Mississippi Foundations of Reading Practice Test

What is an idiom?

1. A phrase with a direct meaning

2. An expression whose meaning is different from the literal interpretation

3. A synonym for a literal sentence

4. A type of grammatical construction

The correct answer is: An expression whose meaning is different from the literal interpretation

An idiom is defined as an expression whose meaning differs from the literal interpretation of the words used. This means that when you encounter an idiom, the overall message it conveys isn't directly tied to the individual words; instead, it has a figurative meaning understood within a specific cultural or linguistic context. For example, the idiom "kick the bucket" means to die, which does not relate to its literal meaning of physically kicking a bucket. Understanding idioms is crucial for effective communication and comprehension, as they often appear frequently in everyday language and literature. The other choices do not accurately capture the essence of an idiom. A phrase with a direct meaning does not reflect the figurative nature of idioms, synonyms for a literal sentence emphasize direct replacements of words rather than the nuanced meanings in idioms, and a type of grammatical construction does not encompass the broader context of meaning that idioms convey.