Upper Level Vocabulary Test 11

A tool is something you hold in your hand to do a job, like a spade, a hammer or a saw. We say a gardening tool. Not instrument, which is used for musical or scientific equipment.

Treasure means gold, jewels or other valuable things, often hidden. Thieves or pirates bury treasure. The other words don't describe hidden valuables.

Worried about something means anxious that it may cause a problem, and high costs make people worried. Not sorry or ashamed, which mean feeling bad about something you did.

The fixed phrase is have (great) fun, meaning to enjoy yourself a lot. We don't say have great enjoyment or have great excitement.

Make means the company or name that produces a product: What make is your car? Today brand is more common for things like toothpaste, but of these options only make fits. Not mark, which is not used this way.

Bald means having little or no hair on your head. We use it for men who have lost their hair. Not hairless, which is used for animals or body parts, not a man's head.

A short cut is a quicker or shorter way to get somewhere: take a short cut through the park. The phrase is always take a short cut.

A battery that has run down has slowly lost its power, so it needs recharging. Run out is mostly used for supplies: We've run out of milk.

As pretty as a picture is a fixed expression meaning very pretty. You can't change the noun in this idiom, so painting or flower are wrong.

Do someone good means be good for someone's health or happiness: A holiday will do you good. Not well or better, because the phrase always uses the noun good.

You sew buttons on a shirt with a needle and thread. Sew on is the usual collocation for buttons. Not attaching, which would need to (attaching buttons to).

People of all ages means people of every age, from children to old people. Not years, because we don't say people of all years.

A sip is a very small drink of something, often hot: Have a sip of coffee. Not swallow, which is less natural with hot drinks, and bite or chew are for food.

Expect someone to do something means you think it will probably happen. The clue is She is very intelligent. Not hope, because we can't say hope her to pass; we say hope (that) she passes.

Brochures are small magazines with pictures and information, for example about holidays. Travel agencies give them to customers. Not papers or sheets, which are too general.

At your convenience is a formal phrase meaning when it suits you, often used in letters: Please reply at your earliest convenience. The other words don't make this fixed phrase.

The weather forecast is the report saying what the weather will be like. Not prediction, because weather prediction isn't the normal name for this report, and a horoscope is about the stars.

I would like is a polite way to say what you want: I'd like a cup of tea. Not fancy, because we say I fancy a cup of tea, not I would fancy.

Make up your mind means decide. The clue is whether to buy the green skirt or the blue one. The idiom always uses mind.

A flat tire (British tyre) has lost air and is soft. The clue is I must put some air in it. Not low, because the fixed expression is a flat tire.

Lay (lays, laid, laid) means to produce an egg: The hen lays an egg. Not lies, which comes from lie (be in a flat position) and has no object.

The cost of living is a fixed phrase meaning the amount of money you need for food, housing and other basic things. The other words don't form this phrase.

The entertainment section of a newspaper lists films, concerts and shows. Not recreation, which means free-time activities like sport, not a newspaper section.

Sneeze means air comes out of your nose suddenly and loudly, as when you have a cold. Not snoring, which is a noise you make while sleeping.

Come face to face with someone means meet them directly, often unexpectedly. The idiom repeats the same word: face to face.

Put off + -ing means delay doing something, often because you don't want to do it: She put off going to the dentist. The clue is although her teeth needed attention. Not put away, which means put something in its place.

Lose your temper means suddenly become very angry. It is a fixed collocation. Mislay and miss don't go with temper.

Population explosion is a fixed phrase meaning a very fast increase in the number of people. Not outbreak, which is used for wars or diseases, and contraction means getting smaller.

Deserve means you should get something because of what you have done: You deserve a medal. Not earn, which describes getting something through work; You've earned a medal would need the present perfect.

Complain about something means say you are unhappy with it. The clue is terrible food. Not inquire, which means just ask for information, and we don't say criticize about.

On the tip of your tongue is an idiom meaning you almost remember a word or name but can't quite say it. The tip is the pointed end of something.

Fire a shot means shoot a gun. Fire is the verb used with shots and guns. Not banged or exploded, which don't take shots as an object.

Give out heat or light means produce and send it out: The fire gives out a lot of heat. Not give away (give something for free) or give in (stop fighting, accept defeat).

A spinster is an old-fashioned word for a woman who has never married; today it can sound unkind, and people usually say single woman. Not widow, which is a woman whose husband has died.

Disguise yourself means change your appearance so people don't recognize you. The clue is didn't want to be recognized. Not concealed, which means hid, not changed how he looked.

Luminous means giving out light, so it can be seen in the dark: a luminous watch dial. Not bright or shining, which don't specifically mean visible in the dark.

Empty-handed means without getting or bringing anything: She came home empty-handed. Not empty-headed, which means stupid or silly.

A chain smoker smokes one cigarette after another without stopping. The clue is one cigarette after another, like links in a chain.

A rainbow is the curve of colours seen in the sky when the sun shines while it is raining. Not arc or curve, which only describe the shape.

Lame is an old-fashioned word meaning unable to walk normally because of an injured leg. The clue is injured his leg. Not limp: as a verb it means walk unevenly (He limps), and as an adjective it means soft and weak, not unable to walk well.