13/15...

But quite a few times I just derived the answer from the context.

@orbital,

There are no huge difference between the meaning of 办法 and 方法，but 方法 is more formal and means the exact ways/solutions to slove problems.

Like 我们需要解决这个问题的方法, means we need the exact solutions that can solve this problem. People say 没有办法/没办法 means not able to do sth,but never use 没有方法.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

14/15 - was unfamiliar with the expression 一把手.

12/15. I feel really good about this test, first because the correct answers were my second choices, but mostly because, as the introduction says, these expressions are quite memorable.

A break from that swimming upstream feeling is always nice....

Thanks for the 办法/方法 explanation. Comparisons of subtle differences between synonyms are extremely helpful to me.

@BMG&weijin,

不错，应该表扬 :) 维瑾的分数怎么样？

另外，不知道你们两个有没有试试今天的Advanced 呢？我特别喜欢,不过做的时候要小心。

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

It's been such a long time since I've come across the phrase 开夜车! And all this while I thought it was a local slang :P

一把手 is a bit confusing. I know I've seen it used to mean a team member or participant, which is why in this case I picked the answer meaning employee. The big two-volume Chinese-English dictionary published by Jiaotong U. gives three meanings:

1. partner, participant, a member, a hand

2. a good hand, able man

3. head, chief, first in command, number one man

@user1536,

Your dictionary is right. There are three meanings of it, but when people use it as a team member or a capable person, it always needs a situation(that's what we called 语境). For example, "我们一起干吧，你也算上一把手","说起绘画，他可真是一把手". Actually, people would rather say 搭一把手 and 一把好手 when they refer to a team member and a capable person. Like "你搭一把手，我们把这个搬进去","要说写文章，他可是一把好手".

In the real life, people would think you mean the chief leader if you just say 一把手, esp. when you mentioned he/she worked in a company or in an organization.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com