In the following question on English idioms, choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the expression Over egg the pudding as used in everyday English.

Introduction / Context:
This idiom question examines your understanding of the English expression Over egg the pudding. Idioms like this often come from cooking or household images but are now used in wider contexts such as news reports, speeches, and everyday conversation. The phrase does not literally refer only to cooking. Instead, it symbolises the idea of spoiling something by trying too hard to improve it with unnecessary additions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Idiom given: Over egg the pudding.
• Options range from literal cooking descriptions to more abstract descriptions of adding details.
• You must select the option that best captures the idiomatic sense in common usage.
• The focus is on unnecessary exaggeration or over decoration that harms the final result.

Concept / Approach:
Literally, adding too many eggs to a pudding can ruin its taste or texture. Figuratively, Over egg the pudding means to overdo something by adding unnecessary details, exaggerating, or trying too hard to make it better, thereby making it worse or less effective. The correct option should reflect this idea of needless extra detail or over preparation. The options that mention simply adding details or adding important content do not fully express the negative effect of overdoing it.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that the idiom is metaphorical and refers to the effect of adding too much of something. Step 2: Examine option a, add unnecessary details to make something seem better or worse. This clearly mentions unnecessary additions that change the impression. Step 3: Examine option b, fill the pudding excessively with egg, which stays at the literal cooking level and does not show the broader idiomatic usage. Step 4: Examine option c, add details in order to make something more exciting. This sounds positive and does not include the idea that it may be overdone or harmful. Step 5: Examine option d, add important details to the content of a story, which is completely positive and not at all about spoiling things. Step 6: Decide that option a best represents the idiomatic meaning of overdoing something with needless extras.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider how the phrase appears in sentences such as The speech was fine, but the writer over egged the pudding with too many dramatic adjectives. In this context, the problem is not that the speaker added important information, but that the extra flourishes weakened the effect. If you replace Over egg the pudding with add unnecessary details, the sentence still makes sense. Using the other options would either limit the meaning to cooking or suggest a positive result, which is not intended. This confirms that option a is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Fill the pudding excessively with egg: Gives only the literal kitchen image and does not express the figurative use in language and writing.
Add details in order to make something more exciting: Suggests a positive strategy, while the idiom warns against harmful exaggeration.
Add important details to the content of a story: Implies improvement, not overdoing, and misses the negative sense completely.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to select a literal interpretation whenever food related words appear in an idiom. Another error is to treat any mention of adding details as correct without checking whether the option includes the key element of unnecessary or excessive addition. A good practice is to ask yourself whether the idiom carries a warning against excess. If the answer is yes, then the correct option must include a sense of overdoing and not just adding content.

Final Answer:
The idiom Over egg the pudding means add unnecessary details to make something seem better or worse, so option a is correct.