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

Analyze the question: This tests your knowledge of idioms. You are asked what "gone around the bend" means.

Explain the concept: An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. "Around the bend" (also "round the bend") is an informal British expression meaning to become crazy or insane. A "bend" is a curve in the road. The picture is of someone who has gone beyond the normal path of sanity.

Solution:

• A. gone overseas: This takes the phrase literally as travelling. Nothing about "bend" suggests going abroad, and "sad to learn" would not fit well.
• B. gone mad: This matches the idiom exactly. The sentence says he was sad to learn it, which fits hearing that a friend has lost his sanity.
• C. lost his job: This has no connection to the idiom. Losing a job is expressed as "been sacked" or "been laid off".
• D. been very ill: This is close in feeling, but the idiom refers specifically to mental state, not general illness.

Answer: The correct option is B. gone mad.

Tip: Learn similar idioms for madness together: "go round the bend," "go off one's head," "go bananas," "lose one's marbles." In WASSCE idiom questions, ignore the literal meaning of the words and ask what the whole phrase suggests in context.