Asked in: SSC Steno 2026 T-1
make a mountain out of a molehill in SSC previous-year questions
- SSC Steno 2026 T-1 Idioms & Phrases
What does the idiom ‘Make a mountain out of a molehill’ mean?
Answer & explanation
Answer: B) To exaggerate a small issue
Meaning: make a mountain out of a molehill = to exaggerate a small issue, to treat a trifle as a crisis *(राई का पहाड़ बनाना, तिल का ताड़ बनाना)*.
A *molehill* is the tiny heap of earth a mole throws up; turning that into a *mountain* is pure exaggeration *(अतिशयोक्ति)*.
Example: *She lost one page of notes and wept as if she had failed — she always makes a mountain out of a molehill.*
Origin.
Recorded in English since the 1500s; the Hindi *राई का पहाड़* uses the same picture of a mustard seed swollen into a hill.
Why the others are wrong.
• to create a problem *(समस्या खड़ी करना)* — the idiom is about *inflating* an existing small problem, not inventing one; that sense is *stir up trouble*.
make a mountain out of a molehill – questions
Has make a mountain out of a molehill been asked in SSC exams?
Yes – make a mountain out of a molehill has been asked in SSC exams: SSC Steno 2026 T-1.