Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardCollocations and Fixed Phrases

After months of intense negotiations, the trade union representatives finally succeeded in driving a ________ bargain, securing substantial wage increases and improved safety protocols for factory workers.

Which word correctly completes the fixed collocation in the sentence above?

  1. A
    firm
  2. hardAnswer
  3. C
    tough
  4. D
    strict

Answer

The word 'hard' correctly completes the fixed collocation 'drive a hard bargain'.
The expression 'drive a hard bargain' is a well-established fixed collocation in English meaning to insist on getting the best possible terms during a negotiation. Only 'hard' completes this specific idiomatic structure correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context and identify the structural gap
The context describes trade union representatives bargaining aggressively to achieve concessions.
Understanding the context points to an idiomatic expression related to tenacious business or contract negotiations.
2
Identify the standard fixed phrase and evaluate options against idiomatic usage rules
The verb phrase 'driving a ... bargain' strictly requires the adjective 'hard' to form the standard English collocation 'drive a hard bargain'.
Fixed collocations cannot be formed by substituting general synonyms like 'tough', 'firm', or 'strict', as collocational partnership depends on conventional usage rather than semantic equivalence.

Key Concept

Fixed Collocations and Idiomatic Verb-Noun Phrases
Rate this question

Topics

Collocations and Fixed Phrases

More questions from this topic