He had to pay through the nose for his new computer.

• pay very high price
• very cheap
• moderate rate
• profitable rate
Correct Option: A  [ pay very high price ]

Remark: through the nose: pay much more than a fair price.

Cold comfort

• absurdity
• deception
• slight satisfaction
• foolish proposal
Correct Option: C  [ slight satisfaction ]

Remark:

The new economic policy is likely to run into rough weather.

• make things difficult
• confuse matters
• encounter difficulties
• create problems
Correct Option: C  [ encounter difficulties ]

Remark:

For the first week, the apprentice felt like fish out of water.

• frustrated
• homeless
• disappointed
• uncomfortable
Correct Option: D  [ uncomfortable ]

Remark:

A damp squib

• rainy weather
• a disappointing result
• a skirt in a laundry
• Great honour
Correct Option: B  [ a disappointing result ]

Remark:

To bite the dust

• eat voraciously
• have nothing to eat
• eat roots
• to fail
Correct Option: D  [ to fail ]

Remark:

One should always try to keep one’s word.

• to guard a secret
• to be too shy to speak
• to remember
• to fulfill a promise
Correct Option: D  [ to fulfill a promise ]

Remark:

The police fired at random at the violent crowd and several person lost their lives.

• pointedly
• aimlessly
• willingly
• intentionally
Correct Option: B  [ aimlessly ]

Remark:

The idiomatic expression 'pull yourself together'.

• Drag oneself
• help one
• get angry
• calm down by oneself
Correct Option: D  [ calm down by oneself ]

Remark:

All our effort ended in smoke.

• to come to nothing
• to gain importance
• to praise oneself
• to reach target
Correct Option: A  [ to come to nothing ]

Remark: ended in smoke: means to fail or be unsuccessful after a lot of effort.