Question

Complete the following proverb:
A wise enemy is better than ________.
a. A foolish relative
b. A foolish friend
c. A wise son
d. An intelligent father

Answer 1

Hint: Idioms often use opposite phrases for comparison. Find the opposite of ‘wise enemy’.

Complete answer:
Idioms are a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. They are usually metaphorical in meaning and not literal.
One of the ways that idioms make comparisons is by using opposite ideas and comparing them. They point out which situation is better. This is one of those idioms.
We need to find the opposite of ‘wise enemy’ in order to complete the comparison and find out which is better.
Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s go through the options:

a). a foolish relative - The word ‘foolish’ is the opposite of the word ‘wise’, but ‘relative’ is not the opposite of ‘enemy’. This does not fit the opposite of the required phrase. So, this is an incorrect option.

b). a foolish friend - The word ‘foolish’ is the opposite of the word ‘wise’ and the word ‘friend’ is the opposite of the word ‘enemy’. This fits the opposite of the required phrase. So, this is the correct option.

c). a wise son - The word ‘wise’ is not its own opposite, and ‘son’ is not the opposite of the word ‘enemy’. This does not fit the opposite of the required phrase. So, this is an incorrect option.
d). an intelligent father - The word ‘intelligent’ is not the opposite of the word ‘wise’, and ‘father’ is not the opposite of ‘enemy’. This does not fit the opposite of the required phrase. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: understand the context of the idiom, and figure out the meaning. Go through the options and find the appropriate answer.