In this idiom and phrase question, choose the alternative that best conveys the meaning of the expression 'To draw the longbow' in standard English usage.

Introduction / Context:
This question examines your knowledge of slightly less common English idioms. The phrase 'To draw the longbow' is an example of an idiom that comes from historical life and warfare but has acquired a figurative meaning in modern language. In exams, understanding these idioms helps you handle reading passages and sentence improvement tasks where literal translation would fail.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Idiom: 'To draw the longbow'.
- Options: 'To nullify', 'To exaggerate', 'To underrate', 'To demarcate'.
- Only one option should match the established idiomatic meaning.
- The idiom is interpreted in its figurative sense, not a literal military one.

Concept / Approach:
Originally, a 'longbow' was a powerful weapon, and drawing it required great effort. Over time, the idiom 'to draw the longbow' came to mean stretching a story too far or exaggerating facts beyond what is reasonable, almost as if you are pulling a story out further than the truth will comfortably allow. When solving such idiom questions, you should think of the typical context where it is used: usually when someone is suspected of overstating or inflating details.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that 'to draw the longbow' means to say more than the truth, to overstate or to exaggerate. Step 2: Look at 'To nullify'. This means to cancel or make something legally invalid, which is unrelated to overstatement. Step 3: Look at 'To exaggerate'. This means to represent something as greater, larger, better or worse than it really is. Step 4: Look at 'To underrate'. This means to underestimate or value something less than it deserves, which is the opposite direction of exaggeration. Step 5: Look at 'To demarcate'. This means to mark boundaries or limits, used in geography and administration, not in storytelling exaggeration.

Verification / Alternative check:
Imagine someone telling a story and adding many unbelievable details. Another person might say, 'Now you are drawing the longbow'. Replacing it with 'now you are exaggerating' keeps the exact intended meaning. Substituting 'nullifying', 'underrating' or 'demarcating' does not suit the situation at all. Romantically 'drawing the longbow' thus matches perfectly with 'exaggerating' in day-to-day speech.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
'To nullify' is wrong because it refers to cancelling agreements or actions, not to altering the size of claims. 'To underrate' is wrong because it means underestimating or playing down the importance of something, whereas the idiom is about overstating, not understating. 'To demarcate' is wrong because it deals with marking boundaries on land, maps or ideas, and does not relate to storytelling style at all.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners try to guess idiom meanings from individual words and may connect 'longbow' with war or defence, which could mislead them toward options like 'to demarcate'. Others are tempted by the negative-sounding 'nullify'. The safest approach is to actually learn idioms as fixed phrases with their accepted meanings and to recognise that many of them have historical roots that are not obvious from modern usage.

Final Answer:
The idiom 'To draw the longbow' means To exaggerate.