UPSC EPFO EO/AO 2021 · Question 1
Question 1 of the UPSC EPFO EO/AO Recruitment Test 2021 (General Ability Test, Advt. 51/2020) (5 September 2021). Try it first, then open the answer and explanation.
Select the most appropriate option for the blank space. It's time you went out and ______ your own living.
- afforded
- earned
- gained
- won
Show answer
Answer: (2) earned
The fixed collocation is "earn a living", meaning to get the money you need to live by working: "It's time you went out and earned your own living." The past form "earned" matches "went", because "It's time" is followed by the past tense when it means "you should do this now". "Afford" means to have enough money for something, so "afford a living" makes no sense. "Gain" goes with experience, weight or an advantage, and "win" with prizes, contests or votes; neither is the idiomatic verb with "living" in modern English.