Phrasal Verbs – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are helping your classmate research information for an upcoming essay. Choose the correct phrasal verb (A, B, C, or D) to complete your advice naturally.
1 If you don’t know the meaning of this scientific term, you should ______ in the online dictionary.
(A) find it out
(B) look up it
(C) look it up
(D) see it out
2 We need to ______ what time the library closes tonight so we can plan our study session.
(A) find out
(B) look out
(C) find out it
(D) discover out
3 I have been ______ that specific psychology textbook for an hour, but it’s not on the shelf.
(A) looking after
(B) looking at
(C) searching to
(D) looking for
4 When you watch the historical documentary, make sure you ______ the most important statistics.
(A) note in
(B) note down
(C) write out of
(D) take up
5 The essay guidelines on the website are very long, so I decided to ______.
(A) paper them out
(B) type them out
(C) print out them
(D) print them out
6 Let’s ______ this list of academic journals together to see which ones are actually relevant to our topic.
(A) read out
(B) go through
(C) go across
(D) pass through
7 Before you can access the university’s research database, you have to ______ with your student ID and password.
(A) log in
(B) sign up
(C) enter in
(D) log into
8 You cannot just state a personal opinion in an academic essay; you must ______ with solid evidence.
(A) support up
(B) back up it
(C) back it up
(D) stand it up
9 Your introduction is getting way too long. I think you should ______ the irrelevant historical background.
(A) drop out of
(B) miss out
(C) leave off
(D) leave out
10 While I was searching the digital archives, I accidentally ______ a rare photograph from the 1920s.
(A) found out
(B) came across
(C) came into
(D) met across
11 You have over 500 search results! You need to use more specific keywords to ______.
(A) narrow them down
(B) narrow down them
(C) cut them down
(D) lower them down
12 I don’t know much about climate change policies, so I need to ______ the topic before writing my first draft.
(A) catch up on
(B) read out about
(C) read up on
(D) study up to
13 The professor ______ that my main argument lacked strong references from reliable sources.
(A) showed out
(B) pointed out
(C) pointed it out
(D) picked out
14 Don’t forget that we have to ______ our final essay drafts to the teacher by Friday afternoon.
(A) hand in
(B) hand out
(C) give in
(D) submit into
15 I have read this abstract three times, but I still cannot ______ what the author actually means.
(A) solve out
(B) figure it out
(C) make up
(D) figure out
16 If the standard books don’t have the data we need, we should ______ the university’s special archives.
(A) investigate into
(B) look inside to
(C) look into
(D) see into
17 It took me three hours to ______ the bibliography list at the end of my paper.
(A) put together
(B) make together
(C) set up
(D) put it together
18 In your final paragraph, you need to briefly ______ all your main points for the reader.
(A) wrap out
(B) sum up
(C) finish up
(D) sum up them
19 To find the download link for the PDF file, you have to ______ to the very bottom of the webpage.
(A) roll down
(B) look down
(C) sweep down
(D) scroll down
20 If you need more physical books, you can ______ up to five items from the main library using your student card.
(A) borrow out
(B) take away
(C) check out
(D) check them out
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) look it up
Why it is correct: “Look up” means to search for a word or piece of information in a dictionary, book, or database. It is a separable phrasal verb. When the object is a pronoun like “it”, it MUST be placed exactly between the verb and the particle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Wrong meaning (“find out” is for discovering facts/truths, not looking up definitions). – (B) Structural Error (incorrect pronoun placement). – (D) Invalid phrase.
2 (A) find out
Why it is correct: “Find out” means to discover a fact, piece of information, or answer (in this case, the closing time).
Distractor Analysis: – (B) Wrong meaning (“look out” means to be careful/watch out for danger). – (C) Structural Error (you cannot place the pronoun “it” right before the “what time…” clause). – (D) Invalid combination.
3 (D) looking for
Why it is correct: “Look for” means to search for a physical object or a person (here, a book on a shelf).
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Wrong meaning (“look after” means to care for someone). – (B) Wrong meaning (“look at” means to direct your eyes towards something). – (C) Invalid preposition.
4 (B) note down
Why it is correct: “Note down” (or write down) means to quickly write important information so you don’t forget it.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) and (C) Invalid verb-preposition combinations. – (D) Wrong meaning (“take up” means to start a new hobby or occupy time/space).
5 (D) print them out
Why it is correct: “Print out” means to produce a paper copy of a digital document. The pronoun “them” (replacing guidelines) must be placed in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Invalid phrase. – (B) Wrong meaning (“type out” means to write using a keyboard, but the prompt says the guidelines are already on the website and just need printing). – (C) Structural Error (incorrect pronoun placement).
6 (B) go through
Why it is correct: “Go through” means to read, check, or examine a list or document carefully from beginning to end.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Wrong meaning (“read out” means to read aloud so others can hear). – (C) and (D) Unnatural/incorrect collocations for reading or examining documents.
