CPE Use of English Unit 5
1. He was cheated _______________ his full holiday entitlement due to changes in company policy. A. Out of B. Off C. Off D. With
2. The interviewer kept cutting __________ when the Minister was trying to answer the
question on environmental policy. A. Off B. Out C. In D. Into
3. Sales of records and cassettes have dropped _________________ considerably this year. A. Off B. Down C. Out D. Over
4. Their house was cut _____________ from the village by the flooding river. A. Out B. Away C. Off D. Back
5. The unforeseen expense on the new house ate _____________ my savings but it was worth it. A. Up B. Off C. At D. Into
6. They’ve fitted _______________ their kitchen with new tables. A. Out B. Up C. Into D. In
7. She drew the lecture ___________ to nearly 4 hours although it was supposed to last an hour. A. Off B. Out C. Along D. Up
8. Could you check __________ the children and see what they’re up to? A. Out B. On C. Upon D. Up
9. Their holiday plan fell ______________ when the children became ill. A. Down B. Off C. Through D. Out
10. This composition would be better if you cut _____________ the 2nd paragraph. A. Out B. Off C. Away D. Into
11. Everyone says Maria _____________ when she married her millionaire husband. A. Had her hands full B. Went to her head C. Struck gold D. Had her heart in her mouth
12. It’s your own fault you got the sack; now you _____________________. A. Are in for the high jump
B. Have many irons in the fire C. Stew in your own juices D. Get the hang of it
13. He is a solicitor ___________ profession A. By B. In C. On D. With
14. He is _____________ arrears with his loan payments. A. At B. Over C. In D. On
15. Strawberries are only _________________ season in May and June. A. At B. In C. On D. Off
16. What implications will the changes have _____________ the company? A. On B. For C. To D. Towards
17. For a new invention to __________________, a lot of time and money is needed. A. Come to grief B. Gain ground C. Throw down the gauntlet D. Get off the ground
18. She had been unhappy in her marriage for some time but decided to
__________________ for the sake of her children. A. Grind to a halt B. Gain ground C. Make a go of it D. Stick to her guns
19. David decided that smoking was ruining his health and so gave it up for __________. A. Once B. Good C. All D. Always
20. Those street vendors sell ____________ cream. A. False B. Forged C. Fake D. Mock
21. The dog __________ under the table when I shouted at him for eating my steak. A. Scampered B. Strutted C. Slunk D. Slinked
22. She tried to ___________ Tom’s importance to the company in order to gain a promotion for herself. A. Dwindle B. Diminish C. Shrink D. Reduce
23. The mountain was ____________ in thick cloud. A. Dressing B. Clothing C. Clothed D. Wearing
24. I __________________ him as my worst enemy. A. Look on B. Look upon C. Look to D. Look at
25. The soldier fell _________ when the enemy appeared on the horizon. A. Off B. Out C. Back D. Over
26. During war, men joined ___________ in order to defend their country. A. In B. Up C. Into D. Out
27. When Tom saw the cake, he fell ____________ it and ate immediately. A. In B. Into C. On D. Back on
28. Attendance has fallen ____________ severely during Christmas period. A. Off B. Down C. Out D. Back
29. To avoid an argument, she fell _____________ her husband’s plans. A. Down on B. In with C. Into D. Up on
30. She fell _____________ her own ingenuity when all else failed. A. Down on B. Off C. Out with D. Down on
31. Talking this matter again is just ________________. A. Flogging a dead horse B. Off the cuff C. Time on our hands D. Taking it to heart
32. She was __________________; nobody knew she was an eminent poet. A. A dead horse B. A dark horse C. A black cat D. A dark matter
33. You have to practice driving a car before you ___________________. A. Come in handy B. Strike gold C. Have you hands full D. Get the hang of it
34. The teacher was deaf ___________ Nick’s explanation of why he hadn’t done his homework. A. With B. To C. Towards D. Over
35. We still haven’t heard _______________ the insurance company about our claim. A. From B. Of C. Over D. To
36. Surgeons operated ___________ her last night; she will be fine. A. With B. On C. In D. Onto
37. She haggled _________ the shopkeeper over the souvenir’s price. A. To B. Towards C. Over D. With
38. The castaways were stranded ___________ an island for nearly a week. A. Off B. To C. On D. By
39. This coat was ___________ a sale when I bought it so it was inexpensive. A. For B. In C. On D. Off
40. He is an expert ________ name only; he actually knows very little about the subject. A. In B. By C. On D. Off
41. When she introduced her friends, she tried to ________________ by mentioning the interests they had in common. A. Keep up with the Joneses B. Have many irons in the fire C. Break the ice D. Stew in her own juice
42. The children who broke the window will ____________________ when their father finds out. A. Be for the high jump B. Be broken the ice C. Have a job
