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

Analyze the question: The sentence uses the idiom "learning the ropes". You are asked what it means when William spent three months doing this.

Explain the concept: "To learn the ropes" means to learn how a particular job or activity is done, including its basic procedures and requirements. The phrase comes from sailing, where new sailors had to learn how to handle the many ropes on a ship. Today it is used for any newcomer who is getting familiar with a new workplace or task.

Solution, option by option:

• A. pulled all the ropes that should be pulled – This takes the idiom literally. It also sounds like "pulling strings", which means using influence, and that is a different idiom.
• B. learnt what the job demanded – This fits. William was a newcomer who spent his first three months finding out what the job involved and how to do it.
• C. knew what to do – This describes the result of learning, not the process. The sentence says he was learning, so he did not yet fully know what to do.
• D. was unwilling to learn – This contradicts the sentence, because he was actively learning.

Tip: In WASSCE idiom questions, avoid options that take the phrase literally. Pick the one that gives the figurative meaning, and watch for tense and process words such as "learning", which are different from the result ("knew"). Related idioms are "show someone the ropes" (teach them the basics) and "know the ropes" (be experienced).