Question

Directions: Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the given idiom/phrase in the italics.
When the captain began explaining the whole story, his senior told him to stop beating about the bush but to hit the nail on the head and come straight to the point.

• A. Searching for an animal in the jungle
• B. Cleaning the garden
• C. Evading the issue
• D. inviting problems
• E. having an army in the forest

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The given idiom in the question is "beating about the bush." The context of the sentence suggests that the senior wants the captain to stop providing unnecessary information and directly address the main point, which indicates the idiomatic meaning of "beating about the bush."

Let's analyze the options to find the one that best expresses the meaning of the idiom:

• Searching for an animal in the jungle - This option is literal and unrelated to the idiomatic meaning of not addressing the main issue.
• Cleaning the garden - This is also a literal interpretation and does not convey the meaning of avoiding the main point.
• Evading the issue - This option accurately conveys the act of avoiding discussing the main topic or point, which aligns with the expression "beating about the bush."
• Inviting problems - This does not correspond to the meaning of providing indirect or evasive responses.
• Having an army in the forest - This is a literal phrase unrelated to the idiom's context.

Therefore, the option that best expresses the meaning of "beating about the bush" is Evading the issue. This idiom commonly refers to the act of avoiding or being indirect about something rather than addressing it directly.