WASSCE English idioms: meanings, questions and answers
In WASSCE English Paper 1, an idiom question underlines an expression in a sentence. You choose the option that best explains what it means. An idiom has a hidden meaning, so you cannot read it word by word. Here are 10 practice questions with answers.
How to answer it
Look at what happens before and after the idiom. The rest of the sentence tells you the meaning.Fatu could not say the name, but it was ON THE TIP OF HER TONGUE. Clue: she almost remembered it.
Examiners often add an option that reads the words just as they look. That option is almost always wrong.Isatu LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG = Isatu told the secret. There is no cat.
Each time you meet a new idiom, write it down with its meaning and one sentence of your own.BREAK THE ICE = help people relax at the start. Fatu told a joke to break the ice.
10 practice questions
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Isatu asked her friend to KEEP AN EYE ON her bag at the lorry park.
See the answer
Answer: B. To watch her bag carefully
“To keep an eye on something” means to watch it carefully. Isatu wanted her friend to guard her bag.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Isatu's amazing goal in the final was THE TALK OF THE TOWN in Bo.
See the answer
Answer: B. Everyone was talking about it
“The talk of the town” is something that everyone in a place is talking about.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Mariama has been HITTING THE BOOKS since the exam timetable came out.
See the answer
Answer: C. She has been studying hard
“To hit the books” means to study hard. Mariama has been studying seriously for her exams.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Musa TURNED UP HIS NOSE AT the cassava leaves his aunt had cooked.
See the answer
Answer: B. He refused them as not good enough
“To turn up your nose at something” means to refuse it because you think it is not good enough.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Though five of them worked on the farm, Musa took THE LION'S SHARE of the harvest.
See the answer
Answer: B. He took the biggest part
“The lion's share” means the largest part of something.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Mr Bangura used all his savings on one rice farm and PUT ALL HIS EGGS IN ONE BASKET.
See the answer
Answer: A. He risked everything on one plan
“To put all your eggs in one basket” means to risk everything on one plan. If the farm fails, he loses all.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
With his quick jokes and big laugh, Abu is A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, his uncles say.
See the answer
Answer: D. He is very like his father
“A chip off the old block” is someone who is very like their father or mother.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
Once his loan came through, Musa did not LET THE GRASS GROW UNDER HIS FEET.
See the answer
Answer: A. He did not waste any time
“Not to let the grass grow under your feet” means to act quickly and not waste time.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
The pupils all agreed the rule was unfair, but nobody was willing to BELL THE CAT and tell the principal.
See the answer
Answer: D. To take the risky step for the group
“To bell the cat” means to do a dangerous or difficult job that helps everyone else.
Choose the option that best explains the expression in capitals:
The two sisters were told not to WASH THEIR DIRTY LINEN IN PUBLIC at the market.
See the answer
Answer: D. Not to air family quarrels openly
“To wash your dirty linen in public” means to talk about private family problems in front of others.
Tap an option on any question to check yourself.
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Questions students ask
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a group of words with a special meaning that you cannot get from each word alone. "It rained cats and dogs" means it rained very heavily.
How do I find the meaning of an idiom in WASSCE?
Do not read it word by word. Use the rest of the sentence as a clue, and skip the option that just repeats what the words look like.
Do WASSCE examiners say students struggle with idioms?
Yes. WAEC's Chief Examiner's report for 2022 lists poor knowledge of idioms and their meanings as a weakness of candidates.
Are these real WASSCE past questions?
No. They are our own WASSCE-style questions, written on the same syllabus topics and in the same format as the real exam.