What is the meaning of the idiom 'to bite off more than one can chew'?
- A. To be overly confident
- B. To take on more than one can handle
- C. To be easily discouraged
- D. To be meticulous in planning
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'To bite off more than one can chew' means to take on more than one can handle or to undertake a task exceeding one's capabilities. This idiom warns against overcommitting oneself and facing difficulties in managing the workload effectively. Choice A, 'To be overly confident,' is incorrect as the idiom implies a situation of overestimating one's capacity rather than confidence. Choice C, 'To be easily discouraged,' is not related to the idiom's meaning, which focuses on task difficulty rather than emotional response. Choice D, 'To be meticulous in planning,' is not accurate as the idiom refers to the execution of tasks rather than the planning phase.
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What part of speech is the word 'growing' in the sentence: 'He felt a growing sense of unease'?
- A. Verb
- B. Adjective
- C. Noun
- D. Adverb
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The word 'growing' in the sentence 'He felt a growing sense of unease' is functioning as an adjective. It describes the sense of unease, indicating a characteristic of the sense rather than an action (verb), a person, place, thing, or idea (noun), or modifying a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (adverb). Therefore, 'growing' is an adjective in this context.
Identify the clause that acts as an adverbial modifier in the sentence: 'While the movie was playing, I snuck out to get popcorn.'
- A. While the movie was playing
- B. I snuck out
- C. to get popcorn
- D. the movie was playing
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The clause 'While the movie was playing' acts as an adverbial modifier because it describes the time when the action of 'I snuck out' occurred, making it an adverbial clause. Choice A is correct as it is a subordinate clause that functions as an adverb to provide information about the time of the main action. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect as they do not serve as adverbial modifiers in the context of the sentence.
Which sentence uses the past perfect tense correctly?
- A. By the time I arrived, the party had already begun.
- B. I wish I had studied harder for the exam.
- C. We will have finished the project by Monday.
- D. She had been waiting for hours before he finally showed up.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Option A correctly uses the past perfect tense to show an action that was completed before another past action. In this sentence, 'the party had already begun' indicates that the party started before 'I arrived.' This structure is typical of the past perfect tense. Choice B uses the past perfect tense but does not demonstrate the sequence of actions in the past. Choice C uses the future perfect tense, indicating completion of an action by a future time. Choice D uses the past perfect continuous tense, not the simple past perfect tense required by the question.
What part of speech is the word 'disappointed' in the sentence 'I was disappointed by the outcome'?
- A. Verb
- B. Noun
- C. Adjective
- D. Adverb
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: In the sentence 'I was disappointed by the outcome,' 'disappointed' is used to describe the subject 'I,' indicating its quality. This function classifies 'disappointed' as an adjective. Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns by giving more information about their attributes. Therefore, the correct answer is 'Adjective.'
The other choices are incorrect because:
- 'Verb' refers to an action word or a state of being, which 'disappointed' is not performing in this sentence.
- 'Noun' represents a person, place, thing, or idea, and 'disappointed' does not serve this function in the given sentence.
- 'Adverb' modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, but 'disappointed' is not modifying any of these in the sentence provided.
Which sentence uses the passive voice correctly?
- A. The letter was written by Mary.
- B. John built the house.
- C. She gave the flowers to him.
- D. They were eating dinner.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Option A correctly uses the passive voice by placing the emphasis on the object (letter) that received the action (was written) rather than the subject performing the action. The phrase 'by Mary' indicates the agent who performed the action, making it a clear example of the passive voice structure. Choices B, C, and D are all in the active voice, where the subject performs the action directly on the object. In the context of identifying the correct usage of the passive voice, option A stands out as the only suitable example.