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Advanced Idioms & Fixed Phrases

Conceptual idioms · academic and journalistic register · C2 precision
About this worksheet
Exercises practising Advanced Idioms & Fixed Phrases. Total: 24 points. Vocabulary from the C2 word bank is used throughout.
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Exercise 1
Choose the correct meaning
10 points
1
The company was accused of cutting corners on safety to reduce costs.
2
The government kept moving the goalposts during the negotiations.
3
Darwin's On the Origin of Species represented a paradigm shift in biology.
4
Social media is a double-edged sword for politicians.
5
The verdict was a foregone conclusion — the evidence was overwhelming.
6
The minister was given carte blanche to reform the tax system.
7
The discovery of penicillin was a watershed moment for medicine.
8
Trust is the sine qua non of any successful working relationship.
9
The politician introduced a red herring to distract from the real issue.
10
The newspaper article attacked a straw man version of the scientist's argument.
Exercise 2
Complete with the missing word
8 points
1
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a ______ moment in European history.
2
The prevailing ______ of the 1960s was one of optimism and social change.
3
The election result was a ______ conclusion — the polls showed a clear lead throughout.
4
The new director was given ______ blanche to reshape the organisation's strategy.
5
Poverty and poor health can trap people in a ______ circle.
6
Strong communication skills are the ______ qua non of effective leadership.
7
His argument was a ______ man — he attacked a position nobody had actually taken.
8
The internet represents a ______ shift in how knowledge is created and shared.
Exercise 3
Replace the underlined phrase with the correct idiom
6 points
1
The agency kept changing the requirements throughout the project, causing endless delays.
2
The journalist introduced an irrelevant detail to distract readers from the real scandal.
3
The contractor did the work poorly to save money and the building failed inspection.

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