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Idioms and Phrases for Competitive Exams - English Sample Paper
August 6th, 2008Posted in English Language
Lets prepare for the English Language Today. Idioms are Phrases are an important part of the English Language test in almost all Entrance Exams like Bank PO, SSC, LIC, NDA, CDS, B Ed, etc. Idioms and phrases are similar to “muhavare” that we have in Hindi. Lets see how you perform.
Directions: In each of the following questions part of sentence is in bold. Four alternative meanings of the highlited part of the sentence are given below the sentence. Mark as your answer that alternative meaning which you think is correct. If none of the first four is correct, mark (5) i.e. none of these as your answer.
1. In the last few years India has advanced by leaps and bounds in the industrial sector.
1. Very rapidly
2. Very competently
3. Very slowly
4. Very pathetically
5. None of these
2. The authorities turned a deaf ear to the demands of the employees.
1. Immediately implemented
2. Agreed to listen to
3. Misrepresented
4. Whole-heartedly agreed to
5. None of these
3. He was in doldrums after the quarrel he had with his brother.
1. He was jubilant
2. He was in low spirits
3. He was in a financial difficulty
4. He left the house
5. None of these
4. If you pass this difficult examination it will be a feather in you cap
1. Your parents will be very happy
2. You will get a scholarship for higher studies
3. You will feel proud of it
4. You will get a very good job
5. None of these
5. Tell me plainly who broke the mirror, do not beat about the bush.
1. Pretend to be unaware of the matter
2. Try to impress me with your arguments
3. Put any blame on others
4. Approach the matter in a round about way
5. None of these
6. Some people have a habit of wearing their heart on their sleeve.
1. saying something which is not to be taken seriously
2. exposing their innermost feelings to others
3. avoiding being friendly with others
4. always trying to gain advantage over others
5. wasting their time on unnecessary details
7. I raked my brains to solve this difficult problem.
1. I read number of books
2. I consulted several people
3. I used my commonsense
4. I subjected my mind to hard thinking
5. I brainwashed several experts
8. He was a king who ruled his subjects with a high hand.
1. sympathetically
2. kindly
3. democratically
4. conveniently
5. oppressively
9. It is a matter of gratification for me that he has turned a new leaf.
1. begun a different mode of life
2. proved to be a worthy person on his job
3. decided to use a different strategy to solve the problem
4. accepted the new job that was offered to him
5. started using his intelligence
10. He is a plain, simple and sincere man, he will always call a spade a spade.
1. be outspoken
2. help needy person
3. stand by his friends and relatives
4. sacrifice his life for others
5. put up a simple dress
11. It was such a strange affair that I could not make head or tail of it.
1. tolerate it
2. face it
3. remember it
4. believe it
5. understand it
12. He is temporarily in charge of the company and is trying to feather his nest.
1. bring order and discipline in the company
2. raise the image of the company
3. act for his own future benefits
4. diversify the product of the company
5. practice his own brand of management philosophy
13. Those who make no bones about such actions face a tough oppostion.
1. do without hesitation
2. make no plan
3. waste no time
4. invite no comments
5. None of these
14. Mrs B is known as a shoplifter in a Mumbai commercial center.
1. smuggler
2. a thief in the guise of a customer
3. buyer of all new things
4. daily visitor
5. None of these
15. The people in north India are known for keeping open house.
1. never locking it
2. not worrying about its security
3. offering hospitality to everyone
4. keeping it well ventilated
5. None of these
Directions (Q 16-20): In each of the following questions an idiomatic expression and its four possible meaning are given. Find out the correct meaning of the idiomatic expression and mark the number of that meanings as your answer on the answer sheet. If you do not find any correct answer, mark ‘5′, i.e. none of these as your answer.
16. To make clean breast of
1. to gain prominence
2. to praise oneself
3. to confess without reserve
4. to destroy before it blooms
5. None of these
17. To end in smoke
1. to make completely understand
2. to ruin oneself
3. to excite great applause
4. to overcome some one
5. None of these
18. To leave someone in the lurch.
1. to come to compromise with someone
2. constant source of annoyance to someone
3. to put someone at ease
4. to desert someone in his difficulties
5. None of these
19. To cry wolf
1. to listen eagerly
2. to give false alarm
3. to turn pale
4. to keep off starvation
5. None of these
20. A man of straw
1. a man of no substance
2. a very active person
3. a worthy fellow
4. an unreasonable person
5. None of these
CLASSIC PHRASE: 01
1-5: 15234
6-10: 24511
11-15: 53323
16-20: 32421
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6 Responses to “Idioms and Phrases for Competitive Exams - English Sample Paper”
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August 7th, 2008 at 4:19 am
My approach to the analysis of idioms is based on determining the etymology of the idiom. It is no better or more accurate than the determination of the
etymology of any other word or phrase. However, the phonetic aspect is often easier because most idioms have more syllables than most single words.
