CPE Idiomatic Expressions and Phrasal Verbs 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses the phrasal verb 'bring about' to mean 'to cause something to happen'?
- She brought about the cookies from the oven.
- The new policy brought about significant changes in the workplace. (Correct answer)
- He brought about his friend to the party.
- They brought about the car to the garage.
Correct answer: The new policy brought about significant changes in the workplace.
'Bring about' means to cause something to happen, and only option B uses it in a context of causing a result.
Question 2: What does the idiom 'to bite the bullet' mean?
- To eat something extremely hard or crunchy
- To fire a weapon recklessly
- To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage (Correct answer)
- To make a hasty, impulsive decision
Correct answer: To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage
'Bite the bullet' means to stoically endure a painful or difficult situation rather than avoid it.
Question 3: In which sentence is 'come across' used correctly to mean 'to find or encounter unexpectedly'?
- She came across the finish line in first place.
- He came across an old letter while cleaning the attic. (Correct answer)
- They came across the bridge to reach the other side.
- We came across the border without any problems.
Correct answer: He came across an old letter while cleaning the attic.
'Come across' meaning to encounter unexpectedly is correctly used in B, where an old letter is discovered by chance.
Question 4: What does the idiom 'let the cat out of the bag' mean?
- To release a trapped animal from a container
- To accidentally reveal a secret (Correct answer)
- To make a planned surprise announcement
- To cause chaos and confusion in a situation
Correct answer: To accidentally reveal a secret
'Let the cat out of the bag' means to accidentally disclose information that was meant to be kept secret.
Question 5: Which sentence correctly uses 'put off' to mean 'to postpone or delay'?
- She put off her coat before entering the house.
- The strong smell put off everyone in the room.
- They put off the meeting until next week. (Correct answer)
- He put off a great performance on stage.
Correct answer: They put off the meeting until next week.
'Put off' meaning to postpone is correctly used in C, where a meeting is delayed to a later date.
Question 6: What is the meaning of the idiom 'to cost an arm and a leg'?
- To cause serious physical harm to someone
- To be extremely expensive (Correct answer)
- To require a great deal of physical effort or labor
- To be priceless in emotional or sentimental terms
Correct answer: To be extremely expensive
'To cost an arm and a leg' is an idiom meaning that something is very expensive or costs a great deal of money.
Question 7: In the sentence 'The new manager really rubbed her colleagues up the wrong way,' what does the underlined phrase mean?
- She gave her colleagues unsolicited physical massages.
- She accidentally offended her colleagues with a physical gesture.
- She irritated or annoyed her colleagues. (Correct answer)
- She disagreed with her colleagues about the direction of a project.
Correct answer: She irritated or annoyed her colleagues.
'Rub someone up the wrong way' means to annoy or irritate them, often without intending to.
CPE Idiomatic Expressions and Phrasal Verbs 1
Which sentence correctly uses the phrasal verb 'bring about' to mean 'to cause something to happen'?