Free Idioms and Phrases MCQs with Answers

1. What does the idiom "to bell the cat" mean?

• A. To waste time on trivial matters
• B. To take on a dangerous task for the common good
• C. To flatter someone in authority
• D. To make an easy profit

Explanation: The idiom comes from the fable in which mice agree that a bell around the cat’s neck would warn them, but none is willing to attach it. To bell the cat therefore means to undertake a risky task for the benefit of the group.

2. Choose the meaning of the idiom: to let the cat out of the bag.

• A. to release an animal
• B. to reveal a secret unintentionally
• C. to create confusion deliberately
• D. to escape from danger

Explanation: The idiom describes a secret slipping out by accident, and it comes from a market trick in which a cat was substituted for a piglet. Idioms are figurative, so the literal reading is always wrong. A close relative is to spill the beans, which carries the same meaning.

3. Choose the meaning of the idiom: once in a blue moon.

• A. very frequently
• B. very rarely
• C. at night only
• D. immediately

Explanation: A blue moon is a second full moon in one calendar month, an uncommon event, so the phrase means something that happens very seldom. It is the opposite of every now and then, which suggests moderate frequency. The colour plays no part in the meaning.

4. Choose the meaning of the idiom: to burn the midnight oil.

• A. to waste resources
• B. to work or study late into the night
• C. to start a fire accidentally
• D. to celebrate an occasion

Explanation: Before electric lighting, studying after dark meant burning oil in a lamp, so the phrase came to mean working late into the night. It carries a tone of diligence rather than waste. Students preparing for entry tests are its most natural modern users.

5. Choose the meaning of the idiom: to be under the weather.

• A. to be caught in rain
• B. to feel slightly unwell
• C. to be very busy
• D. to be depressed by criticism

Explanation: The phrase describes feeling mildly ill and is thought to come from sailors sent below deck when sick. The literal weather reading is exactly what an idiom question sets out to trap. It suggests a minor complaint rather than serious illness.

6. Choose the meaning of the idiom: to bite the bullet.

• A. to lose one's temper
• B. to endure a painful situation with courage
• C. to speak carelessly
• D. to eat quickly

Explanation: It refers to accepting something unpleasant that cannot be avoided, and it is said to come from soldiers biting a bullet during surgery before anaesthetics. The sense is one of resolve rather than anger. A close relative is to grin and bear it.

7. Choose the meaning of the idiom: a blessing in disguise.

• A. a hidden threat
• B. something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good
• C. an undeserved reward
• D. a religious ceremony

Explanation: The phrase describes a misfortune whose benefit only becomes clear later, such as a missed flight that turns out to have been lucky. It is the reverse of a mixed blessing, which is good with a drawback attached. The disguise is what hides the benefit at first.

8. The idiom a hard nut to crack means:

• A. An easy question
• B. A foolish search
• C. A difficult problem
• D. Expensive thing

Explanation: A hard nut to crack describes something difficult to solve or understand. It compares a difficult problem with a nut that is hard to open.

9. What is the phrasal meaning of carry-on?

• A. To continue doing something
• B. To end doing something
• C. To start doing something
• D. None of these

Explanation: Carry on means to continue doing something, as in “Carry on with your work.” It is not used here for starting or ending an activity.

10. The idiom "Kick the bucket" means?

• A. To kill
• B. To achieve a goal
• C. To die
• D. To be successful

Explanation: To kick the bucket is an informal idiom meaning to die. It is a euphemistic expression rather than a reference to literally kicking an object.