2. My manager will sometimes ________________ at the end of the quarter if
we need to achieve our target.
a) bend the rules b) change the rules c) break the rules
3. We’ve been working _________________ on this project. I can’t wait until
I get some time off!
a) long time b) round the clock c) 24 hours, 7 days a week
4. “Instead of talking to Sarah directly, Anna went ______________, and spoke
directly to Sarah’s manager.”
a) around her b) behind her back c) against her
5. “If he loses his job, he’ll be in the same _____________ as all of the other employed
people.”
a) box b) boat c) basket
6. “Don’t count on Anna to bend the rules. She works ______________.”
a) by the rules b) by the book c) by the law
7. “The interview was mostly standard questions, but he asked me one question
that ________________. I wasn’t sure how to answer it.”
a) caught me off guard b) caught me unexpected c) caught me on guard
8. “Some generic drug companies ______________ by using cheap ingredients in order
to save money.”
a) cut walls b) cut sides c) cut corners
9. “Our _______________ for this new territory is to first get a list of all the
gastroenterologists, and then find out how many patients each have. After that…”
a) attack plan b) game plan c) strategy plan
10. “My job can sometimes be high-pressure, and other times, very boring. I
have to focus on the _____________ though. It’s a good opportunity to grow
my career. ”
a) big picture b) future picture c) big scene
11. “After the tea break, we really need to ___________________ and start
discussing our new action plan for quarter 3.”
a) Get down to discussion b) Get up to business c) Get down to business
12. “Dr. Nghi isn’t friendly to most people; however I’m on his ______________ because
we used to be classmates.”
a) good side b) good list c) friend list
13. “There are some _______________ in our policy that need to be clarified. We should
be more specific about the rules.”
a) Gray matters b) Black and White areas c) Gray areas
14. “I wish I could be there for the conference, however my hands are _________.
Our flight has been delayed due to bad weather. ”
a) together b) tied c) stuck
15. “The book was both scary and mysterious. The characters are great, and the
writing was really beautiful. ________________, you should read this book. ”
a) In a nutshell b) In a summary c) In shortness
16. “She really wanted to trust her newest employee, Sam. However, Sam had
already broken many policies. The _____________ came when he asked to take a
2-month holiday. She knew she had to fire him.”
a) last chance b) last time c) last straw
17. “Although the visa process was long, there were ______________. The easiest
way is to pay an agent to help you get your visa faster. ”
a) short cuts b) loop ties c) loopholes
18. “The solution was a ______________. How obvious! Everyone agreed on the
plan. ”
a) no-brainer b) brainless c) clear brainer
19. “You can try a free 30-day trial of our product, _________________. If you don’t like
it – no problem. We will return 100% of your money. ”
a) No hidden strings b) No ties attached c) No strings attached
20. “The meeting is this Friday, and we haven’t even begun to make our slideshow
presentation. We’ve got _______________ to lose!”
a) no time b) no hours c) no days
21. “I’m really _____________ today. I’ve had my proposal approved, I gave a great
presentation, and I successfully got two new customers to try our product! It’s been a
great day!”
a) Rolling b) On a roll c) On a ball
22. “I really get along well with my manger. We usually see ____________ with
most issues.”
a) nose-to-nose b) head-to-head c) eye-to-eye
23. “I don’t think we’re ___________________. You’re more worried about the target,
but I’m more worried about our current strategy. I think we need to seek a 2nd opinion.”
a) on the same page b) in the same direction c) eye-to-eye
24. “I feel out of the __________, because I just started working here last week.
I don’t really know what’s going on.”
a) circle b) plan c) loop
25. “Tom occasionally likes to __________________ and challenge his manager and
colleagues ideas. He’s a trouble-maker…”
a) shake the boat b) turn the boat c) rock the boat
26. “Dear Dr. Dan,
I just wanted to _____________ with you and see if your patients have responded
well to our product.”
a) touch up b) touch ground c) touch base
27. “Their office looks very productive, but _______________, it’s actually very
disorganized and a lot of employees are stressed out.”
a) on the other hand b) backstage c) behind the scenes
28. “I plan to leave for my interview 1 hour ahead of time. I want to make sure I’m
there on time, and that I start off ‘on the right _____________’”
a) foot b) leg c) side
