Left to my own devices?

[Xavierka]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #386 "English Slang Idioms (117)", question 8

"What would I be doing? Well, if ......... to my own devices, I would be reading a book in the woods," Private Johnson to Specialist Bilby.

(a) trapped
(b) left
(c) chained
(d) partial

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #386 "English Slang Idioms (117)", answer 8

"What would I be doing? Well, if left to my own devices, I would be reading a book in the woods," Private Johnson to Specialist Bilby.

Correct answer: (b) left

Your answer was: incorrect
"What would I be doing? Well, if chained to my own devices, I would be reading a book in the woods," Private Johnson to Specialist Bilby.
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if left to my own devices - how to understand this sentence?

[Yankee]

Hi Xavierka

The expression "leave someone to their own devices" means "allow someone to make their own decisions about what to do".

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=leave*6+1&dict=A
.

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

There seems to be a word missing from the sentence. An easy repair would be with the word "said" -- though I have no idea whether that was the word originally intended (and a different word could be more interesting):

"... in the woods," Private Johnson said to Specialist Bilby."
.