Question

Difficulty: EasyFigurative Language and Figures of Speech in Context

Read the passage excerpt below:

'During the town hall meeting, Elder Danjuma cautioned the community that the charismatic developer proposing a quick buyout was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He pleaded with the villagers to open their eyes to the real motives before their ancestral farmland slipped through their fingers like sand.'

Match each figurative expression from the excerpt on the left with its correct contextual meaning on the right.

  • a wolf in sheep's clothingA deceitful person concealing harmful intentions behind a friendly appearance
  • open their eyesBecome alert and recognize the impending danger
  • slipped through their fingers like sandBe lost gradually and uncontrollably

Answer

'a wolf in sheep's clothing' matches 'A deceitful person concealing harmful intentions behind a friendly appearance'; 'open their eyes' matches 'Become alert and recognize the impending danger'; 'slipped through their fingers like sand' matches 'Be lost gradually and uncontrollably'.
Each figurative phrase is correctly paired with its contextual intended meaning: 'a wolf in sheep's clothing' highlights hidden deceit, 'open their eyes' signifies gaining awareness of reality, and 'slipped through their fingers like sand' conveys an inevitable loss.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the expression 'a wolf in sheep's clothing' in the context of the developer's charismatic demeanor and quick buyout proposal.
Identified as a metaphor for a deceptive person pretending to be friendly.
The developer presents himself positively, but the elder warns of hidden bad intentions.
2
Analyze the expression 'open their eyes' in response to the elder pleading with villagers.
Identified as an idiomatic call for awareness and alertness.
The elder wants them to see past the false promises.
3
Analyze the simile 'slipped through their fingers like sand' regarding ancestral land.
Identified as expressing a gradual, uncontrollable loss of property.
Sand slipping through fingers represents a resource slipping away beyond control.

Key Concept

Interpreting contextual meanings of figurative language including metaphors, similes, and idioms within narrative excerpts.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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