Choose the correct phrase or expression to complete the sentence. My former…
2020
Choose the correct phrase or expression to complete the sentence.
My former colleague is __________ now because he has no job and he has to support his family.
- A.
in a spot
- B.
in charge
- C.
in check
- D.
in favour
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
CONCEPT
An idiom-based sentence-completion question tests whether a fixed phrase carries the specific meaning the context needs. An idiom's meaning is conventional rather than a literal sum of its words, so the right choice is decided by matching the situation the sentence describes, not any single keyword in isolation.
APPLICATION
The sentence describes someone who has no job and must support his family — a description of a difficult, troubling circumstance for him. The idiomatic phrase that conventionally means being in a difficult or awkward situation is in a spot, which is exactly the sense this blank needs.
CONTRAST
in charge conventionally means holding responsibility or authority over something or someone; it describes control, not hardship, so it does not match a person who has lost his job.
in check conventionally means kept under control or restrained — typically used for an emotion, a cost, or a process; it does not describe someone's employment or family situation.
in favour conventionally means in agreement with or supportive of something; it expresses approval, which is unrelated to job loss or the burden of supporting a family.
Therefore the correct phrase is in a spot.