Idioms In Text

1. Erik was exhausted and frustrated. His mother tried to help Erik by telling him that every cloud has a silver lining because he was really down in the dumps again. What does every cloud has a silver lining mean?

It is going to rain.

There is something good even in an unpleasant situation.

Silver comes from the clouds.

You will be given money for your hard work.

2. "Yeah, but finding information on him will be like finding a needle in a haystack. I'll never be able to finish this project!" whined Erik. "All right, I will give you a different one. How does Brian Morrison sound?" "On second thought, I'll stick with Edward Grover," sighed Erik. What does finding a needle in a haystack mean?

To lose something.

To be lucky.

To be difficult or impossible to find.

To work on a farm.

3. On the last day before the project was due, Erik's friend Steven came over to chew the fat and lend an ear. What does lend an ear mean?

To give someone an ear of corn.

To listen carefully and in a friendly way to someone, especially when they have a problem.

To put your head on someone's shoulder.

To help someone with a project.

4. Erik decided he would try his best on the project he was assigned. Over the first few days, he left no stone unturned. He even went to four different libraries, but all of them were out of the inventor books he needed. What does left no stone unturned mean?

To have a positive attitude.

To do everything possible in order to achieve or find something.

To start a rock collection.

To look underneath things.

5. Finally, his dad told him that he should try a different method and try loking on the internet. So Erik stayed up late surfing the web and burning the midnight oil. What does surfing the web mean?

To browse for information on the internet.

To ride waves in the ocean.

To play with spiders.

To work on a project.

6. "Erik, your head is in the clouds! Focus!" she snapped. "The essay is going to be on an assigned subject. Tyler's is the Great Salt Lake. Marissa will work on the Vikings. Erik, you will tackle Edward Grover. Emma will write about the Redwoods . . . ." What does head is in the clouds mean?

To be outside in the fresh air.

To feel lightheaded.

To be unaware of what is going on from fantasies or daydreams.

To stand up very tall.

7. As soon as he got home, Erik told his mom about the problem. "Honey, I'm sure you're just making a mountain out of a molehill," his mother said while turning away to finish cooking dinner. What does making a mountain out of a molehill mean?

To be assigned a school project.

To get dirty.

To build something.

To make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem.

8. He was interested in inventing things and he also loved science so he knew at once who Edward Grover was. "This essay is going to be a piece of cake!" said Steven. Then Steven told him all about Edward Grover and his great accomplishments. What does piece of cake mean?

Something easy to do.

A sweet dessert.

Something you should share with someone.

Something you are able to eat.

9. "Settle down," said Ms. Burns, "school isn't over yet!" Erik's seventh grade class was celebrating because they had only two hours of school left before winter break. "Before we leave, I would like to give you your homework assignment to do over winter break." The class groaned loudly. "Now don't go bananas!" continued Ms. Burns, "We will spend the next hour starting your essays." Erik wasn't listening to a word Ms. Burns was saying. What does go bananas mean?

To want fruit.

To go crazy.

To be hungry.

To be given a homework assignment.

10. Finally, his dad told him that he should try a different method and try loking on the internet. So Erik stayed up late surfing the web and burning the midnight oil. What does burning the midnight oil mean?

To turn on a lamp.

To light a fireplace.

To feel warm and tired.

To work very late into the night

11. After Steven left, Erik worked until the eleventh hour. He finally got the essay done right before it was due. At school the next morning, when asked about his project, Erik grinned and said, "Oh, Life is a bowl of cherries." What does Life is a bowl of cherries mean?

Everything is going well or life is carefree.

A delicious snack.

Life is sour.

Erik was hungry.

12. Erik was exhausted and frustrated. His mother tried to help Erik by telling him that every cloud has a silver lining because he was really down in the dumps again. What does down in the dumps mean?

To be gloomy, melancholy, or depressed.

To be low to the ground.

To be stuck while working on a project.

To be surrounded by trash.

13. On the last day before the project was due, Erik's friend Steven came over to chew the fat and lend an ear. What does chew the fat mean?

To eat an unhealthy meal.

To chew your food very well.

To talk socially or chit-chat.

To insult someone.

14. "Edward Grover . . . Edward Grover . . . "Who's that????" Erik interrupted. He had never even heard of him! "Erik, Erik," Ms. Burns said comfortingly," I know Edward Grover will be a tough nut to crack, but you will find that he invented many great things!" What does a tough nut to crack mean?

A difficult problem to solve.

A strong man or woman.

A silly person.

A difficult snack to open.

15. After Steven left, Erik worked until the eleventh hour. He finally got the essay done right before it was due. At school the next morning, when asked about his project, Erik grinned and said, "Oh, it was a bowl of cherries." What does the eleventh hour mean?

At 11am or 11 pm.

The time someone must got to bed.

The last possible moment.

Eleven hours before school started.