IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Question 1
IPMAT Indore 2023 previous year question on Idioms and Phrases, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.
Complete the following sentence by choosing the most appropriate word/phrase from the options given below.
If you ask me to give you a rough estimate for the cost of the project, _________________ I would say thirty lakhs.
- Aoff-the-cuff
- Boff-the-mark
- Coff-the-grid
- Doff-the-mike
Answer & solution
Answer: Option A
The idiom. Off-the-cuff means without preparation; impromptu. The phrase comes from the practice of a speaker scribbling notes on a shirt cuff moments before speaking.
Why it fits. The sentence already signals it: “a rough estimate”. A rough estimate given on the spot is an off-the-cuff figure.
Why the others fail:
(b) off-the-mark — means inaccurate. The speaker is offering a figure, not admitting it is wrong; and “rough” means approximate, not mistaken.
(c) off-the-grid — means disconnected from public utilities or society. Nothing to do with estimates.
(d) off-the-mike — not a standard idiom (the real phrase is off-mic, meaning not recorded).
Answer: Option 1
Shortcut. “Rough estimate” is the giveaway. It tells you the missing phrase must mean unprepared, and only one option does.
Learn this family together, since IPMAT returns to it: off the cuff (impromptu), off the record (not for publication), off the mark (inaccurate), off the grid (disconnected), off colour (unwell, or indecent). They share a shape and are easy to confuse under time pressure.
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