Verbal Ability/Word-usage Practice

Verbal Ability/Word-usage 25 / 50

Choose the option in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate: hold

A. The committee decided to hold the new director to account for the unexpected budget deficit.
B. Despite compelling evidence, the witness continued to hold forth an unsubstantiated claim.
C. His groundbreaking theory managed to hold water even after years of rigorous scientific debate.
D. The ancient tradition continues to hold sway over the community's cultural practices.

The incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word "hold" is in the second option: "Despite compelling evidence, the witness continued to hold forth an unsubstantiated claim."
Why it's wrong:
The idiom "to hold forth" means to speak at length, often pompously, *on* a subject, rather than to present or maintain a claim directly. To maintain or adhere to a claim, the standard idiom would typically be "to hold to a claim." The construction "hold forth an X" is unidiomatic in this context.
Correct usage: "Despite compelling evidence, the witness continued to hold to an unsubstantiated claim."

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