Choose the appropriate option that conveys the correct meaning of the underlined expression:
His avarice for making quick money proved to be his achilles' heel while playing in the stock market.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → a person's vulnerable spot
Achilles' heel means a person's one weak point, which can lead to his downfall. It comes from the Greek legend of Achilles, whose mother dipped him in the river Styx to make him safe from harm; the heel by which she held him stayed unprotected, and he was later killed by an arrow in that heel. In the sentence, his greed for quick money was the weak point that harmed him in the stock market.
Example: Poor fielding has always been the team's Achilles' heel.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| achilles' heel | 24-05 S1 | – | – | 30-05 S1 14-06 S1 | – |