English MCQs – Page 79 (Q781-790)

The correct answer is 'To agree with someone' because this idiom describes sharing the same opinion or viewpoint as another person, often used in its negative form, 'we don't see eye to eye', to describe disagreement instead. The phrase has a biblical origin, appearing in the Book of Isaiah, where it originally described watchmen seeing clearly and directly, an image of aligned perspective that evolved into the modern figurative sense of shared agreement or understanding between people.

The correct answer is 'To take credit for someone else's achievement' because this idiom describes claiming attention or praise that rightfully belongs to another person, often by acting first or drawing focus away from them. The phrase has a specific documented origin in eighteenth-century English theater, when playwright John Dennis invented a new stage technique for simulating thunder sound effects, only to have a rival production steal his invention without credit, prompting his famous complaint that they had 'stolen his thunder'.

The correct answer is 'To not take something too seriously' because this idiom describes maintaining a degree of skepticism or reservation toward a claim, treating it as possibly exaggerated or unreliable rather than fully credible. The phrase derives from Latin 'cum grano salis', traced to the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, who included a grain of salt as an ingredient in an ancient antidote recipe, an association that evolved into the modern figurative sense of tempering belief with a small dose of doubt.

The correct answer is 'To openly show one's emotions' because this idiom describes displaying one's feelings visibly and without concealment, rather than hiding them behind a reserved or guarded exterior. The phrase is often traced to medieval jousting tournaments, where knights would supposedly wear a token, such as a ribbon, from a lady they admired, visibly on their sleeve, publicly declaring their affection, an image of openly worn devotion that evolved into today's broader sense of visibly displayed emotion of any kind.

The correct answer is 'To spoil the enjoyment of others' because this idiom describes a person whose negative attitude, pessimism, or lack of enthusiasm dampens the mood or fun of a group, much like how a literal wet blanket can be used to smother and extinguish a fire. This vivid firefighting image, of dampening something lively and warm, became a natural metaphor for someone who dampens the enthusiasm or enjoyment of those around them at a social gathering or celebration.

The correct answer is 'To suspect something is wrong' because this idiom describes sensing that a situation is dishonest, suspicious, or not as it appears on the surface, without necessarily having concrete proof yet. The phrase draws on the natural instinct of animals like cats and dogs to detect the presence of rats through smell long before they are visible, a keen, instinctive detection of an unseen problem that became a fitting metaphor for human suspicion or a hunch that something is amiss.

The correct answer is 'To be extremely happy' because this idiom describes a state of intense joy or elation, feeling as though one is floating above ordinary concerns. One theory traces its origin to early twentieth-century meteorological cloud classification systems, in which cloud type nine, referring to towering cumulonimbus clouds, represented the highest-reaching cloud formation, giving rise to the sense of being lifted to a euphoric height, though the classification-based origin story remains debated among etymologists.

The correct answer is 'Something that seems bad but turns out good' because this idiom describes an event or situation that initially appears negative or unfortunate but ultimately leads to a positive outcome. The phrase captures a common theme in reflective and motivational language, encouraging optimism during apparent setbacks, and is frequently used when hindsight reveals that a seemingly unlucky event, such as losing a job, actually opened the door to a better opportunity.

The correct answer is 'To ignore or treat someone with indifference' because this idiom describes deliberately behaving in an unfriendly, distant, or dismissive manner toward someone, often as a form of social punishment or disapproval. The phrase is popularly, though not definitively, traced to a medieval custom of serving an unwelcome or overstaying guest a cold shoulder of meat rather than a hot meal, a subtle but clear signal of diminished hospitality that evolved into today's broader sense of interpersonal coldness.

The correct answer is 'To be in the same difficult situation as others' because this idiom describes sharing a common predicament or challenge with other people, facing the same risks or difficulties together. The image draws on the literal vulnerability of passengers sharing a single small boat, where danger to one person, such as the boat capsizing, equally threatens everyone aboard, a shared-fate metaphor that became a widely used expression for solidarity in facing common hardship.