Select the option which gives the most accurate meaning of the given Idiom:
Hobson’s choice
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → To have no alternative
A Hobson's choice is a choice in which there is only one thing on offer: take it or take nothing, so in effect no alternative at all. The phrase comes from Thomas Hobson, a stable-keeper in Cambridge in the seventeenth century, who made every customer take the horse nearest the door or go without.
Example: The company gave the workers a Hobson's choice: accept the lower pay or lose the job.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hobson's choice | 15-05 S1 18-05 S1 | – | – | 10-06 S3 | – |