To use an idiom properly does not require any knowledge of its etymology. However, this knowledge may help an L2 student remember an idiom and
how/when to use it.
When I was a young kid, all of my friends and I knew the meaning of “escape by the skin of my teeth” and not a single one of us knew it was the
translation of B’3or SHinai, a Hebrew pun on the word B’QoSHi (which means barely, hardly, with difficulty) in the biblical book of Job 19:20.
The majority of idioms are transliterated (not translated) from a foreign language directly into words that look/sound/feel like the target language. For English idioms, there are not a lot of foreign languages involved: Germanic languages, Latin, Aramaic (during the 600 years it was a lingua franca), French (1066), Hebrew & Greek (biblical translation), Arabic (7
Crusades, Spanish Armada 1588 => Black Irish), Yiddish (in England prior to the Expulsion in 1290; 1840s from Germany, early 1900s from Eastern Europe), etc.
A minority of idioms are the translation of foreign idioms. These are more difficult to analyze because one needs to know not only the language of the source but also the foreign language into which the transliteration (sic) was made, which may or may not be the same. Additional intermediate
translations should not affect the result if they were faithful.
A cute translation idiom is “count sheep !” to go to sleep. This is probably the translation of a Hebrew pun S’PoR TSo@N on the Latin phrase sopor (as in soporific) sond (as in soundly / deeply). This English idiom has been
retranslated back into Israeli Hebrew as LiSPoR KeVeS = to count sheep.
In a few cases, the “original” was a euphemism and not “plain text”. I suspect this is the case with “kick the bucket”. It seems to be the direct
transliteration of a Semitic euphemism for dying: to make love in Paradise. Using 3 for aiyin with its ancient G/K-sound: 3aGaV = make physical love + B’3aiDeN = in Eden. 3G => Kick, vB3Dn => BucKeT.
In other words, this type of idiom formation represents the target languag-ification of a foreign word or phrase. It can be most easily illustrated with a foreign phrase that did *not* become an idiom: Latin e
pluribus unum = out of many, one. This is a motto of the USA. If it had become an idiom, it might have become “a flower bush you name” but would
retain its original Latin meaning. It would probably acquire a folk etymology, such as: we could give a flower bush many names, but we usually give it only one.
Transliteration idioms are most easily formed at a time when most target-language speakers do not read and write. They hear a foreign word/phrase, understand its meaning in context, and convert its sounds into target-language words they do know.
For a rare modern example, “face the music” is attested in the United States
from the 1840s. This “music” is probably from Yiddish MoSKoNeh = inference, deduction, hence, consequences, from Hebrew MaSKaNah with the same meaning.
Etymology is not an exact science. The 3 etymologies that a non-linguist is most likely to “know” are all false. Muscle is not from Latin musculus = a
small mouse. Sabotage is not from French sabot = an old shoe. And cabal is from Hebrew het-bet-lamed = to plot, scheme, not from Hebrew Kabbalah = esoteric knowledge, literally, received (tradition). Porcelain has nothing to do with a porcine vulva, and gossamer is from Latin Gossypium = cotton,
not from goose + summer :-). But that is another story.
For more examples of idiom etymologies, do a Google search for
Best regards,
Israel “izzy” Cohen
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BPMaps/
August 7th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Thank you for your remarks Israel. It was really good to see such a detailed analysis about a topic that is considered so trivial.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Thanks for loading the data of Recruitment of posts. There will be effective for all students which prepare the competitive exams. I want to sucess in this exam. For this what will I have to do? Please sent me list of books which is most useful for me.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
This is very useful and infomative link for all the aspirants tending towards the competitive field of this struggling life.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:00 am
thanku so much
December 26th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
sir, can u plz send me the last years’ question paperS of F.M.S, UNIV. OF DELHI.