First Certificate in English (FCE) 2 Practice Test

Understanding phrasal verbs where take off means become successful or popular quickly.

In this sentence, the idea is that the band’s career will start to rise after their first real concert. The appropriate word completes the verb phrase take off, giving the sense of rapid rise or sudden popularity. Off is the part that makes the idiom work here.

Other options don’t fit the same idea. Take on would mean to undertake or hire; take over means to gain control of something; take up usually means to start a hobby or fill a space. None of those convey the sense of becoming successful or famous, which is why off is the best choice.