Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

After months of clandestine preparation, the software startup launched its new platform days before its main competitor, effectively stealing a march on them. Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the underlined idiomatic expression?

  1. Gaining a strategic advantage over a rival by taking action before themAnswer
  2. B
    Organizing a physical demonstration or street procession against a rival firm
  3. C
    Illegally acquiring trade secrets and intellectual property from a competing enterprise
  4. D
    Surrendering initiative and market dominance to a rival company

Answer

Gaining a strategic advantage over a rival by taking action before them
The correct answer accurately defines 'stealing a march on' as securing a secret or premature advantage over a competitor before they are able to react. In the context of the sentence, launching the platform ahead of the competitor illustrates this early tactical advantage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence
The startup prepared secretly and launched its product days ahead of its competitor.
Contextual clues like 'clandestine preparation' and 'launched... days before' indicate an opportunistic, early action.
2
Determine the figurative meaning of the idiom 'steal a march on'
The idiom historically comes from military maneuvers where one force moves secretly ahead of another to gain a tactical position; hence, it means gaining an advantage by acting unexpectedly or early.
Idioms cannot be interpreted literally by individual words ('steal', 'march').
3
Match the figurative definition with the options
The option describing 'gaining a strategic advantage over a rival by taking action before them' aligns perfectly with the figurative meaning.
It accurately reflects both the figurative sense and the sentence context.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Expressions and Figurative Language
Rate this question

Topics

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

More questions from this topic