Idioms and Phrases, Error Spotting - Question Bank

1. To 'make a long story short' means:
A) To tell a story in great detail
B) To summarize a story
C) To end a story abruptly
D) To exaggerate a story
2. Identify the error: 'He lives in the USA.'
A) He lives
B) in the USA
C) lives in
D) No error
3. What does the idiom 'sit on the fence' mean?
A) To be undecided or neutral about something
B) To observe a situation passively
C) To take a side in an argument
D) To avoid making a decision
4. Find the error: 'The cattle is grazing in the field.'
A) The cattle
B) is grazing
C) in the field
D) No error
5. The phrase 'in a nutshell' means:
A) In great detail
B) Very briefly
C) In a container
D) For a long time
6. Spot the error: 'The police has arrested the suspect.'
A) The police
B) has arrested
C) the suspect
D) No error
7. What does the idiom 'go the extra mile' mean?
A) To do more than is expected
B) To travel a long distance
C) To give up easily
D) To take a shortcut
8. Identify the error: 'He is allergic to cats and dogs.'
A) He is allergic
B) to cats
C) and dogs
D) No error
9. To 'get on someone's nerves' means:
A) To praise someone
B) To annoy someone
C) To help someone
D) To understand someone
10. Find the error: 'The pair of shoes were lost.'
A) The pair of shoes
B) were lost
C) pair of shoes
D) No error
11. What is the meaning of the idiom 'a blessing in disguise'?
A) A misfortune that eventually results in something good
B) A genuine misfortune
C) A hidden danger
D) A lucky charm
12. Spot the error: 'The data suggests that the economy is improving.'
A) The data
B) suggests
C) that the economy is improving
D) No error
13. To 'keep an eye on' something means:
A) To ignore it
B) To watch it carefully
C) To put it away
D) To throw it away
14. Identify the error: 'He is quite different than his brother.'
A) He is quite different
B) than his brother
C) different than
D) No error
15. What does the idiom 'play with fire' mean?
A) To engage in a dangerous or risky activity
B) To burn something intentionally
C) To be careless with a valuable asset
D) To enjoy a warm environment
16. Find the error: 'The number of people attending the event were surprisingly low.'
A) The number of people
B) attending the event
C) were surprisingly low
D) No error
17. The phrase 'cut corners' means:
A) To do something in the easiest, cheapest, or fastest way, often by omitting something important
B) To take a shortcut
C) To draw a shape
D) To be very efficient
18. Spot the error: 'She is one of the best students who has ever studied here.'
A) She is one of the best students
B) who has ever studied here
C) one of the best students
D) No error
19. What does the idiom 'barking up the wrong tree' mean?
A) To be on the right track
B) To be pursuing a mistaken course of action
C) To be searching for a lost pet
D) To be making a loud noise
20. Identify the error: 'He is married with a doctor.'
A) He is married
B) with a doctor
C) married with
D) No error
21. To 'jump on the bandwagon' means:
A) To start a new trend
B) To join a popular activity or trend
C) To criticize a popular movement
D) To abandon a failing cause
22. Find the error: 'The manager congratulated the team for their success.'
A) The manager congratulated
B) the team
C) for their success
D) No error
23. What does the idiom 'get cold feet' mean?
A) To feel extremely cold
B) To become nervous or frightened and unable to do something planned
C) To catch a cold
D) To dance energetically
24. Spot the error: 'The management are meeting tomorrow to discuss the new policy.'
A) The management
B) are meeting
C) to discuss the new policy
D) No error
25. The phrase 'a piece of cake' means:
A) A difficult task
B) An easy task
C) A sweet dessert
D) A celebratory meal
26. Identify the error: 'He is senior than me in age and experience.'
A) He is senior
B) than me
C) in age and experience
D) No error
27. What is the meaning of the idiom 'beat around the bush'?
A) To be direct and to the point
B) To avoid talking about a difficult topic directly
C) To search for something in a garden
D) To waste time on trivial matters
28. Find the error: 'The committee have decided to postpone the meeting.'
A) The committee
B) have decided
C) to postpone the meeting
D) No error
29. To 'call it a day' means:
A) To start working
B) To stop working on something for the day
C) To schedule a meeting
D) To celebrate the end of a project
30. Spot the error: 'The dog barked at the stranger who entered the property.'
A) The dog barked
B) at the stranger
C) who entered the property
D) No error
31. What does the idiom 'add insult to injury' mean?
A) To help someone who is already in trouble
B) To make a bad situation even worse
C) To apologize for a mistake
D) To celebrate a victory
32. Identify the error: 'My friend and myself will be attending the conference.'
A) My friend and myself
B) will be attending
C) the conference
D) No error
33. The phrase 'once in a blue moon' means:
A) Very often
B) Rarely
C) Every day
D) Never
34. Find the error: 'He is junior than me in the office.'
A) He is junior
B) than me
C) in the office
D) No error
35. What is the meaning of the idiom 'get something off your chest'?
A) To confess something that has been worrying you
B) To remove a heavy object
C) To express anger
D) To share good news
36. Spot the error: 'Each of the participants were given a certificate.'
A) Each of the participants
B) were given
C) a certificate
D) No error
37. If someone is 'feeling under the weather', they are:
A) Feeling extremely happy
B) Feeling slightly ill
C) Feeling very cold
D) Feeling overworked
38. Identify the error: 'The news were shocking.'
A) The news
B) were shocking
C) shocking
D) No error
39. What does the idiom 'spill the beans' mean?
A) To make a mess
B) To reveal a secret
C) To eat food carelessly
D) To cause an argument
40. Find the error: 'He is one of those students who is always late.'
A) He is one of those students
B) who is always late
C) one of those students
D) No error
41. To 'burn the midnight oil' means:
A) To work late into the night
B) To start a fire accidentally
C) To be very tired
D) To celebrate a success
42. Spot the error: 'The team were disappointed with the result.'
A) The team
B) were disappointed
C) with the result
D) No error
43. What does the idiom 'hit the nail on the head' mean?
A) To be completely wrong
B) To do something perfectly
C) To say or do something exactly right
D) To cause damage unintentionally
44. Identify the error: 'She was angry on him for his misbehavior.'
A) She was angry
B) on him
C) for his misbehavior
D) No error
45. If someone 'lets the cat out of the bag', what have they done?
A) They have adopted a pet
B) They have revealed a secret
C) They have made a mistake
D) They have caused a disturbance
46. Find the error in the sentence: 'He is good in playing chess.'
A) He is good
B) in playing chess
C) good in
D) No error
47. What is the meaning of the idiom 'cost an arm and a leg'?
A) To be very expensive
B) To be very cheap
C) To be physically demanding
D) To be emotionally draining
48. Which part of the sentence contains an error: 'Despite of the heavy rain, we decided to go for a walk.'
A) Despite of
B) the heavy rain
C) we decided
D) to go for a walk
49. The phrase 'break a leg' is typically used to wish someone:
A) Good luck
B) A speedy recovery
C) A happy birthday
D) Safe travels
50. Identify the error: 'She is more taller than her brother.'
A) She is more taller
B) taller than
C) her brother
D) No error
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