D. Have many irons in their fire.
43. Mr Smith is becoming increasingly impatient ___________ this class as they never pay attention. A. To B. With C. For D. Towards
44. He had a go ______________ the equation but he couldn’t do it. A. With B. To C. At D. Both B and C
45. They gave me their ____________ that they would come A. Word B. Words C. Line D. Lines
46. There is a bus to the station _________________ half-hour intervals on Saturdays. A. In B. On C. At D. Between
47. She sued the newspaper as the article written about her was injurious ________ her reputation. A. Upon B. With C. To D. On
48. She ___________ exception to the way she spoke to him. A. Gave B. Made C. Laid D. Took
49. The designer refuses to gild the _____________, preferring clean, simple lines for his creations. A. Flower B. Lily C. Daisy D. Rose
50. With fuel in short supply, machinery in this factory slowly ground to a(n) ______________. A. Halt B. Pause C. Expiration D. Fire
51. The new Pension Act _____________ eliminates some of the basic rights of pensioners. A. Being up for grabs B. For good C. As good as D. Gaining ground
52. Those people are charged with making ____________ money. A. Fake B. False C. Forged D. Mock
53. The car drew __________ in front of the hotel and the actress stepped out. A. Off B. Out C. Down D. Up
54. Winter is coming. It’s getting darker and the days are really starting to draw __________. A. Out B. In C. Down D. Off
55. We’ll have to organize a union meeting if we want to head ___________a strike. A. Off B. Out C. On D. In
56. During the power workers’ strike, the electricity was cut ___________ regularly. A. Out B. Down C. Off D. Out of
57. I wish you wouldn’t fly ______ me like that every time I make a mistake. A. Into B. At C. To D. Over
58. A torch comes in ______________ when you go on a camping trip. A. Hand B. Use C. Handy D. Using
59. You should be careful about criticizing her as she ___________________. A. Will take it to her heels B. Will go to her head C. Will hold your horses D. Will take it to heart
60. Someone is going to have to do something about the violence of the football matches
before the situation completely _______________. A. Gets off the cuff B. Strikes gold C. Gets out of hand D. Loses heart
61. I heard the news ______________________; John himself told me he was planning to change jobs. A. Out of hand
B. Straight from the horse’s mouth C. Off the cuff D. From his heart
62. Truffle looks ____________ but appetizing with dark color. A. Nothing B. Anything C. Everything D. None of the above
63. Black and white truffles are the most sought _______. A. After B. Out C. Over D. On
64. Pigs or dogs needed to sniff ___________ their food. A. Off B. For C. Out D. Up
65. He says he’s feeling a bit _________ color today. A. Under B. Out of C. Over D. Off
66. There are some species of reef fish that have died __________ transit in this aquarium. A. At B. In C. Off D. Out of
67. Corals are hard to ______________ in captivity. A. Propagate B. Proliferate C. Manufacture D. Fabricate
68. It is human that will make decisions which will _____________ the fate of the animals. A. Choose B. Verify C. Decide D. Validate
69. Rosie the kitten __________ playfully around with a ball. A. Slunk B. Scampered C. Slithered D. Strutted
70. My new pullover _____________ to half its previous size when I washed it. A. Shrank B. Reduced C. Diminished