This quiz (a follow-up to A Quiz on Idioms and Commonly Confused Words) will help you recognize 15 English idioms and choose correctly between a number of commonly confused words.

Instructions:
Notice that each sentence below contains a common idiom in italics. Complete each idiom by selecting the correct word from the options in parentheses. When you're done, compare your answers with those on page two (where you'll also find the idioms defined).

1. We will tell the inspectors that our operation is completely above (board or bored) and that we have nothing to hide.
2. After losing his job and dropping out of college, Paul had a hard time getting his life back on (track or tract).
3. (Buy, By, or Bye) and large, children start school with curiosity and enthusiasm.
4. I had to fire my new assistant because she was unable or unwilling to carry her (wait or weight).
5. On my first day in the new job, an old-timer kindly gave me a crash (coarse or course) in how to use the equipment.
6. Our family had bought the land (fair or fare) and square from the local council, and we had all the documents to prove it.
7. When Douglas asked for my opinion, I knew that he was fishing for a (complement or compliment).
8. Some women have broken through the glass (ceiling or sealing) to become surgeons, lawyers, diplomats, business leaders, and politicians.
9. My poor attempt at a joke went down like a (lead or led) balloon.
10. Mary keeps her cards (close, clothes, or cloths) to her chest, and I can never tell what is really on her mind.

1. The village elders smoked their pipes and (passed or past) the time of day while the children played happily nearby.
2. The trees and tall underbrush of the forest had begun to thin out, and now the old trail was as (plain or plane) as day.
3. Our business has been expanding rapidly over the past few years, but now it might be time to put on the (brakes or breaks).
4. In my role as a parent, I have to (ware, wear, or where) many hats at the same time.
5. Although the economy is bad, I'm confident that our business will (weather or whether) the storm.