A pearl of wisdom
- (a)An important event in one's life
- (b)An important person of wisdom
- (c)An important piece of advice
- (d)An important thing in one's life
Correct — C, an important piece of advice. A pearl of wisdom is a wise saying or a valuable piece of counsel — something said, in other words, rather than a person, an object or an occasion.
- (a)An important event in one's life — The phrase names something that is spoken, not something that happens.
- (b)An important person of wisdom — It is the saying that is called a pearl, not the person who utters it.
- (d)An important thing in one's life — Too broad — the idiom is confined to advice or a wise remark, not to valuable things in general.
'A pearl of wisdom' is a wise saying or a valuable piece of advice; the plural 'pearls of wisdom' is the commoner form.
The image treats a good remark as a small, precious object worth keeping. In speech the phrase is often turned ironically on advice nobody asked for, so the tone shifts with the situation while the core meaning stays fixed as 'a wise saying'.
- The usual form is the plural, 'pearls of wisdom'.
- 'Cast pearls before swine' means to offer something valuable to people unable to appreciate it.
- 'Words of wisdom' is the plain-English equivalent.
- Choosing the option about a person rather than about what is said.
- Settling for a vague 'important thing' option instead of the precise 'advice'.
Asked as an idioms-and-phrases item — choose the option that gives the meaning of the phrase.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'Words of wisdom' means:
- (a)a long speech
- (b)wise and helpful advice
- (c)a written order
- (d)a formal complaint
Answer(b) wise and helpful advice — the phrase names the counsel itself, not the speaker.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'To cast pearls before swine' means:
- (a)to feed animals well
- (b)to offer something valuable to those who cannot value it
- (c)to spend money on jewellery
- (d)to praise someone falsely
Answer(b) to offer something valuable to those who cannot value it — the pearls stand for what is wasted on an unappreciative audience.