5 exercises — the phrasal verbs developers use every day when talking about Git: checking out, pulling, pushing, branching, and reverting.
Git phrasal verb cluster
check out a branch — switch to it (git checkout / git switch)
pull in changes — fetch & merge from remote (git pull)
push up to remote — send commits to origin (git push)
branch off from main — create a new branch (git checkout -b)
merge in a PR — incorporate a branch (git merge)
revert back — undo commit(s) safely (git revert)
0 / 10 completed
1 / 10
A developer says: "I need to _____ the feature branch before I can start working on the bug fix." Which phrase completes the sentence correctly?
Check out means to switch your working directory to a specific branch or commit: git checkout feature/auth (classic) or git switch feature/auth (modern Git 2.23+). Explanation of the others: "Check in" is not a standard Git term (it comes from older version control systems like SVN/TFS — where you "check in" files to the repository). In a Git context, we "commit and push". "Check through" is not a technical term in version control. "Check off" means to mark something as done on a list — unrelated to Git. Real-world usage: "Let me check out the main branch and pull the latest." / "I checked out a new branch from develop." / "She checked out the tag v2.3.1 to investigate the regression."
2 / 10
The team lead says: "Before we merge, make sure to _____ all the latest changes from main." What is the correct phrasal verb?
Pull in means to bring in changes from a remote branch into your local branch. In Git workflow: "pull in changes from main" = git pull origin main or git fetch && git merge origin/main. Note: "pull" alone is already a common Git verb ("git pull"), and "pull in" is its more conversational phrasal form. "Push away" / "push across" — not standard Git phrasal verbs. "Pull through" means "to survive a difficult situation" (e.g., "The server pulled through the outage") — it does not mean pulling code. Related Git phrasal verbs: "push up to remote" (= git push), "pull in from main" (= git pull origin main), "merge in the feature branch" (= git merge feature/x).
3 / 10
During a code review, a reviewer comments: "This work looks good — please _____ from the feature branch and I'll approve the merge." Which phrasal verb fits?
Push up means to push your local commits to the remote repository: "push up your changes" = git push origin feature/my-branch. Why "push up" specifically? The "up" particle suggests movement from local (down, your machine) to remote (up, the server/cloud). Counterpart: "pull down" — to pull from remote to local. "Branch off" means to create a new branch from a parent: "branch off from main" = git checkout -b feature/new main. This doesn't fit the context here. "Merge in" means to incorporate a branch: "merge in the PR" = git merge feature/x. "Revert back" is partially redundant ("revert" already implies going back) but is used in speech: "We had to revert back to the previous release." Usage examples: "Push up your branch so I can take a look." / "Once everything is green, push up and request a review."
4 / 10
A backend developer explains: "We decided to _____ a dedicated branch for the hotfix instead of working directly on main." Choose the right phrasal verb.
Branch off means to create a new branch that diverges from an existing one. "Branch off from main" is the most common usage: git checkout -b hotfix/login-crash main. The mental image: the main line of development continues straight, and a new branch "branches off" at an angle — like a road fork. "Break off" means to stop or separate abruptly (e.g., "talks broke off", "the handle broke off") — not a Git term. "Cut off" means to stop suddenly or interrupt (e.g., "the signal was cut off") — not used in version control. "Split out" can mean to extract something into a separate module, but it's not standard for creating Git branches. Related phrase: "branch out" — to expand into new areas (career or product context): "We're branching out into mobile development." In Git specifically, use "branch off" for creating branches.
5 / 10
The release engineer says: "We need to _____ the last commit because it introduced a critical bug in production."
While technically "revert" alone is the standard Git term (git revert HEAD), "revert back" is the most commonly used phrasal form in spoken English in the IT context. "We'll need to revert back to the previous version." Note: Strictly speaking, "revert back" is slightly redundant (revert already implies going back), but it's idiomatic and universally understood. You will hear it constantly in standups and incident calls. "Roll over" means to move something to the next period (loans, dates) — not used for code reverts. "Fall back" is used for fallback strategies in distributed systems ("fall back to the cached response") — not the same as reverting a commit. "Undo over" — not a standard phrase in any context. Related: "roll back" (roll back the deployment, roll back the migration) — used more for deployments, database changes, and infrastructure; "revert" / "revert back" — used more for individual commits and code changes.
6 / 10
Sarah from the QA team Slack channel asks: 'Hey, can someone revert this change? It's breaking our integration tests.' Which phrasal verb best describes what Sarah is requesting?
Revert means to undo a change and return to a previous version. This aligns with Sarah's request to fix broken tests; she needs to undo the recent modification. 'Push' refers to uploading code, 'merge' combines branches, and 'commit' records changes – none of these address the core issue of broken integration tests.
7 / 10
David, a senior developer, is writing the description for a Pull Request. He writes: 'I've checked out the latest changes from the main branch and integrated them into my local branch.' What does 'checked out' mean in this context?
'Checked out' in Git typically refers to updating a local branch to match the state of another branch, usually `main`. This involves fetching and merging changes. Options 'commit', 'merge', and 'delete' represent different operations within version control. It's crucial to understand this distinction for clear PR descriptions.
8 / 10
Maria, during a standup meeting, says: 'I'm going to stash my changes because I need to work on another urgent task.' What does 'stash' mean in this context?
'Stash' is a Git command that allows you to temporarily save changes without committing them. This is useful when you need to switch branches or work on something else without losing your progress. It's essentially a lightweight commit that can be easily reapplied later. The other options represent different Git actions.
9 / 10
Ben, the technical lead, is reviewing code and comments: 'The developer needs to pull the latest changes from the remote repository before continuing.' What does 'pull' mean in this context?
'Pull' in Git is shorthand for 'fetch' followed by 'merge'. It retrieves changes from a remote repository and automatically integrates them into your local working copy. This ensures you have the most up-to-date version of the code. 'Push' is the opposite operation.
10 / 10
Emily, the release engineer, says: 'We need to branch off of the stable version to address this critical bug.' What does 'branch off' mean in this scenario?
'Branch off' means creating a new Git branch that is based on an existing branch (in this case, the stable version). This allows developers to work on the bug fix in isolation without affecting the main codebase. It's a fundamental technique for managing changes and preventing instability during development.
What will I practise in "Git & Version Control Phrasal Verbs"?
This module focuses on Phrasal Verbs — real workplace phrasing you'll use on the job. It contains 10 scenario-based multiple-choice questions with instant feedback.
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How many questions does this exercise have?
This module includes 10 questions. Each one gives an immediate right/wrong result plus a full explanation of the correct phrasing.
What happens if I answer a question incorrectly?
You'll see the correct answer highlighted straight away, along with a plain-English explanation of why it's right and why the other options don't fit — mistakes are part of the learning here.
Can I retry the exercise if I want a better score?
Yes — use the 'Try again' button on the results screen to reset your score and go through the questions again. There's no limit on attempts.
Who is this Phrasal Verbs exercise for?
It's aimed at IT professionals with working English who want to sound more natural and precise around phrasal verbs — useful whether you're preparing for real conversations at work or just building confidence with the vocabulary.
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No account is needed. Your progress through the exercise is tracked locally in your browser for the current session, and you can replay the module at any time.
How is this different from reading a blog article?
This exercise is an interactive drill that tests and reinforces specific phrasing through multiple-choice questions with instant feedback, while blog articles explain concepts and vocabulary in prose. The two work well together.
Where can I find more Phrasal Verbs exercises?
See the Phrasal Verbs hub for more modules like this one, or browse the full Exercises page for other IT-English topics.
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