TOEFL Sample Question

 

 

 The discovery of gold in California in 1848 marked the beginning of an economic boom known as the California Gold Rush. The miners, many of whom were originally journalists, lawyers, and businessmen, preserved their experiences in writing. Much of these was peppered with colorful phrase related to their new work. Interestingly, many of these phrases are still in use today in the English language.

 

 The popular phrase "pan out," meaning "to be successful," can be traced back to the gold rush. Miners would separate gold from worthless minerals using a pan; gold would settle to the bottom of the pan, and other sediments would be removed.

The likely origin of "pan out," then, is from the process of gathering all the gold in one's pan.

 

 In addition, the phrase "strike it rich" originated from the Gold Rush.

This phrase has come to mean "to become wealthy quickly." A strike is literally a discovery, in this case, of gold. During the Gold Rush, if a miner "Struck in rich,"

he found gold and thus become wealthy. Having lost its original meaning, the same phrase is used today when people make money quickly in business or win a lottery.