Idioms

Question 1

Worry…

Answer 1

…about

“If you worry too much about the GMAT, you’ll develop and ulcer”

Question 2

Define…

Answer 2

…as

“My GMAT teacher defines the conclusion as the main point of the argument.”

Question 3

Regard…

Answer 3

…as

“Art historians regard the Mona Lisa as one of the greatest works of art.”

Question 4

Not so…

Answer 4

…as

“He is not so much smart as cunning.”

Question 5

So…

Answer 5

…as to be

“She is so beautiful as to be exquisite.”

Question 6

Think of…

Answer 6

…as

“Think of it more as a promise than a threat.”

Question 7

See…

Answer 7

…as

“Many people see euthanasia as an escape from pain.”

Question 8

The same…

Answer 8

…as

“Mom and Dad gave the same punishment to me as to you.”

Question 9

As…

Answer 9

…as

“Memorizing idioms is not as fun as playing bingo.”

Question 10

Target…

Answer 10

…at

“The commercials were obviously targeted at teenage boys”.

Question 11

Responsible…

Answer 11

…for

“You are responsible for the child.”

Question 12

Prohibit…

Answer 12

…from

“he was prohibited from entering the public library after he accidentally set the dictionary on fire with a magnifying glass.”

Question 13

Different…

Answer 13

…from

“Democrats are not so different from Republicans in the United States.”

Question 14

Dispute…

Answer 14

…over

“The men had a dispute over money.”

Question 15

So…

Answer 15

…that

“He was so late that he missed the main course.”

Question 16

Hypothesis…

Answer 16

…that

“The hypothesis that aspartame causes brain tumors has not been proven yet.”

Question 17

Believe…

Answer 17

…to be

“His friends do not believe the ring he bought at the auction to be Jackie O’s; they all think he was tricked.”

Question 18

Estimate…

Answer 18

…to be

“The time he has spent impersonating Elvis is estimated to be longer than the time Elvis himself spent performing.”

Question 19

Forbid…

Answer 19

…to

“I forbid you to call me before noon.”

Question 20

Ability…

Answer 20

…to

“If you take the GMAT enough times, you might develop the ability to choose the credited responses without reading the questions.”

Question 21

Require…

Answer 21

…to

“Before you enter the house you are required to take off your hat.”

Question 22

Attributed…

Answer 22

…to

“Many amusing quips are attributed to Dorothy Parker.”

Question 23

Responsibility…

Answer 23

to

You have the responsibility to take care of your child.”

Question 24

Permit…

Answer 24

…to

“I don’t permit my children to play with knives in the living room.”

Question 25

Superior

Answer 25

…to

“My pasta sauce is far superior to my mother-in-law’s.”

Question 26

Try…

Answer 26

…to

“Try to stay awake during the essay section of the test.”

Question 27

Credit…

Answer 27

…with

“Many people credit Columbus with the discovery of America, but Native Americans were here first.”

Question 28

Associate…

Answer 28

…with

“Most politicians prefer not to be associated with the Mafia.”

Question 29

Contrast…

Answer 29

…with

“My father likes to contrast my grades with my brother’s”

Question 30

Consider…

Answer 30

(nothing)

Art historians consider the Mona Lisa one of the greatest works of art.

Question 31

Distinguish…

Answer 31

…from

“I can’t distinguish day from night”

…between…and

“I can distinguish between black and white.”

Question 32

Native…

Answer 32

…of (noun)

“Mel Gibson is a native of Australia.”

…to (adjective)

“The kangaroo is native to Australia.”

Question 33

Not only…

Answer 33

..but also

“She is not only beautiful, but also smart.”

Question 34

Not…

Answer 34

…but

“The review was not mean-spirited but merely flippant.”

Question 35

Either…

Answer 35

…or

“I must have either chocolate ice cream or carrot cake to complete a great meal.”

Question 36

Neither…

Answer 36

…nor

“Because Jenny was grounded, she could neither leave the house nor the telephone.”

Question 37

Both…

Answer 37

…and

“When given the choice, I choose both ice cream and cake.”

Question 38

More…

Less…

Answer 38

…than

…than

“The chimpanzee is much more intelligent than the orangutan.”

Question 39

As vs. like

Answer 39

As is used to compare actions
“He did not vote for the Libertarian Party, as I did.”

Like is used to compare nouns
“Her coat is just like mine.”

Question 40

Like vs. such as

Answer 40

“Like” means “similar to”

“Such as” means “for example”

“The mule, like the donkey, is a close relative to the horse.”

“Many of my favorite ice cream flavors, such as chocolate chip and strawberry, are also available as frozen yogurt.”

Question 41

The more…

Answer 41

…the -er

“The more you ignore me, the closer I get.

Question 42

From…

Answer 42

…to

“Scores on the GMAT range from 200 to 800.”

Question 43

Just as…

Answer 43

…so too

“Just as I crossed over to the dark side, so too will you, my son.”

Question 44

Each vs. all or both

Answer 44

Use “each” when you want to emphasize the separateness of the items

Use “both” (for two things) or “all” (for more than two things) when you want to emphasize the togetherness of the items.

“Each of the doctors had his own specialty.”

“Both of the women went to Bryn Mawr for their undergraduate degrees.”

“All of the letters received before January 15 went into the drawing for the $10 million prize.”

Question 45

Whether vs. if

Answer 45

Use “whether” when there are two possibilities.

Use “if” in conditional statements.

“Eduardo wasn’t sure whether he could make it to the party.”

“If Eduardo comes to the party, he will bring a bottle of wine.”