Question

He has been working since morning. So, he called it a day at 5 p.m. (The underlined idiom means)

• A. continued to do his work
• B. decided to stop his work
• C. decided to begin his work again
• D. thought there was still sunshine

Hint:

Common meaning: \[ \text{Call it a day} = \text{Stop working and finish for the day} \] Example:
• We have completed enough work today. Let's call it a day.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: An idiom is a group of words whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meanings of the individual words. The idiom “call it a day” is widely used in everyday English to indicate stopping an activity, especially work, because enough has been done or because one is tired.

Step 1: Understanding the idiom. The expression: \[ \text{call it a day} \] does not literally mean announcing that it is daytime. Instead, it figuratively means:
• to stop working,
• to finish an activity,
• to end the day's efforts.

Step 2: Using the context to determine the meaning. The sentence states that the person has been working since morning. By 5 p.m., he decides to stop working. Therefore, the idiom clearly indicates ending the work for the day.

Step 3: Evaluating the options.
• continued to do his work This is opposite to the meaning of the idiom. Hence, incorrect.
• decided to stop his work This exactly matches the meaning of the idiom. Hence, correct.
• decided to begin his work again This conveys restarting work rather than stopping it. Hence, incorrect.
• thought there was still sunshine This is merely a literal interpretation of the word “day” and does not reflect the idiomatic meaning. Hence, incorrect.

Step 4: Final conclusion. The idiom means ending one's work or activity. Therefore, \[ \boxed{\text{decided to stop his work}} \] is the correct answer.