In the following question, choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom: "At one's wits end".

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: To get puzzled

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on the idiom at one's wits end, a common expression in English that describes a particular mental or emotional state. You must pick the option that best explains what it means to be at one's wits end in everyday situations.


Given Data / Assumptions:
- Idiom: At one's wits end.
- Options: A man of ability, At the last moment, To get puzzled, Undecided controversy.
- The idiom usually describes someone who no longer knows what to do because of worry, confusion or difficulty.


Concept / Approach:
To be at one's wits end means to be so worried, confused or perplexed that you cannot think of any solution or further course of action. It is close to being completely puzzled or out of ideas. Among the options, To get puzzled best captures this sense. The other options point to unrelated concepts: a man of ability describes a capable person, at the last moment refers to time, and undecided controversy describes a disputed issue, not an inner mental state.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the meaning: at one's wits end = nearly out of patience or ideas, not knowing what more to do.Step 2: Examine A man of ability. This describes someone skilled or talented and is not related to confusion or worry.Step 3: Examine At the last moment. This phrase refers to timing, not to mental confusion or lack of solutions.Step 4: Examine To get puzzled. Being puzzled involves confusion and uncertainty, which is close to being at one's wits end.Step 5: Examine Undecided controversy, which refers to a dispute that has not been resolved; this describes a situation, not someone's internal state.Step 6: Therefore, the best explanation of the idiom is To get puzzled.


Verification / Alternative check:
Consider typical usage: After trying every possible remedy for her child’s illness, she was at her wits end and did not know what else to do. This clearly shows a state of extreme puzzlement and worry. Substituting phrases like a man of ability or at the last moment would not fit. The idea of being deeply puzzled, confused or out of ideas matches the idiom’s usage, which supports choosing To get puzzled as the closest meaning among the options.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- A man of ability is about skill and competence, not about confusion or helplessness.
- At the last moment refers to time pressure, not to a mental state.
- Undecided controversy describes a disagreement that has not been resolved and is not equivalent to one person feeling they are out of ideas.


Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may associate at one's wits end with time-related phrases because of the word end, or may think it implies a final moment. However, the core idea is mental exhaustion or puzzlement, not timing. Another pitfall is focusing only on the word wits and thinking of intelligence in general, but the idiom is specifically about having no more ideas. When dealing with idioms, always think of common example sentences you have seen or heard, and focus on the overall picture they create rather than strict literal meanings of individual words.


Final Answer:
The idiom At one's wits end means to get puzzled to the point of not knowing what to do next.

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