Choose the alternative that best expresses the meaning of the underlined idiom:-

He nailed his colours to the mast by writing a newspaper article attacking government policy.

firmly committed himself to his opinion

The correct answer is Option (2) → firmly committed himself to his opinion

• Nailed one's colours to the mast (Idiom): Means to refuse to surrender or change one's beliefs, statement, or intentions despite the opposition or the difficulties this may cause.

• Origin: The idiom comes from naval warfare. A ship's colours (flags) would sometimes be nailed to the mast to prevent them from being taken down, signaling that the ship would fight until the very end and never surrender.

In the sentence, the act of writing a newspaper article attacking government policy is the specific action that demonstrates this unwavering commitment to a controversial opinion.