For this question, select the option that best explains the information conveyed in the question. By refusing the offer, he has just cut down his own throat

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is: "By refusing the offer, he has just cut down his own throat." This is an idiomatic expression. You are asked to choose the option that best explains its meaning, not its literal sense.

Step 2: Explain the concept "To cut one's own throat" is an idiom meaning to do something that harms your own interests or ruins your own chances, usually through a foolish decision. It is similar to "shooting yourself in the foot."

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. He has made a big mistake. This fits. Refusing the offer has harmed his own prospects, so it was a serious error.
• B. He has made the right decision. This is the opposite of the idiom, which always has a negative sense.
• C. He has given up on his idea. Giving up an idea is not what the idiom says. It speaks of self-inflicted harm.
• D. He has used the knife on his throat. This is the literal reading, and idioms are not meant to be taken literally.

Step 4: Answer The idiom describes a self-damaging decision, so the correct option is A. He has made a big mistake.

Exam tip: For idiom questions in JAMB English, always reject the literal option first (like D here). Then ask whether the idiom is positive or negative. "Cut one's own throat" is always negative, so you can eliminate B immediately.