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Difficulty: Very hardCollocations and Fixed Phrases

Although the senior parliamentarian held strong personal reservations regarding the proposed constitutional amendment, party leaders made it clear that he was expected to _____ the line during the final vote. Which of the following words correctly completes the fixed expression in the sentence?

  1. toeAnswer
  2. B
    tow
  3. C
    tread
  4. D
    follow

Answer

The correct option is 'toe', forming the established idiomatic expression 'toe the line'.
The idiom 'toe the line' is a well-established fixed expression in English meaning to conform to rules, policies, or expectations set by an authority or group. In political and parliamentary contexts, 'toeing the party line' specifically refers to voting in alignment with official party policy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context and identify the required idiomatic phrase
The context requires a fixed expression that means conforming to official expectations or party discipline despite personal disagreement.
English possesses specific fixed collocational structures that convey precise idiomatic meanings.
2
Evaluate the options against standard British/International English idiomatic conventions
The correct idiom is historically derived from standing with one's feet along a line ('toe the line').
'Tow' is a common homophone misspelling, 'tread' alters the idiom, and 'follow' is a semantic substitution that breaks the fixed phrase.

Key Concept

Collocations and Fixed Idiomatic Expressions
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Collocations and Fixed Phrases

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