CELPIP Vocabulary: Idiomatic Expressions 4

Question 1

A colleague says you are barking up the wrong tree. This means you are:

Accepted Answer

Pursuing a mistaken course of action

Answer

"Barking up the wrong tree" means to be looking in the wrong place or blaming the wrong cause.

Question 2

If your manager says the decision is up in the air, it is:

Accepted Answer

Not yet decided

Answer

"Up in the air" means something is uncertain or undecided.

Question 3

When someone says let's call it a day, they want to:

Accepted Answer

Stop working for now

Answer

"Call it a day" means to decide that enough work has been done and stop.

Question 4

If a friend tells you to cut to the chase, you should:

Accepted Answer

Get to the main point quickly

Answer

"Cut to the chase" means to skip unnecessary details and address what matters.

Question 5

Your coworker says the two reports are like apples and oranges. This means they are:

Accepted Answer

Too different to compare fairly

Answer

"Apples and oranges" describes two things that cannot be meaningfully compared.

CELPIP Practice Test