Idioms, Phrasal Verbs and One-Word Substitution — The Vocabulary Block Papers Keep Reusing

The vocabulary block — idioms, phrasal verbs and one-word substitution — is the cheapest scoring section in any English paper. There is no rule to apply and no passage to read. You either know the phrase or you do not, and the whole question takes ten seconds either way. In SSC CGL and CHSL that is four to six marks sitting in plain sight; in BPSC TRE-4 Part I, 'Idioms & Phrases' is a named chapter of the syllabus.

One idea explains almost every wrong answer here. An idiom does not mean what its words mean. 'To bell the cat' has nothing to do with cats, and 'a white elephant' is not an animal. Examiners know this, so the literal meaning is always printed as an option, usually first. Learning to reject it on sight is worth more than memorising another fifty idioms.

1. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'to bell the cat'.

2. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'a white elephant'.

3. Fill in the blank: 'The cricket match was ______ because of heavy rain.'

4. One who hates mankind is called —

5. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'to smell a rat'.

6. The phrasal verb 'look after' means —

7. The inability to sleep is called —

8. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'to make both ends meet'.