Read the paragraph.
Like so many of the Greek divinities, however, the
refined conception of the Muses is somewhat marred
by the acerbity with which they punished any effort on
the part of mortals to rival them in their divine powers.
An instance of this is seen in the case of Thamyris, a
Thracian bard, who presumed to invite them to a trial of
skill in music. Having vanquished him, they not only
afflicted him with blindness, but deprived him also of
the power of song.
The author uses a word that means "harsh bitterness" in
the text. Choose the word in the paragraph that best
represents that idea.
Odivine
marred
afflicted
acerbity