7 (A) log in
Why it is correct: “Log in” means to enter a computer system or database.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) Wrong meaning (“sign up” means to register or create a new account). – (C) Invalid phrase. – (D) Structural Error (“log into” requires a direct object immediately following it, e.g., “log into the system”. Leaving it empty at the end of the sentence is grammatically incorrect).
8 (C) back it up
Why it is correct: “Back up” in an academic context means to support or strengthen an argument with solid evidence. The pronoun “it” must go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) and (D) Invalid phrases. – (B) Structural Error (incorrect pronoun placement).
9 (D) leave out
Why it is correct: “Leave out” means to omit or choose not to include something in a piece of writing.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Wrong meaning (“drop out of” is used for quitting school or a competition). – (B) Wrong meaning (“miss out” means to lose an opportunity). – (C) Invalid context.
10 (B) came across
Why it is correct: “Come across” means to find something or someone completely by chance.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Wrong nuance (“find out” is for discovering abstract truths or facts, not physically stumbling upon a photograph). – (C) Wrong meaning (“come into” usually means to inherit money/property). – (D) Invalid phrase.
11 (A) narrow them down
Why it is correct: “Narrow down” means to reduce the number of options or search results to make selection easier. The pronoun “them” must go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) Structural Error (incorrect pronoun placement). – (C) Wrong meaning (“cut down” means to chop trees or reduce spending). – (D) Invalid phrase.
12 (C) read up on
Why it is correct: “Read up on” is an inseparable 3-part phrasal verb meaning to read a lot about a specific subject to learn about it thoroughly.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Wrong meaning (“catch up on” means to do something you didn’t have time for earlier, like sleeping or reading missed emails). – (B) and (D) Invalid verb combinations.
13 (B) pointed out
Why it is correct: “Point out” means to tell someone a fact or draw their attention to a specific issue or mistake.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Invalid phrase. – (C) Major Structural Error (you cannot use the pronoun “it” right before a “that…” clause). – (D) Wrong meaning (“pick out” means to choose or select from a group).
14 (A) hand in
Why it is correct: “Hand in” (or turn in) means to submit homework, an essay, or a report to a teacher or authority figure.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) Wrong meaning (“hand out” means to distribute items to a group of people). – (C) Wrong meaning (“give in” means to surrender or finally agree to something you opposed). – (D) Invalid combination.
15 (D) figure out
Why it is correct: “Figure out” means to think about a problem or situation until you find the solution or understand its meaning.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Invalid combination (“solve” does not take “out”). – (B) Structural Error (the clause “what the author actually means” already acts as the complete object, so adding the pronoun “it” makes the sentence redundant and grammatically incorrect). – (C) Wrong meaning (“make up” means to invent a story or reconcile).
16 (C) look into
Why it is correct: “Look into” means to investigate or examine a database, situation, or problem carefully.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Structural Error (the verb “investigate” is a standard transitive verb and does not take the preposition “into”). – (B) and (D) Unnatural, direct translations that are not valid English idioms.
17 (A) put together
Why it is correct: “Put together” means to assemble, compile, or organize parts into a complete whole (here, compiling sources into a reference list).
Distractor Analysis: – (B) and (C) Wrong meanings. – (D) Structural Error (the object “the bibliography list” is already at the end of the sentence, so placing the pronoun “it” in the middle creates a redundant, double-object error).
18 (B) sum up
Why it is correct: “Sum up” (or summarize) means to state the main points of an argument briefly.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) Invalid phrase. – (C) Wrong meaning (“finish up” simply means to complete a task, missing the specific nuance of summarizing). – (D) Structural Error (redundantly adding the pronoun “them”).
19 (D) scroll down
Why it is correct: “Scroll down” is a basic computing term meaning to move the text or images on a screen downwards to see more content.
Distractor Analysis: – (A), (B), and (C) use incorrect verbs that are not associated with navigating computer interfaces.
20 (C) check out
Why it is correct: “Check out” in a library context specifically means to officially borrow books so you can take them home.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) “Borrow” is used alone; “borrow out” is not a valid phrase. – (B) “Take away” is mostly used for buying food to go. – (D) Structural Error (the object “up to five items” is already present, making the pronoun “them” redundant and incorrect).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Look up vs. Find out:
- Use Look up when you are searching for existing data in a system, reference book, or database. Example: Look up a word in the dictionary.
- Use Find out when you are discovering a new fact, truth, or piece of information. Example: Find out the truth, find out when the library closes.
- The Pronoun Rule (Crucial for B1/B2 learners): For separable phrasal verbs like look up, write down, print out, back up, narrow down:
- If the object is a regular noun, it can go in the middle or at the end. (Example: Print out the essay OR Print the essay out).
- HOWEVER, if the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her), it MUST be placed directly between the verb and the particle.
- Correct: Print them out. / Look it up.
- Incorrect: Print out them. / Look up it.
- Core Academic Research Vocabulary: Memorize these highly useful academic phrasal verbs: go through (to read or examine a document carefully), read up on (to research a topic deeply before writing), back up (to support a claim with evidence), and put together (to compile data or lists).