Old habits die hard. That is, once the habits _____, it is hard to remove it. A. take along B. take

Old habits die hard. That is, once the habits _____, it is hard to remove it. A. take along B. take note of C. take hold of D. take hold

Let’s break it down.

The sentence says:

Old habits die hard. That is, once the habits _____, it is hard to remove it.

First, check the options:

A. take along → means “to bring with you,” not fitting here.
B. take note of → means “to notice or pay attention to,” not about habits forming.
C. take hold of → means “to grasp physically,” but can be metaphorical (e.g., an idea takes hold of someone). More often “take hold” without “of” for habits/conditions becoming established.
D. take hold → a fixed phrase meaning “to become established, start to have an effect.”

In the context of “once the habits take hold,” it’s a common expression meaning “once they become firmly established.”
Also, “remove it” at the end should refer to “habits” (plural) — that’s a small grammatical mismatch but not part of the choice issue.

The correct idiomatic phrase here is take hold.

Answer: D. take hold ✅