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

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence uses an idiom: "keep your nose clean." You are asked for the meaning of the idiom, not the literal words.

Step 2: Explain the concept An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. "Keep your nose clean" does not mean washing your nose or staying physically clean. It means to behave well and avoid doing anything wrong, illegal, or troublesome.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. stay healthy: This takes "clean" literally. Nothing in the idiom refers to health.
• B. be focused: This has no link to the idiom.
• C. do what pleases me: This is the opposite of what a mother advising good behaviour would say.
• D. stay out of trouble: This matches the idiom. A mother telling her child to "keep your nose clean" wants the child to behave and not get into trouble.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. stay out of trouble.

Tip: For idiom questions, reject the literal reading first. Then pick the option that fits the situation. Related idioms to revise: "keep a low profile" (avoid attention) and "toe the line" (follow the rules).