ALCPT Idiomatic and Phrasal Expressions 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'get the ball rolling' mean in a work context?
- Delay a project
- Start an activity or process (Correct answer)
- End a meeting early
- Pass responsibility to someone else
Correct answer: Start an activity or process
'Get the ball rolling' means to start or initiate something.
Question 2: If someone is described as 'a quick study,' what does it mean?
- They study very slowly
- They learn new things rapidly (Correct answer)
- They prefer short books
- They rarely read
Correct answer: They learn new things rapidly
'A quick study' describes someone who learns or picks up new skills very quickly.
Question 3: What does the phrasal verb 'take off' mean in 'Her career really took off after that promotion'?
- Ended suddenly
- Slowed down significantly
- Became very successful quickly (Correct answer)
- Required more effort
Correct answer: Became very successful quickly
In this context, 'took off' means to become very successful or grow rapidly.
Question 4: When someone says 'it's not rocket science,' they mean the task is:
- Extremely complicated
- Related to space exploration
- Not difficult to understand (Correct answer)
- Requiring advanced equipment
Correct answer: Not difficult to understand
'It's not rocket science' means something is not as complicated as it might seem.
Question 5: What does 'cut corners' mean in 'The contractor cut corners to save money'?
- Do a thorough job
- Remove sharp edges from a design
- Take shortcuts that reduce quality (Correct answer)
- Increase the project budget
Correct answer: Take shortcuts that reduce quality
'Cut corners' means to do something poorly or cheaply by skipping important steps.
Question 6: If someone 'lets the cat out of the bag,' what have they done?
- Kept a secret successfully
- Accidentally revealed a secret (Correct answer)
- Adopted a pet
- Solved a difficult problem
Correct answer: Accidentally revealed a secret
'Let the cat out of the bag' means to accidentally reveal a secret or surprise.
Question 7: What does 'go back to the drawing board' suggest in a professional setting?
- Start the planning process over from the beginning (Correct answer)
- Submit the final version of a plan
- Request more funding for a project
- Hire an artist to improve designs
Correct answer: Start the planning process over from the beginning
'Go back to the drawing board' means to abandon the current plan and start fresh.
ALCPT Idiomatic and Phrasal Expressions 5
What does 'get the ball rolling' mean in a work context?