A part of the following sentence is underlined. Choose the option that can replace the underlined part to improve the sentence. In case Options A, B and C are not found suitable, choose Option D: "No Improvement Required."
The speaker warned that the economy would ____ if corruption continued unchecked.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
hang by a thin thread
Explanation
The text is missing an underlined section, but the blank indicates the position of the phrase being tested. The correct, standard idiom is "hang by a thread" (or "hang by a thin thread"), which means to be in a highly precarious, risky, or unstable situation where failure or disaster is imminent. Idioms have fixed structures, and the preposition paired with this phrase is always "by."
The other choices are incorrect because they use improper prepositions that break the established idiom. Options 2 and 3 alter the phrase to "hang upon" and "hang with," which are ungrammatical variations. Option 4 is incorrect because the baseline blank requires a proper idiom to complete the thought.
Key Points
Idiomatic expressions rely on fixed components that cannot be changed. Whenever you see variations of a common phrase, trace it back to its original dictionary form—such as "hang by a thread"—to quickly isolate the correct preposition.