He claimed to be an expert, but he knew next to … about it.

Analyze the question

The sentence is: "He claimed to be an expert, but he knew next to __ about it." The word "but" shows contrast. He claimed to be an expert, yet his knowledge was very limited. We need a word that fits the idiom "next to ___."

Explain the concept

"Next to nothing" is a fixed idiom meaning "almost nothing" or "very little." "Next to" here means "almost." Examples:

• "She earned next to nothing." (almost nothing)
• "The old man ate next to nothing." (almost nothing)

The idiom "next to" is normally paired with nothing, not anything, something, or everything.

Step-by-step solution

1. The contrast "claimed to be an expert, but..." means his knowledge was actually poor.
2. Test each option: • A. next to anything: not a standard idiom, and it doesn't fit the meaning. • B. next to nothing: correct idiom, meaning "almost nothing." It fits the contrast perfectly. • C. next to something: illogical and not idiomatic. • D. next to everything: it would suggest he knew almost everything, which contradicts "but."
3. Option B is the only one that is both idiomatic and logical.

Answer: B. nothing

The sentence reads: "He claimed to be an expert, but he knew next to nothing about it."

Exam tip

Learn common idioms with "next to":

• next to nothing = almost nothing
• next to impossible = almost impossible

When a WASSCE or JAMB question has a fixed phrase, spot the idiom first, because it often gives you the answer straight away.