After each of the following sentences, a list of possible interpretations of the sentence is given. Choose the…

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence "not to go with the crowd" is an idiomatic expression. We are asked to choose the interpretation that best captures its figurative meaning, not its literal one.

Step 2: Explain the concept "To go with the crowd" (also "follow the crowd") means to do what most people are doing, or to think and act the way others do, without using your own judgment. This is usually called peer pressure or herd mentality. Advising someone "not to go with the crowd" means encouraging them to think independently.

Step 3: Evaluate each option

• A. stay too much in the crowd: This is literal and about physical presence. It misses the idiom.
• B. travel with the crowd: This is also literal, taking "go" to mean physical movement. It is a trap for students who read the sentence word for word.
• C. have many friends: The sentence says nothing about friendship. This is irrelevant.
• D. be unduly influenced by others: This matches the idiom. Going with the crowd means letting others' behaviour and opinions shape your own, and "unduly" means excessively.

Step 4: Answer

Step 5: Exam tip When an English question asks for the "interpretation" or "meaning" of a sentence, look for an idiom or figure of speech. The literal options (such as A and B here) are usually distractors. Ask yourself, "What does this phrase mean in real life?" rather than "What do the words say?"