Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 1 – Lesson 12 MCQ Test

Lesson 12 – Brer Fox’s Shoes

Idioms

of course = yes; certainly; sure; no problem

Of course I like your new hairstyle!
If you are busy, you don’t have to come, of course.
“Can we go to the concert?” “Of course we can.”

A: Do you like soccer?
B: Of course I like soccer! That’s why I play it every day!

on and on = without stopping; continuously

The road goes on and on.
They worked on and on through the night.
It rained on and on for days.

A: Did your aunt call last night?
B: Yes! She talked on and on for three hours!

on foot = by walking

He made the journey on foot.
You can go everywhere on foot in my town.
They had to go on foot after their car broke down.

A: Do you go to school by bus?
B: No, I don’t. I go on foot.

on purpose = deliberately; intentionally

I’m sorry I split the drink. It wasn’t on purpose.
He missed the school bus on purpose because he didn’t like school.
She broke the cup on purpose.

A: Hey! Did you hit me on purpose?
B: No I didn’t. It was an accident.

on schedule = without delay; on time

The bus usually arrives on schedule.
The meeting did not start on schedule. I hope that my plane is on schedule.

A: Will the train be late today?
B: No, it will arrive on schedule.

on the contrary = no; not at all

He’s not lazy. On the contrary, he’s very active.
“Are you cold?” “On the contrary! I’m quite warm!”
You don’t look exhausted. On the contrary, you seem very healthy!

A: Was that movie bad?
B: On the contrary, it was the best movie I’ve ever seen!

on the/ one’s way = going or coming; during the journey

There is a gas station on the way to the next city.
On the way to work this morning she saw a deer.
I will stop by the post office on my way home.

A: We don’t have any milk. Can you buy some today?
B: Okay. I’ll buy some on the way home from school today.

on the weekend = on Saturdays and Sundays

They are going fishing on the weekend.
We used to go hiking on weekends.
I take my son to the park on the weekend.

A: What are you going to do on the weekend?
B: I’m going to play soccer on Saturday and go to church on Sunday.

on time = on schedule; punctually

He wanted to get to his meeting on time.
Most of the people came on time.
This train is always on time.

A: Let’s go to school now. I don’t want to be late for class.
B: Don’t worry. We’ll be on time.

once in a while = sometimes; occasionally; now and then; at times

Once in a while, I like to eat seafood.
My old friend calls me once in a while.
Once in a while, he goes to rock concerts.

A: Do you like to go to movies?
B: No, but I rent a video once in a while.

out of breath = breathless; hard breath

After running so long, he was out of breath.
She was out of breath after running up the stairs.
By the time we reached the top, we were out of breath.

A: Why are you out of breath?
B: Because I ran here from my house.

out of date = outdated; old-fashioned

He haircut is out of date.
My computer is already out of date.
Don’t take medicine that is out of date.

A: I can’t find the new road on this map.
B: It’s probably out of date.

pass by = go past

He said hello as the passed by his friend.
I saw a big dog passing by my house around two o’clock.
People along the street waved as the parade passed by.

A: Do you know where Ann’s house is?
B: Yes, I do. I pass by it every day when I walk home from school.

pass out = faint; become unconscious

He is passing out.
She hit her head on the tree and passed out.
You will pass out if you hold your breath for too long.

A: Is he sleeping?
B: No, he saw some blood and passed out!

pay a visit = visit; call on; pay a call; go to see

I will pay a visit to my grandma tomorrow.
We paid a visit to our relatives.
Let’s pay a visit to them sometimes.

A: Let’s pay a visit to Kevin.
B: Good idea! I haven’t seen him for a long time.

pay attention to = focus on; concentrate on

You should pay attention to road signs when you are driving.
He was not paying attention in class.
Pay attention to me!

A: Does he pay attention to the teacher in class?
B: No, he doesn’t. He only talks to his friends and draws pictures on his desk.

pick out = choose; single out

Pick out one you like!
She picked out a nice dress for the party.
I picked out the best apple in the basket.

A: I want to buy a shirt, but I don’t know which color to get.
B: I’ll help you pick out a color!

pick up = lift

Pick up the hammer.
He picked up the pen and wrote a letter.
She picked up her hat and put it on.

A: This room is a mess! Pick up your toys.
B: OK, Mom. I will.

piece by piece = bit by bit; one by one; piecemeal

He put the puzzle together piece by piece.
She ate the whole cake piece by piece.
He picked up the broken dish piece by piece.

A: How did they move that big sculpture?
B: They took it apart and moved it piece by piece.

play a tricks on = play a joke on; play tricks on

The dog is playing a trick on the cat.
He got in trouble for playing a trick on his sister.
Don’t ever play a trick on me again!

A: I like to untie my brother’s shoes, hide his pencils, and put frogs in his bed.
B: That’s not nice! Do you always play tricks on him?

BRER FOX’S SHOES 

If you ever pay a visit to the south part of the United States, you might hear the stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear. In these stories, Brer Rabbit always plays tricks on Brer Fox and Brer Bear. If you pay attention to the story, you might be able to pick out the lesson. These stories are old, but the lessons never go out of date.

Once in a while, Brer Rabbit went shopping. One day, he was on the way to town when Brer Fox chased him. Brer Rabbit hid in an old log. You might think Brer Rabbit would be scared in the log. On the contrary, Brer Rabbit was singing to himself. The singing went on and on. Finally, Brer Fox said, “Come out of that log or I’ll tear it apart piece by piece to get you!”

Brer Rabbit told Brer Fox, “On the weekend, Brer Bear goes to the river to catch fish. Then he goes home on foot , with his bag full of fish. If you let me go, I’ll show you how to get it.”

Brer Fox agreed and they went to the road. Right on time, Brer Bear came walking from the river. Brer Rabbit took off one shoe and put it in the road. Then he hid behind a tree. When Brer Bear saw the shoe he said to himself, “I should pick it up. But, of course, I don’t have the other shoe.” So he kept walking.

Brer Rabbit put on his shoe again and ran ahead to another part of the road. He was out of breath from running. He put the other shoe in the road. When Brer Bear saw the shoe in the road he put down his bag of fish to walk back and get the other shoe. Brer Rabbit picked up his shoe and the bag of fish and ran to meet Brer Fox.

The next weekend, Brer Fox waited by the road on purpose to trick Brer Bear again. Brer Fox put his shoe in the road and hid behind a tree. A few hours later, right on schedule, Brer Bear came walking from the river. As he was passing by the tree, he saw the shoe in the road. Brer Bear picked it up, put it in his bag, and kept walking.

Brer Fox was surprised. He ran after Brer Bear and said, “Brer Bear! I lost my shoe. Have you seen it?”

Brer Bear took the shoe out of his bag and asked, “Is this your shoe?”

Brer Fox said, “Yes!”

Then Brer Bear knew that it was Brer Fox who tricked him the weekend before. Brer Bear grabbed Brer Fox by the neck and beat him until Beer Fox passed out.