COMMONLY USED PHRASES IN ENGLISH – MCQ’S

1. “In the long run” refers to
   A. immediately
   B. suddenly
   C. over time
   D. briefly
2. The phrase “by chance” means
   A. carefully
   B. intentionally
   C. accidentally
   D. regularly
3. “At the same time” means
   A. separately
   B. slowly
   C. simultaneously
   D. later
4. “In favour of” means
   A. avoiding
   B. ignoring
   C. supporting
   D. against
5. “In detail” means
   A. briefly
   B. fully
   C. roughly
   D. quickly
6. The phrase “on time” means
   A. careless
   B. late
   C. early
   D. punctual
7. “Under pressure” means
   A. bored
   B. excited
   C. stressed
   D. relaxed
8. “In the morning” refers to
   A. evening
   B. early hours
   C. afternoon
   D. night
9. “Out of control” means
   A. calm
   B. manageable
   C. planned
   D. not manageable
10. “At present” refers to
    A. the future
    B. the past
    C. always
    D. now
11. “In search of” means
    A. finding
    B. hiding
    C. losing
    D. looking for
12. “At once” means
    A. later
    B. slowly
    C. immediately
    D. carefully
13. “At night” refers to
    A. morning
    B. daytime
    C. afternoon
    D. night time
14. “In common” means
    A. hiding something
    B. sharing something
    C. losing something
    D. fighting
15. “In the meantime” means
    A. briefly
    B. suddenly
    C. finally
    D. meanwhile
16. “In a hurry” means
    A. tired
    B. calm
    C. slow
    D. in a rush
17. “For example” means
    A. otherwise
    B. therefore
    C. for instance
    D. however
18. “In bed” usually means
    A. eating
    B. studying
    C. working
    D. resting or sleeping
19. “Against the rules” means
    A. accepted
    B. encouraged
    C. allowed
    D. not allowed
20. “In the middle of” means
    A. after
    B. before
    C. during
    D. outside
21. “On foot” means
    A. running
    B. walking
    C. by bus
    D. by train
22. “At any cost” means
    A. slowly
    B. cheaply
    C. carefully
    D. no matter what
23. “In short” means
    A. clearly
    B. loudly
    C. briefly
    D. in detail
24. “By hand” means
    A. digitally
    B. automatically
    C. carefully
    D. manually
25. “In a way” means
    A. completely
    B. never
    C. partly
    D. wrongly
26. “At home” means
    A. outside
    B. at work
    C. inside the house
    D. at school
27. “At risk” means
    A. safe
    B. relaxed
    C. happy
    D. in danger
28. “On average” means
    A. exactly
    B. never
    C. rarely
    D. usually
29. “At the moment” refers to
    A. tomorrow
    B. always
    C. yesterday
    D. right now
30. “In need of” means
    A. full of
    B. proud of
    C. requiring
    D. free from
31. “In public” means
    A. secretly
    B. alone
    C. quietly
    D. openly
32. “In the end” means
    A. briefly
    B. suddenly
    C. finally
    D. quietly
33. “In trouble” means
    A. happy
    B. safe
    C. relaxed
    D. facing difficulty
34. “At work” means
    A. travelling
    B. sleeping
    C. resting
    D. working
35. “In advance” means
    A. slowly
    B. late
    C. after time
    D. before time
36. “All of a sudden” means
    A. slowly
    B. quietly
    C. suddenly
    D. finally
37. “In front of” means
    A. inside
    B. behind
    C. below
    D. before
38. “In fact” means
    A. rarely
    B. slowly
    C. actually
    D. maybe
39. “At a distance” means
    A. inside
    B. nearby
    C. far away
    D. below
40. “In spite of” means
    A. because of
    B. before
    C. despite
    D. after
41. “On the way” means
    A. before leaving
    B. after reaching
    C. late
    D. while going
42. “In favour of” is opposite of
    A. supporting
    B. agreeing
    C. opposing
    D. helping
43. “At least” means
    A. maximum
    B. exactly
    C. nothing
    D. minimum
44. “On duty” means
    A. sleeping
    B. travelling
    C. officially working
    D. resting
45. “By mistake” means
    A. carefully
    B. quickly
    C. intentionally
    D. accidentally
46. “In the beginning” means
    A. later
    B. suddenly
    C. finally
    D. at first
47. “On purpose” means
    A. secretly
    B. accidentally
    C. intentionally
    D. suddenly
48. “At the end of the day” means
    A. yesterday
    B. immediately
    C. finally
    D. in the morning
49. “At home” is the opposite of
    A. inside
    B. outside
    C. house
    D. room
50. Someone “in charge of” a project is
    A. tired of it
    B. unaware of it
    C. afraid of it
    D. responsible for it

Answer Key

1. C
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. B
6. D
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. D
11. D
12. C
13. D
14. B
15. D
16. D
17. C
18. D
19. D
20. C
21. B
22. D
23. C
24. D
25. C
26. C
27. D
28. D
29. D
30. C
31. D
32. C
33. D
34. D
35. D
36. C
37. D
38. C
39. C
40. C
41. D
42. C
43. D
44. C
45. D
46. D
47. C
48. C
49. B
50. D

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.