Phrasal Verbs and Idioms: TN Board 12th English PYQs & Cheat Sheet
Welcome to a highly descriptive and context-heavy vocabulary section for your TN Board 12th English Exam! Phrasal Verbs and Idioms are tested across multiple sections, including the 1-mark objective questions (Part I) and the sentence creation section. Examiners test your ability to deduce the figurative meaning of phrases rather than their literal dictionary meanings. Master our advanced vocabulary cheat sheet below, practice the top 20 Previous Year Questions (PYQs), and challenge yourself with the interactive Self-Test!
🔥 Exam Tip & The Advanced Phrasal Verb/Idiom Cheat Sheet:
- 1. The Phrasal Verb "Particle" Trick: A phrasal verb is a Verb + Preposition/Adverb (Particle). The particle often gives a clue to the meaning:
👉 Off (away, cancel, disconnect): Call off (cancel), Put off (postpone), Take off (depart/remove).
👉 Up (increase, finish, appear): Give up (surrender), Bring up (rear/raise), Turn up (arrive).
👉 Down (decrease, stop working, reject): Turn down (reject), Break down (stop functioning).- 2. Cracking Idioms (Metaphorical Meaning): Idioms NEVER mean what the individual words say. Look at the context!
👉 Example: "It's raining cats and dogs." (It doesn't mean animals are falling from the sky; it means it's raining heavily.)- 3. Contextual Guessing: In fill-in-the-blank questions, read the whole sentence. Is the tone positive or negative?
👉 Example: "The firemen managed to _____ the fire." (You need a word for 'extinguish', which is put out).
Top 20 Board Exam Questions: Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
Part 1: Phrasal Verbs (Choose the Correct Meaning)
Select the exact meaning of the underlined phrasal verb.
- Question: The workers decided to call off the strike. (March 2019)
Answer: cancel - Question: Never give up your dreams, no matter how hard it gets.
Answer: surrender / quit - Question: The meeting was put off due to the manager's illness. (March 2022)
Answer: postponed - Question: He turned down the job offer because the salary was too low.
Answer: rejected / refused - Question: The old man was looking after his grandchildren.
Answer: taking care of
Part 2: Phrasal Verbs (Fill in the Blanks)
Choose the appropriate phrasal verb to complete the sentence.
- Question: The car ________ in the middle of the highway. (broke down / broke up)
Answer: The car broke down in the middle of the highway. - Question: Please ________ your shoes before entering the temple. (take off / take out)
Answer: Please take off your shoes before entering the temple. - Question: The students must ________ the instructions of the teacher. (carry on / carry out)
Answer: The students must carry out the instructions of the teacher. (carry out = execute/obey) - Question: I tried to call him, but I couldn't ________. (get through / get along)
Answer: I tried to call him, but I couldn't get through. - Question: The children ________ well with their new stepmother. (got away / got along)
Answer: The children got along well with their new stepmother. (got along = have a friendly relationship)
Part 3: Idioms (Choose the Correct Meaning)
Select the metaphorical meaning of the underlined idiom.
- Question: Getting a government job these days is not a piece of cake. (March 2020)
Answer: an easy task - Question: My grandfather visits us once in a blue moon.
Answer: very rarely - Question: Don't beat around the bush; tell me exactly what happened!
Answer: avoid talking about the main topic - Question: After winning the championship, the team was on cloud nine.
Answer: extremely happy / overjoyed - Question: I am feeling a bit under the weather today, so I will take a leave.
Answer: sick / unwell
Part 4: Idioms (Contextual Usage & Sentence Formation)
Understand the meaning of the idiom to frame a sentence or fill the blank.
- Question: Choose the correct idiom: The news of his sudden resignation came ________. (out of the blue / in a nutshell)
Answer: The news of his sudden resignation came out of the blue. (Unexpectedly) - Question: Choose the correct idiom: Come to the point and tell me the story ________. (in a nutshell / out of the blue)
Answer: Come to the point and tell me the story in a nutshell. (Briefly/In a few words) - Question: What does "cry over spilt milk" mean? (March 2023)
Answer: To complain or regret about something that has already happened and cannot be changed. - Question: What does "spill the beans" mean?
Answer: To accidentally or intentionally reveal a secret. - Question: What does "a burning question" mean?
Answer: A crucial, currently debated, or highly important issue.
📝 Test Yourself: Phrasal Verbs & Idioms Challenge!
Have you mastered the context clues? Try solving these 5 tricky 12th board-level vocabulary questions. Click on "Show Answer" to check your accuracy!
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Question: Choose the meaning of the phrasal verb: She was raised by her aunt because her parents passed away. Her aunt brought her up with great care.
👉 Click here to Show Answer
Answer: reared / educated / raised
(Rule: 'Bring up' means to look after a child until it is an adult and teach them how to behave.) -
Question: Fill in the blank with the correct idiom: The maths test was so easy, it was a ________. (hard nut to crack / piece of cake)
👉 Click here to Show Answer
Answer: piece of cake
(Rule: A 'piece of cake' implies something is very easy to do, whereas a 'hard nut to crack' means a difficult problem.) -
Question: Choose the meaning of the phrasal verb: The soldiers blew up the bridge to stop the enemy's advance.
👉 Click here to Show Answer
Answer: destroyed by an explosion / exploded.
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Question: Fill in the blank with the correct phrasal verb: You must ________ your dictionary to find the meaning of this difficult word. (look up / look into)
👉 Click here to Show Answer
Answer: look up
(Rule: 'Look up' means to search for information in a reference book. 'Look into' means to investigate.) -
Question: Choose the meaning of the idiom: He is the black sheep of his family.
👉 Click here to Show Answer
Answer: The odd or bad character in a group/family; a disgrace.
(Rule: A black sheep stands out from a white flock, typically in a negative way.)
The ultimate trick to scoring full marks in Phrasal Verbs and Idioms is to read the surrounding sentence carefully to determine the tone and context. Never guess the literal meaning of an idiom! Bookmark this page, practice thoroughly, and secure your vocabulary marks in the TN Board English Exam!