After each of the following sentence, a list of possible interpretations is given. choose the interpretation…

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is "He was advised to pull himself together." The phrase pull oneself together is an idiom, so we need its figurative meaning, not a literal one.

Step 2: Explain the concept An idiom is a group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. "Pull yourself together" means to regain control of your emotions or behaviour after being upset, anxious, or panicked. It is what you tell someone who is crying, panicking, or behaving wildly: "Calm down and get hold of yourself."

Step 3: Check each option

• A. keep his plans secret: This has nothing to do with emotional control. Wrong.
• B. change his mind: This is about a decision, not composure. Wrong.
• C. control himself: This matches the idiom exactly, meaning to regain composure and self-control. Correct.
• D. keep the matter to himself: This is about secrecy, as in "keep it to yourself". Wrong.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. control himself.

Exam tip: For idiom questions, don't translate word by word. Ask yourself, "In what situation would someone say this?" Someone told to "pull yourself together" is usually emotional or panicking, so the answer will involve calming down or self-control. Also watch for distractors that use the word "himself" (like D) but change the meaning.