Question

Choose the best option to complete the conversation:
Tara: Are you ready with your speech?
Tim: Don't know. I have _______ in my stomach.

• A. squirrels
• B. mosquitoes
• C. butterflies
• D. elephants

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

'Idiomatic expressions are a type of informal English that have a meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression.'

Option C: From the options, 'butterflies' forms an idiomatic expression 'butterflies in my stomach'. It means 'to be anxious and have a nervous feeling in your stomach'. It relates to the sentence, which is about a speech. Due to stage fright people sometimes feel nervous before a public speech or performance. Hence C is the correct option.

The other words 'squirrels', 'mosquitoes' and 'elephants' each do not form an idiomatic expression. They all form literal meanings in the sentence, meanings which are not quite relevant, or even possible. Hence options A, B and D are incorrect.