Replace the underlined word with the most appropriate phrasal verb:
When rain flooded the school hall on the morning of the annual function, the teachers improvised a stage from benches, tarpaulin sheets and a few bamboo poles.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → cobbled together
A phrasal verb is a verb joined with a small word such as up, out or together. The two words together have a new meaning.
Improvise means to make something quickly from whatever is at hand, without a plan. Its closest meaning is cobbled together. Example: The power went off, so Mummy improvised a lamp from a candle and a steel glass.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) propped up | to support something with an object so that it does not fall | Ravi propped up the broken table leg with two bricks. |
| (2) pulled down | to knock down a building or a structure | The old water tank near the park was pulled down last week. |
| (3) cobbled together (answer) | to make something quickly and roughly from whatever things are available (same as improvise) | The boys cobbled together a cricket bat from an old plank. |
| (4) held up | to delay someone or something | Heavy traffic held up our school bus for an hour. |