In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the…
2024
In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the Idiom/ Phrase.
Barking up the wrong tree
- A.
To make a wrong assumption
- B.
To find a wrong place
- C.
To take a wrong turn
- D.
To become angry at someone
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
CONCEPT: Idioms carry a figurative meaning that differs from a literal reading of the individual words. To find an idiom's meaning, replace the image with the general situation, belief, or behaviour it stands for, not a literal action tied to the words themselves.
APPLICATION: 'Barking up the wrong tree' pictures a dog barking at a tree it wrongly believes is hiding its prey, when the prey is really elsewhere. Figuratively, the idiom describes someone who is pursuing a false lead or is mistaken about who or what is responsible for something -- in short, someone who is proceeding on a wrong assumption.
CROSS-CHECK (why the other readings do not fit):
Reducing the idiom to only a physical setting misses its real point about a mistaken belief.
Reading it as a navigation error turns the idiom into something about a physical path, when it is actually about faulty reasoning.
Linking the 'barking' image to aggression ignores that the idiom carries no sense of anger at all; it is purely about being mistaken.
Hence, the idiom best means 'to make a wrong assumption'.