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Question

Difficulty: MediumCollocations and Fixed Phrases

During the parliamentary inquiry, the chief executive officer attempted to pass the ________ to the board of directors rather than take personal responsibility for the financial oversight. Which word correctly completes the fixed idiomatic expression in the sentence?

  1. buckAnswer
  2. B
    blame
  3. C
    fault
  4. D
    guilt

Answer

The word 'buck' correctly completes the fixed idiom 'pass the buck', which means to transfer responsibility or blame to another person.
The expression 'pass the buck' is an established English idiom meaning to shift blame or duty to someone else. The noun 'buck' is the only word that preserves the required structure of this fixed phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context
The context describes an official attempting to avoid personal responsibility by transferring blame to colleagues.
Identifying the situational meaning clarifies which fixed expression is appropriate.
2
Identify the conventional fixed phrase
The standard English idiom for shifting responsibility is 'pass the buck'.
Fixed phrases rely on exact word combinations and cannot be altered using literal synonyms.

Key Concept

Fixed Idiomatic Expressions
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Topics

Collocations and Fixed Phrases

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