Free Idioms and Phrases MCQs with Answers
292 Idioms and Phrases MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
Idioms and phrases are fixed groups of words whose meaning may differ from the literal meanings of their individual words. Questions focus on interpreting expressions such as “spill the beans,” selecting suitable idioms for a situation, and distinguishing idioms from ordinary phrases, proverbs and phrasal verbs.
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292 questions · page 13 of 15
- A. make by
- B. made with
- C. made by
- D. made up
Explanation: “Make up one’s mind” means reach a decision, so “made up his mind” correctly introduces his decision to join the army.
Correct answer: made up- A. have it in
- B. have enough
- C. make it in
- D. made it
Explanation: “Make it in time” means arrive early enough for something, so the complete phrase is “Can you make it in time to catch the bus?” The other…
Correct answer: make it in- A. Stumble
- B. Humble
- C. Dependable
- D. Presentable
Explanation: "On the wrong foot" is an idiom that means to start something badly or to have a poor start.
Correct answer: Stumble- A. Broken off
- B. Broken down
- C. Broken up
- D. Broken in
Explanation: The phrasal verb "Broken down" means the negotiations failed or collapsed because the two sides could not agree.The phrasal verb "Broken…
Correct answer: Broken down- A. (A) I take pain at my work.
- B. (B) I take pain at his work.
- C. (C) I take pain in his work.
- D. DI take pains over my work.
Explanation: The sentence "I take pains over my work" is grammatically correct because it follows the subject-verb-object structure, where "I" is the…
Correct answer: DI take pains over my work.- A. A) She said that she is in wrong.
- B. She said that she was in the wrong.
- C. (C) She said that she is in the wrong.
- D. (D) She said that she is wrong.
Explanation: Option (b) correctly uses the past tense form "was" to match the past tense of the verb "said." It also properly uses the phrase "in the…
Correct answer: She said that she was in the wrong.- A. By hook or by crook
- B. Turned a deaf ear to
- C. Not in voice
- D. With a high hand
Explanation: Turned a deaf ear to is an idiom that specifically means to refuse to listen to something, which perfectly captures the meaning of…
Correct answer: Turned a deaf ear to- A. observing carefully
- B. involved whole heartedly
- C. taking notes
- D. listening carefully
Explanation: Listening carefully: This directly captures the meaning of the idiom "all ears." It means paying close attention to what someone is saying…
Correct answer: listening carefully249. The bridal carriage was decorated from stem to stern. The underlined idiomatic expression means:
- A. all the way from front to back
- B. from the front and from the back
- C. with sharp and shiny colours
- D. in a very simple but impressive way
Explanation: "Stem to stern" is a nautical term referring to the front and back of a ship.
Correct answer: all the way from front to back- A. Hold water
- B. Kick the bucket
- C. Make both ends meet
- D. Face the music
Explanation: Face the music is a perfect idiom to replace the underlined part because it means "to accept punishment or criticism for something wrong…
Correct answer: Face the music- A. Bear the brunt
- B. Blow hot and cold
- C. Break the ice
- D. Bring down the house
Explanation: Option c) Break the ice is the most appropriate idiom because it means to initiate a conversation or social interaction in a situation…
Correct answer: Break the ice- A. Often becomes an object of ridicule
- B. Has the habit of stealing
- C. Has a fettering tongue
- D. Has often been in jail
Explanation: b) Has the habit of stealing:This option correctly defines a light-fingered person.
Correct answer: Has the habit of stealing- A. To accept a challenge and get ready for a fight
- B. To die
- C. To support the views of majority
- D. To falsify an account in order to deceive
Explanation: b) To die:This option suggests that "to join the great majority" means to pass away or die.
Correct answer: To die- A. Shaking in my boots
- B. Touched a raw nerve
- C. Be in two minds about
- D. The movers and shakers
Explanation: The implication is that the narrator was pretending to be brave although they were very scared inside.
Correct answer: Shaking in my boots- A. Curse someone
- B. Physically harm someone
- C. Wish good luck to someone
- D. Teach someone a lesson
Explanation: Break a leg is used for wishing someone good luck, especially before a performance.
Correct answer: Wish good luck to someone- A. Accept defeat
- B. Accept consequences
- C. Accept death
- D. Accept bad faith
Explanation: Bite the bullet is to get something over with because it is inevitable.
Correct answer: Accept consequences- A. Place
- B. Effect
- C. Post
- D. Part
Explanation: Option A: This is correct as an appointment 'takes' place.Option B: An appointment can't take effect thus this is not the correct…
Correct answer: Place- A. On the way
- B. To be coming
- C. Eventually
- D. Prepared now
Explanation: Option A; 'on the way' is used to talk about events/things that are about to happen.
Correct answer: On the way- A. in similar
- B. in particular
- C. in common
- D. in comparison
Explanation: As the individuals enjoy many of the same, familiar things, they enjoy doing many 'common' things together and hence have a lot in common.
Correct answer: in common- A. cut off
- B. give up
- C. make up
- D. throw away
Explanation: "Gives up" means to stop making an effort. "Cut off" means to separate, "make up" means to compose, and "throwaway" means to dispose of.
Correct answer: give up