Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: In a precarious or risky situation
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This idiom based question focuses on the phrase on thin ice, which is widely used in spoken and written English. The image comes from walking on ice that is not thick enough to support weight, creating a risk of falling through. In figurative language, the idiom refers to being in a situation that is risky, uncertain, or dangerous, especially where one wrong move can cause serious trouble. The candidate must select the option that captures this sense of precariousness.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
When someone is said to be on thin ice, it means that they are already close to causing serious trouble, losing favour, or facing punishment. Any further mistake could have serious consequences. This is typical in sentences like After arriving late several times, he is on thin ice with his manager. The correct explanation is therefore that the person is in a precarious or risky situation. The other options either describe failure, physical hardship, or calm behaviour, none of which match the metaphor of fragile, unsafe conditions suggested by thin ice.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the base image of thin ice, which cannot safely support heavy weight.Step 2: Connect that image to the figurative sense: a person on thin ice is at risk; one more wrong action could make them fall into trouble.Step 3: Compare this idea with option In a precarious or risky situation. This matches the notion of being close to danger or failure.Step 4: Examine option To keep failing after repeated efforts. This describes repeated failure, but not specifically a fragile, risky position with potential consequences.Step 5: Examine option To endure a harsh winter and option To keep one's cool even in a tough situation; these are unrelated to the specific metaphor of being dangerously close to trouble. Thus, option D is correct.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by fitting the idiom into typical sentences. Teachers may say You are on thin ice with your attendance, warning a student that further absence may cause serious action. Employers might tell an employee that after repeated mistakes, he is on thin ice. In all such usages, the phrase signals a risky status, not simply failure or calm behaviour. If we try to substitute options A, B, or C into these contexts, the result sounds illogical. Only the option that mentions a precarious or risky situation preserves the meaning of the original idiom.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
To keep failing after repeated efforts: While being on thin ice could result from repeated failures, the idiom itself describes the current dangerous status, not the process of failing. To endure a harsh winter: This is a literal interpretation of ice and cold but has nothing to do with the figurative meaning. To keep one's cool even in a tough situation: This describes calmness under pressure, which can actually be a positive quality, unlike being on thin ice, which is a warning phrase. These options distract by referring vaguely to difficulty or ice, but they do not capture the core meaning of risk.
Common Pitfalls:
Some learners misinterpret idioms by focusing on a single word, such as ice, and then linking it to winter or cold rather than understanding the full expression. Others may confuse on thin ice with keep cool under pressure because both can appear in stressful situations, but they convey very different ideas. The safest strategy is to remember the mental picture: thin ice breaks easily, so the person standing on it is in danger. Any option that does not mention risk or precariousness is unlikely to be correct.
Final Answer:
The idiom on thin ice means in a precarious or risky situation where one more mistake can cause serious trouble.
Discussion & Comments