Which of the following sentences show the correct use of idioms:
(A) Don't try and cut corners. Your product will be rejected.
(B) Ram and Mohan fought over something but now they have decided to burn the candle at both ends.
(C) The teacher's presence at the end-of-term party was like a wild goose chase.
(D) The young man was too green not to be cheated by his shrewd employer.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A) and (D) only
(A) Don't try and cut corners. Your product will be rejected. — Correct. Cut corners means to do something in the easiest or cheapest way, leaving out what is needed for good quality (like taking a short cut across a corner instead of going the full way round). A product made in this careless way is likely to be rejected.
Example: The builder cut corners, and the new wall cracked within a year.
(B) Ram and Mohan fought over something but now they have decided to burn the candle at both ends. — Incorrect. Burn the candle at both ends means to wear oneself out by working very hard, going to bed late and getting up early (a candle lit at both ends burns out twice as fast). It has nothing to do with making peace after a quarrel; an idiom such as "bury the hatchet" would fit.
Correct form: Ram and Mohan fought over something but now they have decided to bury the hatchet.
Example: Before the exams he was burning the candle at both ends.
(C) The teacher's presence at the end-of-term party was like a wild goose chase. — Incorrect. A wild goose chase means a long, useless search for something that cannot be found. It cannot describe a person's presence at a party.
Example: Looking for the lost ring on the crowded beach was a wild goose chase.
(D) The young man was too green not to be cheated by his shrewd employer. — Correct. Green means young and without experience, like unripe fruit. The young man had too little experience to avoid being cheated by a clever employer.
Example: The new clerk was too green to handle the angry customer.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cut corners | – | – | – | 26-05 S1 | – |
| burn the candle at both ends | – | – | – | 13-06 S1 | – |
| wild goose chase | 30-05 S2 | – | – | – | – |