Question

Select the most appropriate phrase to complete the sentence. "A lot of people are killed ___."

• A. by blood and iron
• B. with bad blood
• C. of blue blood
• D. in cold blood

Answer 1

Answer:

D. in cold blood

Option A: by blood and iron

• Explanation: INCORRECT. This is an idiom referring to a forceful, militaristic policy of governance, not the act of killing individuals. It describes a method of rule, not a method of murder.

  • Example: The empire was unified by blood and iron.

Option B: with bad blood

• Explanation: INCORRECT. "Bad blood" refers to feelings of bitterness, hatred, or rivalry between people or groups. It describes a relationship, not the act of killing itself.

  • Example: There is bad blood between the two families, which has lasted for generations.

Option C: of blue blood

• Explanation: INCORRECT. "Blue blood" is a noun phrase meaning someone of noble or aristocratic descent. It cannot be used to describe the manner of an action like killing.

  • Example: He was a man of blue blood, born into a life of privilege.

Option D: in cold blood

• Explanation: CORRECT. This is a fixed adverb phrase meaning "in a cruel, deliberate, and unemotional way, without any mercy or provocation." It perfectly describes the manner in which the killings are carried out.

  • Example: The victims were executed in cold blood.