Question

Choose the best proverb that corresponds to the given context.
Your friend has been suffering from a bad toothache for a long time as he is afraid to go to the dentist. How would you urge him to overcome his fear?

• A. He laughs best who laughs last.
• B. The devil is not so black as is painted.
• C. A burnt child dreads the fire.
• D. One swallow doesn't make a summer.
• E. If you want a thing well done, do it yourself.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

The devil is not so black as is painted.

Option B is the correct answer because the proverb 'the devil is not so black as is painted' which means that someone or something is not as evil, malicious, or malignant as it is described or believed to be is the best proverb that suits the given context.

Options A, C, D and E are incorrect because none of these proverbs suits the given context.

'He laughs best who laughs last' is said to emphasize that the person who has control of a situation, in the end, is most successful, even if other people had seemed originally to have an advantage.

'A burnt child dreads the fire' means that everyone avoids repeating a hurting experience again in life.

'One swallow doesn't make a summer' is used to say that because one good thing has happened, it is not, therefore, certain that a situation is going to improve.

'If you want a thing well done, do it yourself' means that it is better to do something oneself than to rely on others to do it well.