Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
The line’s very bad. It’s difficult to _ _ _ _ _ what he’s saying.
a) Make off
b) Make out
c) Make for
d) Make up

Answer 1

Hint: The context of the sentence refers to the difficulty being faced by the speaker in holding a conversation with another person and deciphering what is being said.

Complete answer:
 Let us look at the given phrases and find the appropriate one. Option a ‘to make off” means to leave hurriedly. For example, “I need to make off for the airport or else I might miss my flight.” This is invalid in this context. Thus, option ‘a’ is incorrect.
Option b ‘make out’ means to decipher the meaning of something or understanding. This for the required meaning. In this context, it refers to the difficulty in deciphering what the other person said. Thus, option ‘b’ is the correct answer.
Option c ‘to make for’ means to move towards or to head over to a place. For example, “We need to make for the hills by 11 am, or else we might reach late.” This is not required and valid as per the context given to us. Thus, option ‘’c is incorrect.
Option d ‘to make up’ means to compose something or to invent something. For example, “You must make up for the test you missed in the next one.” This is invalid in the context given to us. Thus, option d is incorrect.

Note:
‘Line’ here refers to the telephone line, i.e. the cable that is laid for landline telephone connections. Do not confuse it with the ‘line’ which is a synonym of ‘queue’ or any other line. ‘Makeout’ means to figure out something. In the context of this sentence, it means to figure out what the person is saying.