fix a blank check?

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Heidi L

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"If you had a blank check, how would you fix it?"

What does the verb fix mean here, please?

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charliedeut

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First, do you know what "blank check" means?

If you do, what do you think "fix" could mean in this context (what do you do with blank checks)?

For future reference, looking up a dictionary may help you. Please bookmark http://onelook.com/browse.shtml for future doubts about vocabulary.
 

Heidi L

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First, do you know what "blank check" means?

If you do, what do you think "fix" could mean in this context (what do you do with blank checks)?

For future reference, looking up a dictionary may help you. Please bookmark http://onelook.com/browse.shtml for future doubts about vocabulary.

What I know about a blank check is a check you haven't put on any amount of money.
 

emsr2d2

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It can be completely blank, it might just have the signature on, or it might have an amount of money specified but no recipient yet.

I don't know why "fix" was used in the original sentence. A blank check isn't an error - it's usually been done on purpose - so there's nothing to fix. Where did you find the original sentence?
 

Heidi L

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So to fix a blank check is to put an amount of money on it?
 

emsr2d2

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Where did I say that?
 

Heidi L

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It can be completely blank, it might just have the signature on, or it might have an amount of money specified but no recipient yet.

I don't know why "fix" was used in the original sentence. A blank check isn't an error - it's usually been done on purpose - so there's nothing to fix. Where did you find the original sentence?
"What is one major problem you see in the world? If you had a blank check, how would you fix it?"

It's one of questions I need to answer for an enterance to a conference. http://www.htlcinfo.com/high-school-students.html
 

GoesStation

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A blank check is an idiom meaning an unlimited amount of money. "It" must refer to something that requires fixing. So the sentence means "how would you fix this if money were no object?"
 

emsr2d2

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"What is one major problem you see in the world? If you had a blank check, how would you fix it?"

It's one of the questions I need to answer for a [STRIKE]enterance[/STRIKE] entrance/entry to a conference. http://www.htlcinfo.com/high-school-students.html

Is this a sort of competition? Will entry to the conference be decided based on the answers to these questions?

I will give you a hint. You have misread the question. "Fix" refers to the problem, not the cheque.
 

Heidi L

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Is this a sort of competition? Will entry to the conference be decided based on the answers to these questions?

I will give you a hint. You have misread the question. "Fix" refers to the problem, not the cheque.
If I had a blank check, how would I fix the problem I see in the world?
 
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Heidi L

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Tarheel

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Heidi L, it would have been better if you had supplied the context from the beginning. You clearly have two questions there. The first asks you to identify a major problem you would like to fix. The second asks how you would fix that problem if you had an unlimited amount of money to spend. (There are many problems that cannot be solved with money, but if you spend that money you will make somebody happy.)
 

Heidi L

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A blank check is an idiom meaning an unlimited amount of money. "It" must refer to something that requires fixing. So the sentence means "how would you fix this if money were no object?"
I see. Thank you.
 

Tarheel

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You should answer the first question first and then answer the second one.
 

emsr2d2

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If I had a blank check, how would I fix the problem I see in the world?

Yes. You now understand the question. Because this is a competition, it would be completely unfair for us to help you with the answer. Now that you know what the question means, we wish you good luck with your answers and with the competition.

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