Idioms, Phrasal Verbs & Proverbs: previous-year questions

Answer: (B) He took up more work than he could handle.

'To bite off more than one can chew' means to take on a task or responsibility that is bigger than one can manage, which is exactly option B. Option A reads the idiom literally (eating and digestion), while C (explaining what one does not understand) and D (endurance) are unrelated to the idea of over-commitment. Idioms with a similar sense are 'to have too much on one's plate', 'to spread oneself too thin' and 'to be out of one's depth'; the opposite idea is expressed by 'to cut one's coat according to one's cloth'.

Answer: (B) Politeness is a virtue that pays in long run.

The proverb sets the small 'cost' of being polite against the large 'yield' it brings, so its point is that courtesy is a cheap investment that pays off over time, which is option B. Option A (politeness is desirable) is true but misses the cost-benefit idea, C (politeness is powerful) overstates it, and D distorts the meaning altogether. Proverbs with the same message are 'Courtesy costs nothing', 'A soft answer turneth away wrath' and 'You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'.

Answer: (C) If people are curious beyond a point, they may invite trouble.

The proverb warns that being too inquisitive about things that do not concern you can land you in trouble, which is what option C says. Option A is only a phrase, not a meaning; B takes the cat literally; and D exaggerates the idea into something 'deadly' and 'beyond any man's reach'. The saying began in the 16th century as 'Care killed the cat' (care meaning worry), used by Ben Jonson and Shakespeare, and today it is often capped with the reply 'but satisfaction brought it back'. A proverb with a similar warning is 'Let sleeping dogs lie'.

Answer: (A) near

'Round (or around) the corner' means very near, either in place (the shop is just round the corner) or in time (the Pujas are round the corner). It has nothing to do with leaving, hiding or falling. Expressions with the same sense are 'at hand', 'in the offing' and 'on the horizon'. Do not confuse it with other 'corner' idioms: 'to cut corners' is to do something cheaply or carelessly, 'to drive someone into a corner' is to put them in a difficult position, and 'to turn the corner' is to pass the worst point of a crisis.

Answer: (D) The person who takes the earliest opportunity to do something will gain advantage over others.

The proverb teaches that whoever acts first or seizes an opportunity earliest gains an advantage over those who delay, which option D states completely. Option A shifts the idea to 'good habits', B takes the bird and worm literally, and C narrows it to standing first in a queue. Proverbs on the same theme of timely action are 'Strike while the iron is hot', 'Make hay while the sun shines', 'A stitch in time saves nine' and 'First come, first served'; the humorous counter-saying is 'The second mouse gets the cheese'.

Answer: (D) burn the midnight oil

'To burn the midnight oil' means to work or study late into the night (from the days of oil lamps), so it fits a candidate preparing late for an examination. 'Go haywire' means to go out of control or stop working properly, 'run amok' means to behave in a wild, violent way (from Malay amuk), and 'sit tight' means to stay where you are and wait patiently. A close relative with a different meaning is 'to burn the candle at both ends', which is to exhaust oneself by doing too much, early and late.

Answer: (C) look before you leap

"Look before you leap" means think about the consequences before you act, which is exactly what reviewing one's options before deciding amounts to. "Make hay while the sun shines" means use a favourable opportunity while it lasts; "sit on the fence" means stay neutral or avoid taking sides; and "kill the golden goose" (kill the goose that lays the golden eggs) means destroy a reliable source of profit through greed. A related proverb on caution is "discretion is the better part of valour".

Answer: (B) a stitch in time saves nine

"A stitch in time saves nine" means that dealing with a problem at once prevents it from becoming bigger, which is the reason for not delaying. "Beggars can't be choosers" means people in need must accept what they are given; "a bad workman blames his tools" means an unskilled person blames the equipment for his own failure; and "all's fair in love and war" means any method is justified in certain situations. Proverbs with a similar message: "procrastination is the thief of time" and "strike while the iron is hot".

Answer: (C) bear with

The phrasal verb 'bear with' means to be patient with or to tolerate someone or something ('Please bear with me'). 'Bear on' means to be relevant to or to affect, 'bear in' is used only in 'bear in mind' (remember), and 'bear at' is not a standard phrasal verb. Related ones worth knowing: bear out (confirm), bear up (stay cheerful in difficulty), bear down on (move threateningly towards).

Answer: (B) A very mild punishment

'A slap on the wrist' is a light or token punishment, much milder than what the offence deserved. The other meanings belong to different idioms: short on time = 'pressed for time'; to have a dispute = 'at loggerheads' or 'to cross swords'; to force an issue = 'to bring matters to a head'. Example: 'The company got only a slap on the wrist for polluting the river.'

Answer: (B) see eye to eye

'To see eye to eye' means to agree fully with someone, so it replaces 'agreed'. 'Let the cat out of the bag' means to reveal a secret by mistake, 'feel under the weather' means to feel slightly ill, and 'cut corners' means to do something in the cheapest or quickest way by skipping steps. All four are high-frequency idioms in WBCS English.

Answer: (C) feel unwell

'Under the weather' is an idiom meaning slightly ill or unwell; it is said to come from sailors who went below deck, away from the weather, when sick. It does not mean depressed ('down in the dumps', 'feeling blue'), merely uncomfortable ('ill at ease') or uncertain ('in two minds', 'at sea'). Related health idioms: 'off colour' (unwell), 'in the pink' (in very good health), 'fit as a fiddle'.

Answer: (D) sanctimonious

'Holier-than-thou' describes someone who displays an attitude of moral superiority over others; the best single-word match is 'sanctimonious' (also self-righteous, smug, priggish). The phrase echoes the Bible (Isaiah 65:5). 'Pure' and 'religious' are positive qualities without any sense of showing off, while 'moralistic' (given to moralising) comes close but lacks the hypocritical, superior tone that 'sanctimonious' captures exactly.

Answer: (A) get by

'To make both ends meet' means to earn just enough money to live on, i.e., to manage or 'get by'. 'Get over' means to recover from an illness or setback, 'get done' means to finish something, and 'get well' means to regain health. Related money idioms: 'live from hand to mouth' (barely survive), 'in the red' (in debt), 'tighten one's belt' (cut spending).

Answer: (A) rarely

'Once in a blue moon' means very rarely. A 'blue moon' is the second full moon falling within a single calendar month, which happens only about once in two to three years - hence the idiom. It does not mean 'never' (the event does occur), and 'frequently' and 'regularly' are opposites. Similar expressions: 'few and far between' (rare), 'now and then' (occasionally).

Answer: (D) calm down by oneself

This idiom means to regain one's composure or control of one's emotions after being upset.

Answer: (B) it is snowing

Weather is described with the impersonal "it"; the present continuous "is snowing" correctly describes an ongoing scene.

Answer: (B) look down

"Look down upon" is the correct phrasal verb meaning to regard someone as inferior.

Answer: (A) by

"By" is the preposition used with a clock or watch as the reference for telling time.

Answer: (C) nonsense

"A load of (old) cobblers" is British slang for nonsense or rubbish — Cockney rhyming slang derived from "cobbler's awls" rhyming with "balls". It's used here to dismiss the time-machine claim as absurd.