It is a common criticism that most of the academicians live in their ________, so, they are not aware of their real life challenges.
A. homes B. ivory towers C. glass palaces D. big flats
GATE 2020 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium
Answer: B. ivory towers
Identify the context of the blank: The sentence criticises academicians for being isolated from real-life challenges. The blank is a place (after 'live in their') and represents their world of isolation. A literal home would not explain unawareness of real challenges. The blank must be an idiom.
Eliminate non-idiomatic options: A. homes — literal, no idiomatic meaning of isolation. C. glass palaces — not a standard English idiom; not commonly used to mean intellectual isolation. D. big flats — purely literal, no idiomatic meaning.
Confirm B. ivory towers: The idiom 'ivory tower' was coined in the 19th century and refers to the cloistered, detached world of scholarship. Saying academicians 'live in their ivory towers' directly conveys that they are cut off from real-world problems — perfectly matching the sentence's meaning.