Expression 'try to find money to pay all the bills'

[Carman]

English Idioms and Expressions, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #12 "Just keep it", question 3

In a situation like his of course the one thing you must do is keep the wolf from the door and try to find money to pay all the bills.

(a) get rid of wild animals
(b) get enough money to live on
(c) make sure the door is locked
(d) not let wild animals in

English Idioms and Expressions, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #12 "Just keep it", answer 3

In a situation like his of course the one thing you must do is get enough money to live on and try to find money to pay all the bills.

Correct answer: (b) get enough money to live on

Your answer was: incorrect
In a situation like his of course the one thing you must do is make sure the door is locked and try to find money to pay all the bills.
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I can't understand this statement or sentence.

.... Get enough money to live on ....

... try to find money to pay all the bills....

Both sentences sound very similar or almost the same. Can I have some kind of explanation? Thank you very much

Carman

[Alan]

Hi Carman

'Keep the wolf from the door' suggests that that you are trying to survive - not wanting to starve. That is best described by get enough money to live on. The idea in this sort of test is to give a suggestion of what the idiom means within the sentence.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Saying It Twice