The chairman refused to shake … with the secretary

Analyze the question: The sentence needs the correct form of the idiom "shake hands with someone."

Explain the concept: In English, "shake hands" is a fixed expression (idiom). It is always used in the plural form "hands" because a handshake involves two people's hands. It is also normally used without a possessive pronoun when followed by "with."

• Correct: He shook hands with me.
• Incorrect: He shook his hand with me.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Look at the structure: "refused to shake __ with the secretary."
2. The phrase "with the secretary" signals the idiom shake hands with (someone).
3. Check each option: • A. hand: singular, which is wrong because the idiom is plural. • B. his hand: wrong, because the idiom does not take a possessive here. • C. hands: correct, since it is the standard idiomatic form. • D. his hands: wrong, because the possessive is not used in this idiom.

Correct sentence: The chairman refused to shake hands with the secretary.

Exam tip: Some English expressions are always plural: shake hands, make friends, change trains, take turns. Memorize them as fixed phrases. When you see "with" after "shake," think "hands" straight away.