Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
John won't be arriving until later, I'm afraid. His train's been _________.

• A. held up
• B. held off
• C. held back
• D. held in

Answer 1

The correct option is A held up

Option A is the correct answer because the phrasal verb 'held up' means to cause a delay for someone or something or to make them late.

Options B, C and D are incorrect because 'held off' means to stop something from happening, 'held back' means to stop someone or something from moving forwards and 'held in' means to not allow your feelings to show.