Question

The excerpt below is from a speech about starting a debate club at a high school. Which of the choices best describes the figurative meaning of the phrase “sharpen their brains”?

Scientific studies have shown that the brain is like a muscle. As with any muscle, exercise is good for the brain. Starting a debate team at our school would give interested students a place to exercise and sharpen their brains. As a bonus, they would get to have fun, make new friends, and learn life skills.

A. to give a hard edge
B. to make dull
C. to improve memory
D. to make stronger

Answer 1

Please Help if you know the answer! :)

Answer 2

It's not B, `to make it dull` because it says to " `sharpen` " although it doesn't literally mean to make your brain sharper it still would make no sense.
I think by sharp they mean "smart" or something along that

Answer 3

any idea ?

Answer 4

Hm, yeah, you can also get rid of A because in this scenario, we aren't going to really be giving an "edge" to our brains. It really just doesn't make sense when reading. So A and B, as supie said, are eliminated. Now, in the writing the author mentions how the brain is "like a muscle". Then it goes on to mention sharpening the brain. Now if the brain is like a muscle, let's do some comparison. We use muscles for things like sports and when we sharpen our skills, they get better, correct? By doing so, our muscles get better. So from this, which do you think, C or D?