Question

Choose the correct meaning of the given proverb:
Too many cooks spoil the broth.

• A. One cook should make the broth one at a time.
• B. When too many people try to lead, it gets confusing and the results are not good.
• C. No cook makes broth the same way, different methods should not be tried all at once.
• D. A team of cooks work together to make a tasty broth.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

When too many people try to lead, it gets confusing and the results are not good.

A proverb is a short saying that states a general truth or advice. They're popular as they are told and retold through generations, incorporated in books and stories that grandparents narrate to children. Proverbs have a deeper meaning than the one you perceive at first. The given proverb is a general truth, but it has a deeper meaning. Option C simply explains the proverb from the surface but does not give further insight to the analogy created between the cooks and people who lead, hence C is incorrect. When too many people (cooks) try to use different methods and ideas on one thing, the situation (broth) gets tangled and ultimately gets spoiled. This is explained in option B, hence it's correct. Option A is vague in meaning and does not relate to the proverb. Option D is the opposite in meaning to the proverb, hence A and D are incorrect.