Expressions Quiz: Speed

You can do this quiz online or print it on paper. It tests comprehension of common English expressions used when talking about how quickly or slowly something happens.

Read each sentence and choose the answer with the closest meaning to the words in italics.

1. The movie starts in ten minutes so we'd better get a move on.

go slower
go sooner
go faster
a) go slower b) go sooner c) go faster

2. The traffic was moving at a snail's pace this evening.

very slowly
faster than usual
slower than ever
a) very slowly b) faster than usual c) slower than ever

3. The meeting won't start until 8 o'clock, so take your time getting there.

don't be late
don't be early
no need to rush
a) don't be late b) don't be early c) no need to rush

4. Tommy was going flat out when he crashed his motorbike.

as flat as possible
as fast as possible
as slow as possible
a) as flat as possible b) as fast as possible c) as slow as possible

5. If we hadn't been running late, we wouldn't have been speeding.

slowing down
going so fast
behind schedule
a) slowing down b) going so fast c) behind schedule

6. Our students are allowed to study at their own pace.

at any speed that suits them
as quickly as they can
whenever they want to
a) at any speed that suits them b) as quickly as they can c) whenever they want to

7. The war is over and slowly but surely life is going back to normal.

much too slowly
gradually but definitely
sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly
a) much too slowly b) gradually but definitely c) sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly

8. Grandma was driving like a bat out of hell.

quite terribly
extremely fast
very slowly
a) quite terribly b) extremely fast c) very slowly

9. Once the news got out, it spread like wildfire.

slowly
steadily
quickly
a) slowly b) steadily c) quickly

10. Some people are struggling to keep pace with changing social norms.

progress as fast as
progress faster than
progress slower than
a) progress as fast as b) progress faster than c) progress slower than

Your score is:

Correct answers:

Contributor: Matt Errey. Matt is the author of several books including 1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context and Common English Idioms for learners, and Matt's ESL Games and Quizzes for teachers.