WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-10 MCQs on the Usage of "Beat Around the Bush" and "Cost an Arm and a Leg"
10 MCQs on the Usage of "Beat Around the Bush" and "Cost an Arm and a Leg"
1. "Instead of beating around the bush, she should have told him directly what the real problem was." — What does "beat around the bush" mean in this sentence?
- A) To walk around a bush in a garden looking for something
- B) To avoid coming to the main point by talking about irrelevant things
- C) To speak clearly and directly about an important matter
- D) To search carefully through bushes in the countryside
Answer: B) To avoid coming to the main point by talking about irrelevant things ("Beat around the bush" is an idiom meaning to avoid getting to the main point of a discussion by talking about unrelated or irrelevant matters — it is used when someone deliberately evades a direct answer or avoids addressing the real issue.)
2. "The luxury apartment in the heart of the city cost an arm and a leg but the family decided to buy it anyway." — What does "cost an arm and a leg" mean here?
- A) To require physical effort rather than money to obtain something
- B) To cost a very large and unreasonable sum of money
- C) To be available at a surprisingly affordable and reasonable price
- D) To involve a great deal of bargaining before a price is agreed upon
Answer: B) To cost a very large and unreasonable sum of money ("Cost an arm and a leg" is an idiom meaning that something is extremely expensive — it is used when the price of something is so high that it seems to demand a great personal sacrifice to afford it.)
3. "The manager told his subordinate to stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point of his presentation." — What is the grammatical function of "beating around the bush" in this sentence?
- A) It functions as a noun phrase
- B) It functions as an adjective phrase
- C) It functions as an adverb phrase
- D) It functions as a verb phrase
Answer: D) It functions as a verb phrase ("Beating around the bush" functions as the main verb phrase of the gerund clause following the verb "stop" — it describes the behaviour that the manager wanted the subordinate to cease immediately and get to the heart of the matter.)
4. "The medical treatment she required cost an arm and a leg and the family had to take out a loan to pay for it." — What is the grammatical function of "cost an arm and a leg" in this sentence?
- A) It functions as a noun phrase
- B) It functions as an adjective phrase
- C) It functions as an adverb phrase
- D) It functions as a verb phrase
Answer: D) It functions as a verb phrase ("Cost an arm and a leg" functions as the main verb phrase of the sentence — it describes the financial burden imposed by the medical treatment and expresses the extremely high price that the family had to face.)
5. "He spent the entire meeting beating around the bush without once addressing the urgent financial crisis facing the company." — Which of the following best explains why "beat around the bush" is used here?
- A) He discussed the financial crisis in great depth and detail during the meeting
- B) He deliberately avoided addressing the main issue by talking about unrelated matters
- C) He presented a clear and direct solution to the financial crisis at the meeting
- D) He informed the team about the financial crisis at the very beginning of the meeting
Answer: B) He deliberately avoided addressing the main issue by talking about unrelated matters ("Beat around the bush" is used here because he avoided the urgent issue throughout the entire meeting — the idiom always describes the deliberate evasion of a central point or topic by dwelling on peripheral or irrelevant matters instead of addressing the real issue directly.)
6. "The bespoke wedding dress she had always dreamed of cost an arm and a leg but she felt it was worth every penny." — Which of the following is the closest in meaning to "cost an arm and a leg"?
- A) To be available at a bargain price
- B) To be within the budget of most people
- C) To come at an exorbitant and steep price
- D) To be offered at a standard and reasonable rate
Answer: C) To come at an exorbitant and steep price ("To come at an exorbitant and steep price" is the closest in meaning to "cost an arm and a leg" — both expressions convey the idea that the price of something is extremely high and represents a significant financial sacrifice for the person purchasing it.)
7. "Which of the following sentences uses beat around the bush correctly?"
- A) She beat around the bush by giving a clear and detailed explanation of the situation.
- B) He beat around the bush by answering every question directly and without hesitation.
- C) The politician beat around the bush by talking at length about unrelated issues instead of answering the question.
- D) The teacher beat around the bush by explaining the concept thoroughly and concisely to her students.
Answer: C) The politician beat around the bush by talking at length about unrelated issues instead of answering the question. ("Beat around the bush" is correctly used here because the politician avoided the direct question by talking about unrelated matters — the idiom must always describe the deliberate evasion of a main point or question and cannot be used to describe clear direct or thorough communication.)
8. "Renovating the historic mansion from top to bottom cost an arm and a leg but the owner was determined to restore it to its original glory." — Which of the following situations would most appropriately call for the use of "cost an arm and a leg"?
- A) Purchasing a simple and inexpensive item from a local market stall
- B) Buying a luxury sports car that is priced far beyond the reach of most people
- C) Spending a modest amount on a regular everyday household necessity
- D) Receiving a generous discount on a product at a seasonal sale
Answer: B) Buying a luxury sports car that is priced far beyond the reach of most people ("Cost an arm and a leg" is most appropriately used when the price of something is extraordinarily high and well beyond what most people can reasonably afford — the idiom specifically describes extreme expense and significant financial sacrifice rather than ordinary or reasonable expenditure.)
9. "The principal urged the students to stop beating around the bush in their essays and to express their arguments clearly and directly." — Which of the following is the closest in meaning to "beat around the bush"?
- A) To address the main point immediately and without hesitation
- B) To communicate thoughts in a clear and straightforward manner
- C) To speak evasively and avoid addressing the central issue directly
- D) To present an argument in a logical and well-structured manner
Answer: C) To speak evasively and avoid addressing the central issue directly ("To speak evasively and avoid addressing the central issue directly" is the closest in meaning to "beat around the bush" — both expressions describe the tendency to avoid coming to the point by dwelling on irrelevant details or peripheral matters instead of addressing the real subject directly.)
10. "Which of the following sentences uses the idiom cost an arm and a leg incorrectly?"
- A) The private school education for both children cost an arm and a leg but the parents considered it a worthwhile investment.
- B) The designer handbag she had been eyeing for months cost an arm and a leg.
- C) The cup of tea she ordered at the local café cost an arm and a leg.
- D) Hiring a specialised legal team for the lengthy court case cost an arm and a leg.
Answer: C) The cup of tea she ordered at the local café cost an arm and a leg. ("Cost an arm and a leg" cannot reasonably be used to describe a cup of tea ordered at a local café as such an item is universally understood to be inexpensive and affordable — the idiom specifically refers to something that is extraordinarily expensive and the use of it for a routine low-cost item makes the sentence idiomatically implausible and contextually absurd.)
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