Read the following sentences and try to guess the meaning of the idioms.

1.       If an activity takes a back seat

a)      You spend more time doing it than other things
b)      You spend less time doing it than other things
c)       You don’t do it at all

2.       It was a good proposal so I took the ball and ran with it.

a)      I took the idea and developed it further
b)      At first the proposal seemed good, then I lost interest in it
c)       I like ball games.

3.       If your business takes a beating

a)      You make huge profits
b)      You lose a lot of money
c)       You make neither profit nor loss

4.       Although the protesters were shouting outside the venue, no one took a blind bit of notice

a)      Nobody paid any attention to the protesters
b)      The protesters paid no attention to others
c)       The protesters were getting a lot of attention because of their shouting

5.       Successful businesses always take on board the views of their customers.

a)      Their policy is to understand and accept the ideas of their customers
b)      Their policy is to pay little attention to the ideas and views of their customers
c)       They expect their customers to understand and accept their policies.

6.       The beauty of the Taj Mahal took my breath away

a)      I became breathless during my visit to Taj Mahal
b)      I felt admiration because the Taj was very beautiful
c)       I didn’t find the Taj beautiful or good

Answers

1.       You spend less time doing it than other things
2.       I took the idea and developed it further
3.       You lose a lot of money
4.       Nobody paid any attention to the protesters
5.       Their policy is to understand and accept the ideas of their customers
6.       I felt admiration because the Taj was very beautiful