Fill in the blank in the following sentence with the correct idiom selecting from the given alternatives.
After much scrutiny of the question pattern and difficulty level, Rahul ______ on the Army Preliminary Examination.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Correct Answer
threw in the towel
Explanation
The sentence requires an idiom that means to admit defeat, give up, or surrender, especially after facing a difficult situation or realizing that success is unlikely. The standard, globally recognized English idiom for this is "threw in the towel." This expression comes from boxing, where a fighter's coach tosses a towel into the ring to signal that their boxer cannot continue and yields the match. In this context, Rahul gave up on the examination after analyzing its tough pattern and difficulty level.
The other options—"threw in the kerchief," "threw in the gloves," and "threw in the pen"—are incorrect because they are fabricated variations that do not exist as standard idioms in the English language.
Key Points
Idioms are fixed phrases that cannot be modified with synonyms. Even though a kerchief or a towel are both pieces of cloth, replacing "towel" with "kerchief" completely breaks the idiom. Memorizing the literal boxing origin of this phrase helps ensure you always select the correct version on exams.