CPE Study Guide 2026

'Let the cat out of the bag' means to accidentally disclose information that was meant to be kept secret.

'To cost an arm and a leg' is an idiom meaning that something is very expensive or costs a great deal of money.

'In that' is a fixed two-word phrase functioning as a conjunction meaning 'because' or 'in the respect that,' used to specify the precise nature of a disadvantage. 'By that,' 'with that,' and 'for that' do not form this fixed expression and would be grammatically awkward or alter the intended meaning of the sentence.

Inferring in listening means using contextual clues and tone to understand what a speaker implies or suggests beyond their literal words.

'Allow' followed by an object requires the full infinitive (to + verb): 'allow someone to do something.' The bare infinitive 'do' is used after modals, not after 'allow.' The gerund 'doing' and the preposition 'for doing' are both grammatically incorrect with this verb pattern.

A dichotomy refers to a division of something into two mutually exclusive or sharply contrasting categories.