In the following sentence one part of the sentence is italicised. Four…
2016
In the following sentence one part of the sentence is italicised. Four alternatives to the italicised part which may improve the sentence are given. Choose the appropriate alternative.
The secret information was held away from me:
Answer: A. back — Answer: "back" is correct — "held back from me" means that the information was withheld or kept secret from the speaker. "back" — Correct: this is the…
- A.
back
- B.
out
- C.
up
- D.
off
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Correct answer: A
Answer: "back" is correct — "held back from me" means that the information was withheld or kept secret from the speaker.
"back" — Correct: this is the standard idiom meaning the information was withheld.
"out" — Incorrect: "held out from me" is not the usual phrasing here; "hold out" has different senses and the form is unidiomatic for this meaning.
"up" — Incorrect: "hold up" typically means to delay or to rob; it does not mean to withhold information in this construction.
"off" — Incorrect: "hold off" means to delay or keep at a distance and is not used to mean that something was kept secret from someone.
Tip: Use "held back" when you want to say that information was deliberately withheld from someone.
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