Select the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom: 'Turn a blind eye'
- (a)To run away
- (b)To begin to behave in a more positive manner
- (c)To change a situation
- (d)To choose to ignore behaviour that you know is wrong
Answer
D
Why
Correct — D, To choose to ignore behaviour that you know is wrong. 'Turn a blind eye' means to deliberately pretend not to notice something — usually wrongdoing — so as to avoid having to deal with it. The choice to ignore is intentional, not accidental.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)To run away — Unrelated — the idiom is about ignoring, not fleeing.
- (b)To begin to behave in a more positive manner — Does not match — turning a blind eye is passive avoidance, not self-improvement.
- (c)To change a situation — The opposite of the idiom, which is about leaving a wrong unaddressed rather than changing it.
Concept
The idiom 'turn a blind eye' means to deliberately overlook something you know to be wrong.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
The idiom 'look the other way' means:
- (a)to ignore something wrong deliberately
- (b)to change direction
- (c)to search carefully
- (d)to admire something
Answer(a) to ignore something wrong deliberately.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the meaning of 'sweep under the carpet'.
- (a)to clean the house
- (b)to hide or ignore a problem
- (c)to solve a problem openly
- (d)to buy new furniture
Answer(b) to hide or ignore a problem.