Meaning: To make a special effort to achieve something
Hindi: अतिरिक्त प्रयास करना
Synonyms: try harder, exceed expectations, put in extra effort
Antonyms: slack off, do the minimum
Asked in: SSC Steno 2026 T-1 · SSC CPO 2025 T-1 · SSC MTS 2024 · SSC CHSL 2023 T-1 · SSC GD 2022 T-1 · SSC Selection Post Ph-10 2022 ML · SSC MTS 2021
go the extra mile in SSC previous-year questions
- SSC MTS 2024 Idioms & Phrases
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
My mother always __________________ to help people.Answer & explanation
Answer: A) goes the extra mile
Answer: goes the extra mile
Explanation:
The sentence talks about the mother’s willingness to help people, so the correct idiom is "goes the extra mile", which means to make a special effort beyond what is expected (अधिक मेहनत करना, जरूरत से ज़्यादा मदद करना).
Correct sentence:
My mother always goes the extra mile to help people.
Other options:
• turns a deaf ear – ignores or refuses to listen (अनसुना करना) – opposite meaning
• takes a rain check – politely refuses an offer with intent to accept later (अभी ना कह कर बाद में मान लेना) – doesn't fit
• breaks the bank – spends too much money (बहुत ज्यादा खर्च करना) – irrelevant here - SSC CPO 2025 T-1 Idioms & Phrases
Choose the right meaning of the idiom 'go the extra mile' in the sentence:
The team went the extra mile to meet the client's needs.Answer & explanation
Answer: B) Made additional effort
The correct answer is: Made additional effort
'Go the extra mile' means to make more effort than is expected or required; to put in additional work to achieve a goal. In the sentence, the team went beyond what was required to satisfy the client.
Why other options are wrong:
Option 1 — Took a long route: This is a literal interpretation; the idiom has nothing to do with physical travel routes.
Option 3 — Spent more money: The idiom refers to extra effort, not extra expenditure.
Option 4 — Traveled abroad: Completely literal and incorrect.
Correct answer: Option 2 — Made additional effort - SSC CPO 2025 T-1 Idioms & Phrases
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom 'go the extra mile' in the sentence:
She always goes the extra mile to support her students.Answer & explanation
Answer: B) Puts in extra effort
The correct answer is: Puts in extra effort
'Go the extra mile' means to put in more effort or work than is expected in order to help someone or achieve something. A teacher who 'goes the extra mile' for students does more than the basic requirements to support them.
Why other options are wrong:
Option 1 — Travels more: Literal interpretation; the idiom is figurative.
Option 3 — Avoids work: The complete opposite of what the idiom means.
Option 4 — Gives directions: Unrelated to the idiom's meaning.
Correct answer: Option 2 — Puts in extra effort - SSC Steno 2026 T-1 Idioms & Phrases
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom:
Go the extra mileAnswer & explanation
Answer: D) Make extra effort
Meaning: go the extra mile = to make extra effort, to do more than is asked of you *(अतिरिक्त प्रयास करना, अपेक्षा से अधिक करना)*.
The effort is your own and it is willingly given — that is the whole force of the idiom.
A clerk who stays back to finish a file nobody asked him to touch has gone the extra mile.
Why the others are wrong.
• Overwork someone = to make another person work too hard *(किसी से हद से ज़्यादा काम कराना)* — the idiom is about your own effort, not a burden placed on somebody else.
• Try something new = to attempt something unfamiliar *(कुछ नया आज़माना)* — that is novelty, and the idiom says nothing about newness.
• Travel more = to journey a greater distance *(अधिक यात्र - SSC Steno 2026 T-1 Idioms & Phrases
What does the idiom "Go the extra mile" mean?
Answer & explanation
Answer: A) To do more than necessary
Meaning: go the extra mile = to make more effort than duty demands *(अपेक्षा से अधिक प्रयास करना, बढ़-चढ़कर मेहनत करना)*.
The phrase comes from the old instruction that a man forced to walk one mile should walk two.
*She* went the extra mile *and stayed back to train the new staff.*
Why the others are wrong.
• to run quickly = to move fast on foot *(तेज दौड़ना)* — speed is not effort beyond duty.
• to travel far = to cover a long distance *(दूर तक यात्रा करना)* — the literal trap the word *mile* sets.
• to wait patiently = to hold on without complaint *(धैर्यपूर्वक प्रतीक्षा करना)* — patience, not extra effort.
*The mile is figurative — the extra stretch is in willingness, not in distance.*
Examples
- “She always goes the extra mile to help her students.”
go the extra mile – questions
What is the meaning of go the extra mile in Hindi?
go the extra mile means “अतिरिक्त प्रयास करना” in Hindi. In English: To make a special effort to achieve something
What are the synonyms of go the extra mile?
Synonyms of go the extra mile: try harder, exceed expectations, put in extra effort.
What is the opposite of go the extra mile?
Antonyms of go the extra mile: slack off, do the minimum.
Has go the extra mile been asked in SSC exams?
Yes – go the extra mile has been asked 8 times in SSC exams: SSC Steno 2026 T-1, SSC CPO 2025 T-1, SSC MTS 2024, SSC CHSL 2023 T-1, SSC GD 2022 T-1, SSC Selection Post Ph-10 2022 ML, SSC MTS 2021.