The Flatmates – Quiz – Idioms: life and living. You can try the quiz ... a. put your
hair up / paint the town red - Wrong – the first idiom should be the opposite of 'put
...
THE FLATMATES Quiz: Idioms – life and living
BBC Learning English – The Flatmates The Flatmates – Quiz – Idioms: life and living You can try the quiz online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode79/quiz.shtml For each of the six questions choose the one correct answer. 1. a. b. c. d.
I never recycle anything, but it’s time to change. I’m going to … call a spade a spade. be stuck in a rut. turn over a new leaf. burn the candle at both ends.
2. a. b. c. d.
Look, let’s… - what’s the main problem? let our hair down cut to the chase burn the candle at both ends paint the town red
3. a. b. c. d.
Stop… . What are you trying to tell me? beating up the bush beating in the bush beating upon the bush beating around the bush
4. a. b. c. d.
You look tired. Have you been …? burning the midnight oil beating around the bush pulling your punches on an even keel
5. a. b. c. d.
It’s time to… - let’s go out and… . put your hair up / paint the town red let your hair down / paint the town red let your hair down / paint the town pink put your hair down / paint the town pink
6. a. b. c. d.
To… , I think you are … call a spade a spade / stuck in a rut. call the spade the spade / stuck with a rut. call a spade a spade / stuck with a rut. call the spade the spade / stuck in a rut.
BBC Learning English – The Flatmates The Flatmates – Quiz – Idioms: life and living Answers 1. a. b. c.
I never recycle anything, but it’s time to change. I’m going to… . call a spade a spade - Wrong – you need an idiom that refers to making changes. be stuck in a rut - Wrong – you need an idiom that refers to making changes. turn over a new leaf - Correct – you are going to change a bad thing in your life. d. burn the candle at both ends – Wrong – you need an idiom that refers to making changes. 2. a. b. c.
Look, let’s… - what’s the main problem? let our hair down - Wrong – you want to do the most important thing immediately. cut to the chase - Correct – you will look at the main problem immediately. burn the candle at both ends - Wrong – you want to do the most important thing immediately. d. paint the town red - Wrong – you want to do the most important thing immediately. 3. Stop… What are you trying to tell me? a. beating up the bush - Wrong – you need a preposition which means ‘moving in circles’. b. beating in the bush - Wrong – you need a preposition which means ‘moving in circles’. c. beating upon the bush - Wrong - you need a preposition which means ‘moving in circles’. d. beating around the bush - Correct – the person is not speaking directly. 4. You look tired. Have you been …? a. burning the midnight oil - Correct – they have been working late. b. beating around the bush – Wrong – you need an idiom which means 'working late at night'. c. pulling your punches - Wrong – you need an idiom which means 'working late at night'. d. on an even keel - Wrong – you need an idiom which means 'working late at night'. 5. It’s time to … - let’s go out and … . a. put your hair up / paint the town red - Wrong – the first idiom should be the opposite of ‘put your hair up’. b. let your hair down / paint the town red - Correct – you relax by going out for the evening. c. let your hair down / paint the town pink - Wrong – you need a different colour in the second idiom. d. put your hair down / paint the town pink - Wrong – you need a different verb in the first idiom and a different colour in the second one.
6. To … , I think you are … . a. call a spade a spade / stuck in a rut - Correct – You don’t hide the problem, the person’s life is going nowhere. b. call the spade the spade / stuck with a rut - Wrong – The articles are wrong in the first idiom, and the second idiom needs a different preposition. c. call a spade a spade / stuck with a rut - Wrong – You need a different preposition in the second idiom. d. call the spade the spade / stuck in a rut - Wrong – The articles are wrong in the first idiom. Would you like to look at the language point that this quiz was based on? Go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode79/languagepoint.pdf For a quiz on other idioms, go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode05/quiz.shtml
