Grammar & Vocabulary Quiz

Question 1

Fill in the blank.
"The co-working space is convenient, and it's also _____ nice opportunity to meet other people."

A singular countable noun always needs an article: a nice opportunity, a comfortable place, an additional person. This is the single most frequent gap in your speech — Polish has no articles, so the word simply disappears when you're talking at speed.

Question 2

Fill in the blank.
"That interview was _____ years ago — probably around 2017."

"A few" means "some" and is neutral. Bare "few" means "almost none" and is negative — "few people came" = hardly anyone came. So "few years ago" accidentally says something you don't mean. The same applies to "a few classes," "a few minutes," "a few movies."

Question 3

Choose the correct sentence.

Meals take no article (eat breakfast, have lunch), and so do institutions used for their purpose: go to work, to school, to church, to bed. Watch the contrast with instruments, which do take "the": "I play the guitar."

Question 4

Fill in the blank.
"She has _____ university degree in economics."

"University" starts with the consonant sound /j/ — "yoo-niversity" — so it takes a, not "an." The choice follows sound, not spelling: a university, a European client, but an hour, an honest answer.

Question 5

Fill in the blank.
"Against all odds, the team delivered on time — I can't believe they _____."

Pull off = succeed at something difficult or unlikely. Note the object sits in the middle: "pull it off," "pull the deal off." This is also the phrase Chris uses in the interview scene from The Pursuit of Happyness.

Question 6

Fill in the blank.
"The lead investor _____ at the last minute, and the whole project collapsed."

Pull out = withdraw completely from a plan or agreement. "Pull back" is softer — reducing involvement rather than ending it. "Pull through" means to survive a crisis, and "pull together" means to cooperate under pressure.

Question 7

Fill in the blank.
"Let's _____ the problem into smaller parts so it feels more manageable."

Break down = analyze something in detail by separating it into parts. The same phrasal verb also means "stop working" (the car broke down) and "become very upset."

Question 8

Fill in the blank.
"After months of struggle, the researchers finally _____ — the solution was simpler than anyone expected."

Break through = make progress after a long period of difficulty or resistance. The noun is one word: "that was a real breakthrough." Compare "break out" (start suddenly — a fire, a fight) and "break in" (interrupt).

Question 9

Fill in the blank.
"I would recommend _____ about the company before the interview."

Recommend takes a gerund or a that-clause — "recommend reading," "recommend that they read" — but never "recommend someone to do." Advise works the other way: "I would advise them to read about the company." Two similar verbs, two different patterns.

Question 10

Choose the correct sentence.

Explain always needs "to" before the person: explain to him, explain to the client. The same goes for "describe to me" and "suggest to the team." Compare "tell," which takes the person directly: "told him."

Question 11

Fill in the blank.
"In the interview he _____ that data scientists are most at risk."

Tell requires a person straight after it; say does not take one at all. So: "he said that…" or "he told the reporter that…" — but never "he told that."

Question 12

Fill in the blank.
"It's better to take your time and _____ rush the decision."

"And" is joining two infinitives here — "to take… and (to) rush" — so the negative is simply not: "take your time and not rush." "Don't" only works with a real imperative: "Take your time. Don't rush."

Question 13

Fill in the blank.
"He refused to express a clear preference either way — he always _____."

Sit on the fence = avoid taking a side or committing to a position. The image is someone sitting on top of a fence, refusing to come down on either side.

Question 14

Fill in the blank.
"After years of thinking about it, she finally _____ and started her own business."

Take the plunge = make a bold, decisive move after hesitating. Note the past form is "took the plunge," and with "yet" you need the present perfect: "I haven't taken the plunge yet."

Question 15

Fill in the blank.
"I'm happy to work extra hours occasionally, but I _____ at weekends."

Draw the line (at something) = set a firm limit on what you will accept. Note the article: draw the line, not "draw a line."

Question 16

Fill in the blank.
"The product launch was completely _____ until the press conference."

Keep something under wraps = keep it secret, especially before an official announcement. The opposite move is to lay your cards on the table — be completely open about your position.

Question 17

Fill in the blank.
"Management knew about the problem for months but chose not to act — they just _____."

Turn a blind eye (to something) = deliberately ignore something you know is wrong. "Spill the beans" is the opposite kind of failure — revealing a secret you were supposed to keep.

Question 18

Fill in the blank.
"Over the last three years, AI _____ an essential skill in our industry."

The verb is become – became – become, so the participle after "has" is "become," never "became." And because the change runs from the past up to now, you need the present perfect rather than the simple past.

Question 19

Fill in the blank.
"I _____ the plunge yet — I'm still weighing my options."

The word "yet" forces the present perfect — it means "up to now, but possibly still to come." Use the simple past only with a finished time expression: "I didn't take it last year."

Question 20

Fill in the blank.
"The shop was understaffed, and three other customers had the same problem _____."

The fixed phrase is at the same time. "In the same time" is a direct carry-over from Polish w tym samym czasie, and it comes up often in your speech — it only works in a different sense: "he finished it in the same time as last year" (meaning the duration was equal).

Question 21

Fill in the blank.
"AI isn't heavily regulated in the US, and it isn't heavily regulated in China _____."

At the end of a negative sentence, use either: "I don't like it either." Neither goes at the front and inverts the verb: "Neither do I." And "also" belongs in positive sentences only.

Question 22

Fill in the blank.
"The ban doesn't name China, but you'd be _____ to find another country that makes as many robots."

You'd be hard pressed to… = you would find it very difficult to. It's a polite, understated way of saying something is nearly impossible. A broad swath means a wide range, and cutting-edge means the very latest.

Question 23

Fill in the blank.
"The administration _____ privacy concerns as the main reason for the ban."

Cite = give something as a reason or refer to it as evidence. From the same article: curb = limit or restrain, and obliterate = destroy completely.

Question 24

Fill in the blank.
"Meta _____ $1 billion for the construction of new data centers."

Earmark = set money aside for one specific purpose. Broaden means to make wider (broaden access), and scoff at means to dismiss something with contempt.

Question 25

Fill in the blank.
"Moving to the Berlin company was a _____ in my career — everything changed after it."

A watershed moment is a turning point after which nothing is the same. A blanket ban covers everything with no exceptions, and a loophole is a gap in the rules that lets you avoid them legally.