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Difficulty: MediumIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

During the quarterly planning meeting, the managing director urged the regional representatives to keep an ear to the ground before making any financial commitments in the emerging market. What does the underlined idiomatic expression mean in this context?

  1. To remain attentive and well-informed about current trends and developmentsAnswer
  2. B
    To physically listen to acoustic soil tests before building infrastructure
  3. C
    To deliberately disregard surrounding opinions and feedback
  4. D
    To demand immediate financial returns from local business partners

Answer

To remain attentive and well-informed about current trends and developments
The expression 'keep an ear to the ground' means to stay informed about events, trends, and public opinion. In the given sentence, the managing director is advising the representatives to stay alert and knowledgeable about local market trends before making investment decisions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the idiomatic expression in context
The phrase 'keep an ear to the ground' originates from listening for footsteps or sounds carried through the earth to stay aware of approaching events.
Understanding the figurative origin helps identify its modern metaphorical usage.
2
Evaluate the context of the sentence
The managing director advises representatives to gather local information and observe conditions before investing.
Contextual clues point toward remaining cautious, observant, and informed.
3
Match the meaning to the options
Remaining attentive and well-informed about current trends precisely reflects the figurative meaning of the expression.
Distractors represent literal interpretations, opposite meanings, or unwarranted context extrapolations.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Expressions and Figurative Language
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Topics

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

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