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Difficulty: Very hardIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

During the preliminary negotiations regarding the proposed trade deregulation, the permanent secretary advised the minister to fly a kite before committing the cabinet to a binding legislative path.

Which of the following best conveys the contextual meaning of the idiomatic expression 'fly a kite' as used in the sentence?

  1. A
    engage in lighthearted leisure activities to ease diplomatic tensions
  2. test public or stakeholder reaction before taking a definitive decisionAnswer
  3. C
    deliberately mislead political opponents while covertly passing policy
  4. D
    enforce a rigid statutory requirement without prior consultative review

Answer

The expression 'fly a kite' means to test public or stakeholder reaction before taking a definitive decision.
The idiom 'fly a kite' figuratively means to float a tentative suggestion, trial balloon, or rumor in order to measure public reaction or gauge opinion before committing to a definitive course of action.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context
The permanent secretary suggests an action before 'committing the cabinet to a binding legislative path'.
Contextual clues indicate a exploratory, non-binding preliminary action.
2
Determine the figurative meaning of the idiom 'fly a kite'
In political and diplomatic register, 'flying a kite' means putting forward an idea or releasing information tentatively to gauge public response.
Idioms must be evaluated figuratively based on established usage rather than literal component meanings.
3
Evaluate the options against the contextual meaning
The statement about testing public or stakeholder reaction aligns perfectly with the intended meaning.
It accurately captures the tentative, exploratory nature of the idiom.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Interpretation in Official Register
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Topics

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

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