Question

Choose‌ ‌the‌ ‌correct‌ ‌meaning‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌given‌ ‌phrase:‌ ‌
“Fish‌ ‌in‌ ‌troubled‌ ‌waters”‌ ‌
A. To‌ ‌fish‌ ‌at‌ ‌places‌ ‌disturbed‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌constant‌ ‌coming‌ ‌and‌ ‌going‌ ‌of‌ ‌ships‌ ‌
B. To‌ ‌start‌ ‌work‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌disquiet‌ ‌atmosphere‌ ‌
C. To‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌facing‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌circumstances‌ ‌
D. To‌ ‌make‌ ‌personal‌ ‌profit‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌disturbance‌ ‌
E. None‌ ‌of‌ ‌these‌

Answer 1

Hint: An idiomatic phrase is a group of words which do not mean the way they are written. It has a non literal and a figurative meaning.

Complete answer:
Let us analyse the given options one by one to find out the correct meaning of the given phrase:
- “To fish at places disturbed by the constant coming and going of ships” is the literal meaning of the given phrase. As we already know, an idiomatic phrase does not have a literal meaning. Thus, it does not represent the correct meaning of the given phrase. Hence, we can say that option ‘a’ is not the correct answer.
- “To start work in a disquiet atmosphere” means to work in a noisy atmosphere. We observe that it does not represent the correct meaning of the given phrase. Hence, we can say that option ‘b’ is not the correct answer.
- “To enjoy facing difficult circumstances” means to take pleasure in solving problematic situations. We observe that it does not represent the correct meaning of the given phrase. Hence, we can say that option ‘c’ is not the correct answer.
- “To make personal profit out of a disturbance” means to benefit out of a chaotic situation. We observe that it represents the correct meaning of the given phrase. Hence, we can say that option ‘d’ is the correct answer.
None of these is invalid as option ‘d’ is the correct answer. Hence, option ‘e’ is the correct answer.

> Thus, we can conclude that option ‘d’ - “to make personal profit out of a disturbance”, is the correct answer.

Note: One must be familiar with the meaning of all the idiom phrases in order to identify them correctly.