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Question

Directions : Given below are some idioms/phrases followed by four alternative meanings to each. Select the most appropriate response from the options provided and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.

Hold the fort

This question was previously asked in
CDS 1 2026 Maths Question Paper (12-Apr-2026)
The correct answer is
Be responsible on behalf of someone who is absent

Idiom Meaning: Hold the Fort

The idiom "Hold the fort" refers to taking temporary charge or responsibility for someone or something, especially while the usual person is away or unavailable.

Analyzing the Options

  • Option 1: "To reach high places" suggests ambition or success, not related to the idiom.
  • Option 2: "To breach all opposition" implies overcoming obstacles forcefully, which is different from the idiom's meaning.
  • Option 3: "Be present at the precise moment when one is required" relates to timeliness, not taking responsibility for another.
  • Option 4: "Be responsible on behalf of someone who is absent" directly matches the meaning of taking over duties temporarily for someone who is not present.

Correct Answer Explanation

The phrase "Hold the fort" means to take care of a place or job while the person who is normally in charge is away. Therefore, the most appropriate meaning is to be responsible on behalf of someone who is absent.

Correct Option: 4. Be responsible on behalf of someone who is absent

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Important Questions from Idioms and Phrases

  1. Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.

  2. Select the option that will improve the underlined part of the given sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select ‘No improvement’.
    Since my friend was not feeling well, she asked me to come over and take care of her.

  3. Select the most appropriate idiom to fill in the blank.
    Mala __________ by cheating on the exam to win her bet with Priya.

  4. Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom.
    Where the shoe pinches

  5. What does it imply when people say to ‘read between the lines’?

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