefully distinguishing whether they increase or decrease tension. Another pitfall is to focus on the literal meaning of defuse with a bomb, and then choose a word associated with fire or explosion, such as inflame, which actually has the opposite effect in emotional contexts. Students must pay close attention to the positive or negative direction of the verb. Remember that defuse and alleviate both suggest easing or reducing a problem, which is why they match more closely than the other options.

Final Answer:
The synonym that most closely matches defuse in the sense of reducing tension or danger is alleviate, so option b is correct.