IPMAT Indore 2026 · Verbal Ability · Question 21

IPMAT Indore 2026 previous year question on Idioms and Phrases, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.

Idioms and PhrasesVocabularyMultiple choiceMedium

Complete the following sentence by choosing the most appropriate word/phrase from the options given below.

We had tried so hard to keep Maya’s birthday party a surprise, but at the last minute someone_________.

  1. A

    played cat and mouse with her

  2. B

    let the cat out of the bag

  3. C

    sent the cat out of the house

  4. D

    set the cat among the pigeons

Pick an option, then check.
Answer & solution

Answer: Option B

What the sentence needs. The “but” signals that the surprise was ruined — someone revealed the secret.

The idiom. Let the cat out of the bag = to disclose a secret, usually by accident. Perfect for a spoiled surprise party.

Why the others fail:

play cat and mouse — to toy with someone before defeating them; about teasing, not revealing.

set the cat among the pigeons — to say or do something that causes trouble or alarm. Close in spirit, but it means causing a commotion, not divulging a secret.

send the cat out of the house — not an idiom at all.

Answer: Option 2 — let the cat out of the bag

Shortcut. All four options are cat idioms, so the discriminator is the exact meaning. The stem is about a secret being revealed, not about causing chaos — which separates (b) from the tempting (d).

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