Nwankwo was on the verge of signing a two-year contract with the club

Analyze the question: The underlined word is "verge" in the phrase "on the verge of signing." We need the option closest in meaning.

Explain the concept: The idiom "on the verge of" means very close to doing something, or about to do it. "Verge" literally means an edge or border. In this idiom it describes the point just before something happens.

Solution, step by step:

1. Replace "verge" with each option in the sentence: • A. brink: "on the brink of signing" means about to sign. "Brink" also means the edge, and "on the brink of" is a very common synonym of "on the verge of." This fits. • B. summit: "on the summit of signing" makes no sense. A summit is the highest point of a mountain. • C. height: "on the height of signing" is not idiomatic. Height refers to how tall something is, or to a peak. • D. shore: "on the shore of signing" is also wrong. A shore is the land along a body of water.

2. Only brink carries the idea of being at the very edge of an action, about to happen.

Answer: A. brink

Tip: Learn the family of "edge" words used in idioms: verge, brink, threshold, edge. "On the verge of" and "on the brink of" both mean "about to." Be careful, though: "brink" is often used for dramatic situations (on the brink of war, on the brink of collapse), while "verge" can be used for either good or bad things. Here both work.