Read the given sentences carefully. Choose the options that demonstrate the most appropriate usage of idioms:
(A) Ever so often, the minority shareholders squeaked and chattered but none of them dared to bell the cat.
(B) My new mop comes with numerous features that help me tidy up the house quickly; it really is a white elephant!
(C) Economic policymakers in Japan seem to be bereft of ideas for shaking the country out of the doldrums.
(D) The young woman, aware of her family's financial constraints, decided to sow her wild oats by getting a part-time job at the library.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Read the given sentences carefully. Choose the options that demonstrate the most appropriate usage of idioms:
(A) Ever so often, the minority shareholders squeaked and chattered but none of them dared to bell the cat.
(B) My new mop comes with numerous features that help me tidy up the house quickly; it really is a white elephant!
(C) Economic policymakers in Japan seem to be bereft of ideas for shaking the country out of the doldrums.
(D) The young woman, aware of her family's financial constraints, decided to sow her wild oats by getting a part-time job at the library.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Solution
'Bell the cat' (dare to undertake a risky task) is used correctly in A, and 'out of the doldrums' (out of stagnation or gloom) is correct in C. A 'white elephant' is a costly, useless possession, so it cannot describe a genuinely helpful mop (B), and 'sow wild oats' refers to reckless youthful behaviour, not taking up a job (D). Hence (A) and (C) only.
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