A question from Test Preperation Kit

**harbinger** · 06-27-2003, 09:20 AM

M: If you could, would you trace places with your sister?
WM: yeah, she's got it made.

What does the woman mean?

a) the sisters share a lot of things.
b) She and her sister will switch seats
c) Things are going well for her sister
d)Her sister finished her cooking.

The answer is C. Please tell me what "trace places with someone" mean?
Thank you very much

**Erin** · 06-27-2003, 03:15 PM

Um, that should be "trade places with your sister."

Make sense now?

**harbinger** · 06-28-2003, 12:49 AM

OK I see. Thanks.

**nile** · 06-28-2003, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by Erin Billy

Um, that should be "trade places with your sister."

Make sense now?

Hi Erin, could you explain this phrase - trade places with sb? Is it an idiom or just an ordinary phrase? If not an idiom, it will fit B the most, doesn't it? However, as harbinger says, the answer is C. Why C here? Explain this phrase, will you??

**Erin** · 06-28-2003, 02:38 PM

"trade places" means take the place of the other person in her life. If, for example, you think your sister has a great life, you would trade places with her.

In this question, there's no reason to assume that the speakers are talking about seats.

The point of this question, however, is the idiom "to have it made," which means to be successful or to have a promising future.

**nile** · 06-28-2003, 11:01 PM

Thanks a million. I get it right now. One more question: Does "to have it made" originate from the idiom "to make it", which means "to be successful in one's career"?

Because I just couldn't find "to have it made" in any of the big dictionaries like Merriam, Oxford, etc. But "to make it" is really there, and I think "to have it made" is simply derived from this idiom. Is that so?