Question

Select the meaning of the given phrase/idiom:
Carry on
a. Start
b. Execute
c. Finish
d. Continue

Answer 1

Hint: The phrase ‘carry on’ means to resume doing something. If someone is carrying on, they are keeping up with an action that they had already begun before.

Complete answer:
‘Carry on’ is an idiom. Idioms are phrases that have a metaphorical meaning. Their true meaning does not lie in their face value, but in a metaphor that represents the sum of their parts. We can guess the meaning of this phrase from the words carried on which can roughly be interpreted as ‘keep going on’. To carry on is to proceed with a certain thing or to pursue it till a given period of time.
Let us look at an example.
The singer carried on crooning right until the last patron left the diner.
Here, we can see that a singer has been singing at a diner. She doesn’t stop the entertainment due for the evening. Rather, she keeps on at it until everyone has vacated the restaurant. This example helps us to comprehend the metaphorical meaning of carrying on.
Now, let us look at the question. We have been asked to choose the alternative which means the same as ‘carry on’. This phrase is best described by the alternative to continue as we have seen above.

Therefore, option ‘d’ is the correct answer.

Note: To comprehend the meaning of a phrase, you can break it down into its component words and glean its meaning accordingly.