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She had been preparing for the exam for months, but the unexpected difficulty of the questions threw her off balance.

C2

Sentence

Narrator

She had been preparing for the exam for months, but the unexpected difficulty of the questions threw her off balance.

Study notes

How to use in different contexts

Giving Advice

Thorough preparation is crucial; unexpected questions can still throw you off, so be prepared for surprises.

Describing Habits

She diligently studied for months, yet the exam's difficulty surprised her.

Asking About Others

Did the unexpected difficulty of the questions affect your performance, despite your preparation?

Sharing Hypotheticals

If she hadn't prepared for months, the exam would have been even more challenging.

Rephrased versions

Formal

Despite months of dedicated preparation, the unforeseen complexity of the examination questions disrupted her composure.

Casual

She'd been studying for ages, but the test was way harder than she expected, and it totally threw her.

Simpler English

She studied for a long time, but the hard questions surprised her.

Phrases to learn

preparing for the exam

To study and practice in order to be ready for an examination.

threw her off balance

To cause someone to lose their composure or equilibrium.