In the question below, four sentences are given. Only one of them uses the phrasal verb "break down" correctly in context. Choose the correct option. If none of the sentences is correct, select option (E) None is correct.

To determine the correct option, let us analyze the meaning and usage of the phrasal verb "break down" in different contexts.

The phrasal verb "break down" has several common meanings:
1. To stop functioning (used for machinery, vehicles, or systems). For example: "Our car broke down on the highway."
2. To lose control of one's feelings (to burst into tears or become extremely upset). For example: "She broke down in tears when she heard the news."
3. To divide or analyze something into smaller, manageable parts. For example: "We need to break down the project into smaller tasks."
4. To dismantle or demolish a physical structure (though "break down" is less common than "tear down" or "dismantle" for structures like stairs, and doesn't fit standard usage for splitting items like cake or dropping off friends).

Let us evaluate each of the given sentences against these definitions:

1. "She plans to break down the stairs to paint them a brighter color."
This usage is incorrect. To paint stairs, one might strip the paint or clean them, but you do not "break down" (demolish or stop functioning) the stairs just to paint them. If she plans to dismantle them, "take apart" or "strip" would be appropriate, but "break down" is not used in this context.

2. "I will break down my friend at the airport tomorrow morning."
This is incorrect. The intended meaning seems to be dropping someone off or seeing them off at the airport. The correct phrasal verb would be "drop off" or "see off" (e.g., "I will drop off my friend at the airport"). "Break down" here makes no contextual sense unless you mean causing your friend to have an emotional collapse, which is highly unlikely in this context.

3. "They break down the cake and served it in tiny portions."
This is incorrect. To divide food into portions for serving, we use verbs like "cut up", "slice", or "divide". "Break down" is not used for portioning a cake.

4. "The washing machine tends to break down every time we overload it."
This usage is correct. In this sentence, "break down" is used to mean "stop functioning or mechanical failure," which perfectly fits a household appliance like a washing machine malfunctioning due to overloading.

Therefore, the sentence that uses the phrasal verb "break down" correctly is: "The washing machine tends to break down every time we overload it."