Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1Because the legal advice was incomplete, the board put ............... the review until next quarter.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because put off means postpone, and the cue is that the review has been moved until next quarter.
2She turned ............... the offer, although the salary was generous, because the role involved constant travel.
Wrong!
"down" is correct because turn down an offer means refuse it.
3The manager finally backed ............... the junior analyst when she produced the email trail.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because back off means stop pressuring or threatening someone.
4After the client withdrew, we called ............... the meeting rather than pretending there was still an agenda.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because call off a meeting means cancel it.
5To identify the source of the loss, the finance team had to break ............... the figures by region and product line.
Wrong!
"down" is correct because break down figures means divide them into smaller categories for analysis.
6The minister shrugged ............... the criticism as if it were merely a misunderstanding.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because shrug off criticism means dismiss it as unimportant.
7After three decades of running it herself, Marisa handed ............... the business to her daughter.
Wrong!
"down" is correct because hand down can mean pass something to the next generation.
8The committee chair waved ............... the objections and approved the report without changing a line.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because wave off objections means dismiss them and continue despite them.
9By Friday, the panel had narrowed ............... the shortlist from twelve candidates to three.
Wrong!
"down" is correct because narrow down a list means reduce it to fewer choices.
10The company expects to pay ............... the loan within five years if revenue continues to rise.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because pay off a loan means repay it completely.
11Morale settled ............... after the restructuring, but it took several months for trust to return.
Wrong!
"down" is correct because settle down means become calmer or more stable after disruption.
12The sudden pressure change set ............... the alarm before anyone had touched the control panel.
Wrong!
"off" is correct because set off an alarm means trigger or activate it.
Answers
- Because the legal advice was incomplete, the board put off the review until next quarter.
- She turned down the offer, although the salary was generous, because the role involved constant travel.
- The manager finally backed off the junior analyst when she produced the email trail.
- After the client withdrew, we called off the meeting rather than pretending there was still an agenda.
- To identify the source of the loss, the finance team had to break down the figures by region and product line.
- The minister shrugged off the criticism as if it were merely a misunderstanding.
- After three decades of running it herself, Marisa handed down the business to her daughter.
- The committee chair waved off the objections and approved the report without changing a line.
- By Friday, the panel had narrowed down the shortlist from twelve candidates to three.
- The company expects to pay off the loan within five years if revenue continues to rise.
- Morale settled down after the restructuring, but it took several months for trust to return.
- The sudden pressure change set off the alarm before anyone had touched the control panel.
