Select the appropriate option from below to find out the correct meaning of the phrasal verb given in the sentence.
The Police rounded up the hooligans from the market last night.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → arrested
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.
Round up means to gather people or animals together. When the police round up people, they find them and arrest them as a group. "The Police rounded up the hooligans" means the police caught and arrested them.
Example: The police rounded up the gang of thieves after the robbery.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: beaten — Incorrect. Beaten means hit repeatedly. Rounding up says nothing about hitting.
Example: The carpet was beaten to remove the dust.
Option 2: thrashed — Incorrect. Thrashed means beaten violently, or defeated heavily in a game.
Example: Our team thrashed the visitors by ten goals.
Option 3: encircled — Incorrect. Encircled means surrounded or formed a circle around. The police may surround people without catching them, while rounding up means taking them in.
Example: The village is encircled by green hills.