Phrasal Verbs with Meanings and Examples – KLEE General English Test 1
Covers: Phrasal Verbs A–Z
Directions: Choose the correct particle or the meaning of the phrasal verb.
Click an option to check your answer, or click View Answer for the answer and explanation.
While you work here, you must abide ____ the rules of this organisation.
- A. with
- B. by
- C. to
- D. on
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Abide by = act in accordance with.
"Ask around" means
- A. to demand loudly
- B. to look for trouble
- C. to refuse politely
- D. to enquire of different people
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Ask around = enquire of several people.
"Terrorism accounts for more deaths than disease." Here "accounts for" means
- A. is the primary cause of
- B. pays for
- C. explains away
- D. hides
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Account for = be the primary cause of.
Someone tried to break ____ our house last Saturday.
- A. up
- B. down
- C. into
- D. off
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Break in(to) = enter forcefully.
"Kimmy broke up with her boyfriend." "Broke up" means
- A. quarrelled briefly
- B. met again
- C. got engaged
- D. ended the relationship
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Break up = end a relationship.
"Diana broke off her engagement." "Broke off" means
- A. put an end to
- B. announced
- C. celebrated
- D. postponed
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Break off = cancel or end.
"Try blowing up the pictures for a better look." Here "blowing up" means
- A. exploding
- B. enlarging
- C. tearing
- D. printing
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Blow up = enlarge (also explode, fail).
"The opposite party decided to back down." "Back down" means
- A. walk away silently
- B. file an appeal
- C. take a less aggressive position
- D. attack again
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Back down = take a compromising position.
Excessive smoking can bring ____ serious health hazards.
- A. over
- B. up
- C. on
- D. off
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Bring on = cause to happen.
"My brother and I were brought up in North India." "Brought up" means
- A. reared
- B. shifted
- C. mentioned
- D. uncovered
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Bring up = rear or nurture (also mention).
"She must brush up her French before going to Paris." "Brush up" means
- A. translate
- B. forget
- C. learn from scratch
- D. improve a skill already possessed
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Brush up = review or improve.
The meeting was called ____ because of a medical emergency.
- A. in
- B. off
- C. up
- D. out
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Call off = cancel.
"Don't count on catching the 9 p.m. bus." "Count on" means
- A. avoid
- B. depend on, expect
- C. count the seats on
- D. miss
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Count on = depend on.
"Sruthy decided to drop out of the online course." "Drop out" means
- A. teach
- B. excel
- C. quit
- D. enrol
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Drop out = quit.
"If you want peace, do away with superstitions." "Do away with" means
- A. study
- B. spread
- C. keep
- D. eliminate
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Do away with = put an end to.
"We ended up in a forest after driving for hours." "Ended up" means
- A. arrived eventually at
- B. escaped from
- C. camped in
- D. were lost in
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
End up = arrive at a destination eventually.
"Are you able to figure out what she said?" "Figure out" means
- A. draw
- B. understand
- C. ignore
- D. calculate in figures
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Figure out = understand or solve.
"Raju asked Bheem to fill in for him." "Fill in for" means
- A. substitute for
- B. complain about
- C. pay for
- D. write about
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Fill in = substitute (also give missing information).
"Their plans to go rafting fell through." "Fell through" means
- A. were completed
- B. were postponed by a day
- C. were approved
- D. were unsuccessful / cancelled
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Fall through = be unsuccessful.
"You may lose your job if you keep falling behind with your work." "Falling behind" means
- A. refusing
- B. doing well
- C. being late / below standard
- D. working extra
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Fall behind = be late or below average.
"The building gave in due to the earthquake." Here "gave in" means
- A. collapsed
- B. was rebuilt
- C. was evacuated
- D. survived
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Give in = collapse (also surrender).
"They were very close but grew apart over the years." "Grew apart" means
- A. became closer
- B. became estranged gradually
- C. lived together
- D. grew taller
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Grow apart = become estranged.
My parents decided to go ____ with the demolition of our ancestral house.
- A. up
- B. by
- C. over
- D. through
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Go through with = proceed with.
The teacher asked Maya to hand ____ the permission slips.
- A. in
- B. up
- C. out
- D. on
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Hand out = distribute.
"I don't hold it against her." "Hold against" means
- A. support someone
- B. forget
- C. blame oneself
- D. think less of someone because of what they did
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Hold against = think less of someone.
"The man in the red jacket held up the bank." Here "held up" means
- A. supported
- B. delayed
- C. robbed at gunpoint
- D. visited
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Hold up = rob at gunpoint (also withstand).
"The manager agreed to knock off 25% of the price." Here "knock off" means
- A. add
- B. remove as a discount
- C. double
- D. hide
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Knock off = remove as a discount.
The CBI has been appointed to look ____ the case.
- A. into
- B. out
- C. after
- D. up to
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Look into = investigate.
"Girls always look up to their fathers." "Look up to" means
- A. respect and admire
- B. look down on
- C. ignore
- D. search for
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Look up to = admire.
"Everything has started looking up for him since he moved." Here "looking up" means
- A. searching the dictionary
- B. looking at the sky
- C. having better prospects
- D. declining
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Look up = have better prospects.
"Constant arguments will not make for a happy marriage." "Make for" means
- A. move towards
- B. pay for
- C. replace
- D. produce a result
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Make for = produce a result.
"They made up the whole story." "Made up" means
- A. published
- B. fabricated
- C. remembered
- D. settled
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Make up = fabricate (also settle).
"Anna opted out of the writing competition." "Opted out" means
- A. judged
- B. decided not to participate
- C. won
- D. organised
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Opt out = decide not to participate.
"Are you sure you can pull it off by yourself?" "Pull off" means
- A. achieve, succeed
- B. remove
- C. stop
- D. cancel
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Pull off = achieve.
I don't know how I will put up ____ all her drama.
- A. on
- B. by
- C. with
- D. for
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Put up with = endure.
"The heavy rains ruled out our chance of going out." "Ruled out" means
- A. increased
- B. measured
- C. allowed
- D. made impossible
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Rule out = make impossible or reject.
"I ran into your brother yesterday." "Ran into" means
- A. hit with a vehicle
- B. avoided
- C. chased
- D. met unexpectedly
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Run into = meet unexpectedly.
"He decided to settle for the cheaper headphones." "Settle for" means
- A. return
- B. complain about
- C. accept something less desirable
- D. pay for
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Settle for = accept something not ideal.
"He often shows off his expensive gadgets." "Shows off" means
- A. hides
- B. acts boastfully about
- C. repairs
- D. sells
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Show off = act boastfully.
"They talked him out of it somehow." "Talked out of" means
- A. dissuaded
- B. discussed
- C. praised
- D. persuaded to do
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Talk out of = dissuade.
"He turned himself in to the police." "Turned in" means
- A. complained
- B. escaped
- C. surrendered / submitted
- D. reported sick
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Turn in = submit, surrender.
"He turned down the offer." "Turned down" means
- A. rejected
- B. accepted
- C. considered
- D. reduced
Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Turn down = reject.
"It turned out to be a successful programme." "Turned out" means
- A. was cancelled
- B. proved to be / resulted
- C. started
- D. was planned
Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Turn out = provide a result.
"He was worn out by continuous practice." "Worn out" means
- A. injured
- B. encouraged
- C. bored
- D. exhausted
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Wear out = be exhausted.
We have to wrap ____ the event by 5 p.m.
- A. off
- B. out
- C. up
- D. down
Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Wrap up = end something.
"The children zoned out in the middle of the class." "Zoned out" means
- A. left the room
- B. fell asleep
- C. misbehaved
- D. lost concentration
Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Zone out = lose concentration.