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100
Business meetings usually begin with some small talk while waiting for everyone to arrive. When it’s time to start seriously focusing on the actual work, it’s time to... a) get down to business. b) take a stroll. c) cut corners.
a) get down to business.
100
It means doing something strictly according to the rules, policies or the law. - I don’t think John will listen to your suggestion. He insists on doing everything... a) ...under the eye. b) ...by the book. c) ...as the King said.
by the book.
100
It means to keep doing something without achieving any real results. In other words, you’re doing a lot of unnecessary work but not getting anywhere. -The deadline is coming up, but we’ve been ____________ because the client keeps changing their mind about the design. a) jumping over the fence. b) tripping on our shoelaces. c) running around in circles.
c) running around in circles.
100
It simply means to start over or to go back to the beginning. -Our design for small family homes wasn’t approved so we have to... a) sharpen our pencils. b) go back to square one. c) plant our seeds once more.
b) go back to square one.
100
You often hear this idiom to talk about something that has been true since the very beginning. -I hope management realizes that our deadlines are very tight. We need to hire more people immediately. We’ve been short-handed... a) from day one. b) since lights were turned on. c) since the egg hatched.
a) from day one.
200
- "Our sales estimates were way off the mark. We'd projected sales of 15 million but the actual numbers were closer to 9 million." Does "way off the mark" mean: a) too optimistic. b) higher than average. c) very wrong or inaccurate.
c) very wrong or inaccurate.
200
- "If we cut corners, we can probably meet our sales target for the last quarter." Does "cut corners" mean: a) to do something in a quick and cheap way. b) to cancel established goals. c) to hire someone to do the job.
a) to do something in a quick and cheap way.
200
-"This matter is important to me, so please keep me in the loop." Does "keep me in the loop" mean: a) keep me informed. b) think about me when discussing the matter. c) send me the email.
a) keep me informed.
200
- "I have a meeting right now but I’ll touch base with you later." Does "touch base" mean: a) to go have a drink with someone after work. b) to contact someone. c) "see you tomorrow".
b) to contact someone.
200
-"Three colleges from my department are on vacation so I've got a lot on my plate at the moment." Does "I've got a lot on my plate" mean: a) I have a lot of responsibilities. b) I can eat more at the cafeteria buffet. c) I have nothing to do.
a) I have a lot of responsibilities.
300
- "The project manager won’t be pleased with them changing the design at the eleventh hour." Does "the eleventh hour" mean: a) so late at night. b) during the middle of work. c) at the last minute.
c) at the last minute.
300
- "Yesterday the meeting lasted for four hours, but in a nutshell, we decided to close our branch in India." Does "in a nutshell" mean: a) in summary. b) in the end. c) in an argument.
a) in summary.
300
- "Reaching a high-paying job nowadays is a long shot but I’m still going to give it a try." Does "long shot" mean: a) it will be difficult. b) it's impossible. c) it will take time.
a) it will be difficult.
300
- "The text for the article is almost perfect, I just want to tweak one or two sentences" Does "tweak" mean: a) remove. b) make small adjustments. c) make shorter.
b) make small adjustments.
300
- "It’s going to be a challenge doing such a big project on a shoestring but we’ll try our best." Does "on a shoestring" mean: a) in such little time. b) with so little support. c) with very little money.
c) with very little money.
400
- "The rule of thumb is to reinvest no more than 30%, but it's okay if you go over that number occasionally." Does "rule of thumb" mean: a) minimum amount. b) general practice. c) strict limit.
b) general practice.
400
- "Bob said I missed the deadline but I want to set the record straight, I submitted my work on time but he didn't check his email." Does "set the record straight" mean: a) correct a mistake and say the truth. b) express a different opinion. c) get permission.
a) correct a mistake and say the truth.
400
- "We have until December to prepare these documents so let's put them on the back burner for now." Does "put them on the back burner" mean: a) send them back to their origin. b) give them low priority. c) finish them quickly.
b) give them low priority.
400
- "Laura didn't go to the meeting, could you send her a summary of the discussion to bring her up to speed?" Does "bring her up to speed" mean: a) help her work faster. b) give her the most recent information. c) find out what her perspective is.
b) give her the most recent information.
400
- "Don't make any changes without talking to Peter; he's the one calling the shots on this project." Does "calling the shots" mean: a) communicating with the supervisor. b) making the important decisions. c) working very hard.
b) making the important decisions.
500

- "He must learn the ropes quickly if he wants to do well in this Company." Does "to learn the ropes" mean: a) to get to know your way around the office. b) to learn the basics of something. c) to know what the bosses want.

b) to learn the basics of something.

500
- "They were putting the cart before the horse. That's why the project failed." Does "to put the cart before the horse" mean: a) to do things in the wrong order. b) to do things too fast. c) to do things in a risky manner.
a) to do things in the wrong order.
500
- "Off the top of my head, I'd say 20% of our problems have to do with international shipping." Does "Off the top of my head" mean: a) to say something with great knowledge. b) to say something we have not researched in detail. c) to say something we have no clue about.
b) to say something we have not researched in detail.
500
- "He can't get his company to grow since he is always tilting at windmills and not focusing on the important issues." Does "to tilt windmills" mean: a) to waste time dealing with non-existent problems. b) to be on vacation or absent from work. c) taking risks that are too high.
a) to waste time dealing with non-existent problems.