Idioms and Phrases Exercise No- 3

Exercise-3

Directions: In each of the following questions, an idiomatic expression/a proverb has been given, followed by some alternatives. Choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given idiom proverb.

1.To take people by storm

(a) To put people in utter surprise

 (b) To captivate them unexpectedly

(c) To exploit people’s agitation

(d) To bring out something sensational attracting people’s attention

2. To throw up the sponge

(a) To surrender or give up a contest

(b) To offer a challenge

(c) To become utterly disappointed

(d) To maintain grit and enthusiasm until the end

3. Harp on

(a) To comment

 (b) To criticise

(c) To keep on talking

(d) To keep on insulting

4. To catch somebody on the hop

(a) To give someone a surprise

 (b) To catches somebody off guard

 (c) To stands in the way of someone

 (d) To catch somebody suddenly

5. To spill the beans

(a) Lab reveals secret information

(b) To misbehave

 (c) To keeps secrets

(d) To talk irrelevant

6. To bring one’s eggs to a bad market (S.B.I.P.O. 1984)

(a) To face a humiliating situation

(b) To bring one’s commodities to a market where there is no demand for them

(c) To show one’s talents before an audience which is incapable of appreciating them

 (d) To fail in one’s plans because one goes to the wrong people for help

7. To hit below the belt

 (a) To work confidentially

 (b) To harm unfairly

 (c) To strike at the exact position

 (d) To hit the correct mark

8. To get cold feet

(a) To run for life

(b) To be afraid

 (c) To fall sick

 (d) To become discourteous

9. To take a leap in the dark

(a) To takes risk

(b) To hazard oneself

(c) To do a task secretly

(d) To do a hazardous thing without any idea of the result

10.  To give/get the bird (M.B.A. 1993)

(a) To get the awaited

(b) To have good luck

(c) To send away

(d) To get the impossible

11. To be at daggers drawn

(a) To be frightened

(b) To be ready to face danger

(c) To threaten one

(d) To be a bitter enemy

12. To turn up one’s nose at a thing

(a) To show eagerness to have something

 (b) To show indifference

 (c) To treat it with contemptuous dislike or disgust

 (d) To start to grapple with it

13. To save one’s face

(a) To hide oneself

(b) To oppose

 (c) To evade disgrace

 (d) To say plainly

14. To split hours

(a) To sidetrack the issue

 (b) To quarrel over trifles

 (c) To indulge in over-refined arguments

(d) To find faults with others

15. To wash one’s dirty linen in public

(a) To criticise one’s nature in public

(b) To quarrel in the open

 (c) To do some ugly work in public

(d)  To discusses dirty and scandalous matters of personal nature in the presence of strangers

Answers:-

1.(b)             2. (a)

3. (c)            4. (b)

5. (a)            6. (d)

7. (b)           8. (b)

9. (d)            10. (c)

11.  (d)         12. (c)

13. (c)          14. (c)

15. (d)

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