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Question

Choose the correct meaning of idiom:

Hobson's choice

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2025 Tier 2 Paper 1 Question Paper (19-Jan-2026)
The correct answer is

No real choice at all

The idiom "Hobson's choice" originates from Thomas Hobson, a 17th-century English stable owner who offered customers the horse nearest the stable door — or none at all. So the customer had only one option: take what was offered, or take nothing.

It therefore means a situation where there is only one option presented as a choice, i.e., effectively no real choice at all.

Distractor note: option A ("dilemma between two evils") describes the idiom "between the devil and the deep blue sea", not Hobson's choice.

Hence, the correct answer is No real choice at all.

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