Question

Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the phrase, “being under”.
a. To fathom
b. To assign
c. To investigate
d. To evaluate
e. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Phrases are sequences of words which can stand together as a single unit. They often form a major part of the sentence and can even form a solid clause. These groups of words can give rise to a certain expression. The phrase “being under”, can refer to various circumstances, for instance, being under the influence of drugs or being under investigation regarding a certain case.

Complete answer:
Now, from the options given above,

a. To fathom: no, the above phrase does not refer to measuring something and hence, it is not similar to the phrase given above. Eg: it is hard to fathom the pain of someone’s death.

b. To assign: being under doesn’t mean to assign something to someone. Eg: The teacher had to assign the work before the holidays so that the students can work on it efficiently.

c. To investigate: This is the phrase that best expresses “being under” amongst the others. Eg: The government office was subjected to investigation regarding corruption issues raised against them.

d. To evaluate: The phrase does not refer to scrutinize or measure anything. Eg: The teachers had to evaluate the papers as soon as possible.

Hence, Option c, is the correct answer for the above question.

Note: To fathom, to assign and to evaluate refer to different circumstances than being under. To evaluate can be confused with to investigate but evaluate doesn’t measure, it means to determine something.

Let’s apply it in a sentence, “The school being under scrutiny for the past five years concerning the death of a student finally caught up to its mistakes.”