The correct answer is D. Lifeless
Step-by-step explanation:
The connotative meaning of a word refers to the associations or connections a word has in a context, in this way, the connotative meaning is not about the definition in dictionaries or the definition people agree on, but the associations the word has depending on how people understand it or the context in which it appears. In the case of "John, an aspiring actor, was criticized at his last audition for being stagnant and uninteresting" the context in which it appears that is an audition suggest the word stagnant refers to the inability of John to express emotions or communicate with the audience, as this is something common in this context, because of this the most appropriate connotative meaning of this is lifeless as this word expresses John's lack of expressions, movement or the like, that made him look similar to someone or something inanimated or without life, not because he is dead, but because he was unable to display certain emotions or movements during the audition, which makes people compare him to something that lacks life.