Choose the option that best explains the idiom:
"The engineer decided to burn the midnight oil to submit the canal expansion tender on time."
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Work late into the night with diligence
- Step 1: Determine the idiomatic meaning of the figurative expression "burn the midnight oil": historically referring to the consumption of lamp oil while working late into the night.
- Step 2: Apply the idiom to the engineering context: it describes working diligently into the late hours of the night to complete a critical project or deadline on schedule.
Answer
Work late into the night with diligence.
Why not the others: Accidentally starting an electrical fire, wasting valuable fuel, or complaining about illumination represent literal interpretations of "burn", "oil", and "light", failing to recognize the established figurative idiom.
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