Idioms

1. After going to the zoo, the mall, and the movies, Siti was sick of bending over backwards to entertain her nieces.

• Siti was doing very little to entertain her nieces.

• Siti was making small efforts to entertain her nieces.

• Siti was trying very hard to entertain her nieces.

• Siti was not trying at all to entertain her nieces.

2. Bobby would have been playing ball until the cows came home if it hadn’t been for Suzie dragging him home for dinner.

• Bobby was just about to stop playing ball.

• Bobby didn’t even want to play ball to begin with.

• Bobby prefers nature to athletics.

• Bobby would have continued playing ball for a long time.

Mr. Johnson was very particular about the arrangement of his classroom, so the thing he hated most was when his students caused a ruckus with their wild horseplay.

• Mr. Johnson hated when his students pretended to be animals.

• Mr. Johnson hated when his students played sports.

• Mr. Johnson hated when his students wrestled around with each other.

• Mr. Johnson hated when his students made animal noises.

Aizat wanted to fix his cousin’s computer, but he was already having problems setting up his Aunt’s Wi-Fi network and he didn’t want to open a whole new can of worms.

• Aizat was sick of spending his time helping his family.

• Aizat wanted to go fishing instead of working on computers.

• Aizat was having difficulties untangling the computer wires.

• Aizat was not ready to begin working on a complicated new problem.

Even though Candace already had a new job, she submitted her two week notice and conducted herself in a professional way at her old job because she didn’t want to burn bridges.

• Candace didn’t want to ruin her positive relationship with her old employer.

• Candace wasn’t ready to start her new job.

• Candace was really going to miss her old job.

• Candace was waiting until her last day to rub it in everyone’s face that she was leaving.

Janet gushed over the sculpture in the antique shop, but Kevin thought that the craftsmanship was merely run of the mill.

• Something this is of exceptionally high quality

• Something marked by creativity or originality

• Something that is too expensive for the average person too afford

• Something that is low quality, common or ordinary

Syamsul chose Safwan for his partner, thinking that it would be fun to work with his best friend, but now that the project was due tomorrow and the boys had nothing done, Syamsul realized that he should have hitched his horse to a different wagon.

• When one wishes to have chosen different company than one is presently keeping

• When one accepts responsibility for one's own involvement in an unfortunate event

• When one understands that the only way to solve a problem is through hard work

• When one determines that the best course of action is to tell the truth

Vince knew that if he wanted to get into college, he'd have to keep his nose to the grindstone all senior year.

• Vince would have to apply for college.

• Vince would have to work hard for a whole year.

• Vince would have to wait patiently for an opportunity.

• Vince would have to stay out of trouble for a whole year.

Even though Lim had been bullying the new kid since the beginning of the year, Lim shed his crocodile tears after the principal caught him and threatened him with suspension.

• This means that Lim genuinely feels sorry for his actions.

• This means that Lim display of sorrow was insincere.

• This means that Lim was afraid of the principal.

• This means that Lim was afraid of the new kid.

When Kimi called Adudu "stinky pants" on the playground, Adudu wanted to call Kimi a mean name too, but Adudu's mother had always taught him to turn the other cheek.

• To forgive an act of aggression

• To return an act of aggression with greater force

• To return an act of aggression with equal force

• To hide from aggression in order to protect oneself