Question

Identify the meaning of the idiom or phrases given in capitals in the sentence: The University administration CUT CORNERS on safety, which caused many problems

• A. to do something in an efficient way
• B. to do something in the cheapest or quickest way by ignoring proper standards
• C. to do something secretly
• D. to do something extravagantly

Hint:

Pay attention to the cause-and-effect relationship in the sentence.
Since cutting corners caused ``many problems'', the idiom must refer to a negative shortcut that compromises standard procedures.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The objective is to find the correct contextual meaning of the capitalized idiom ``CUT CORNERS'' in the given sentence.
The sentence context indicates that this action on safety led to problems, suggesting a negative connotation.

Step 2: Key Concepts and Idiomatic Meanings:
The idiom ``cut corners'' originates from taking a shorter route by skipping the corners of a path.
In business and general usage, it refers to reducing expenditures or effort by skipping steps or disregarding regulations and standards.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:

• Option (B) - to do something in the cheapest or quickest way by ignoring proper standards: This is the exact definition of the idiom.
By cutting corners on safety, the University administration chose cheap or rapid methods, which compromised safety protocols and caused problems.

• Option (A) - to do something in an efficient way: Efficiency implies maintaining quality while optimizing resources, which does not match the negative outcome described in the sentence.

• Option (C) - to do something secretly: Secretive actions are denoted by terms like ``under the table'', not ``cut corners''.

• Option (D) - to do something extravagantly: This is the exact opposite of cutting corners, which involves minimizing cost.


Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct option is Option (B).