Moses won the contest hands down.

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what the idiom "hands down" means in the sentence "Moses won the contest hands down."

Step 2: Explain the concept "Hands down" is an idiom meaning with great ease or by a wide margin. It comes from horse racing. A jockey who was winning comfortably would lower his hands and stop urging the horse on, because he knew the race was already won.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. He won surprisingly: Wrong. "Hands down" says nothing about surprise. It describes how easy the win was.
• B. He won very easily: Correct. This matches the meaning of the idiom exactly.
• C. He won narrowly: Wrong. This is the opposite of the idiom. A narrow win is a close one.
• D. He won with difficulty: Wrong. This is also the opposite. "Hands down" means there was no real struggle.

Step 4: Answer Moses won the contest without any real challenge, so the correct option is B. He won very easily.

Exam tip: Idiom questions in JAMB often include options that mean the opposite of the idiom. Before choosing, ask yourself whether the idiom suggests ease or difficulty. For "hands down," think of a winner who is so far ahead that he can relax. Similar idioms are "win by a mile" and "walk over," and "a piece of cake" for an easy task.