In lieu of means instead of. This answer is correct because the expression has a fixed figurative meaning in English. In an SSC idiom question, students should match the whole phrase with its accepted meaning rather than translate each word separately.

• Classroom example: In lieu of can refer to a situation involving instead of.
• Story example: A writer may use In lieu of when describing a situation involving instead of.
• Exam example: When a sentence contains In lieu of, choose the meaning “instead of.”