SSC CGL Tier 1 2022 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The preposition towards must be followed by a noun or a gerund, which is the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun. In the sentence structure efforts towards achieving sustained growth, the word towards functions as a preposition indicating the direction or goal of the efforts. Consequently, the verb achieve must take the gerund form achieving to serve as the object of that preposition. This construction is standard in English grammar when a preposition precedes an action that represents a target or objective.

Explanation

The error lies in the subject-verb agreement within the clause "it reflect badly". In English grammar, a third-person singular subject like the pronoun "it" must be followed by a singular verb. Therefore, "reflect" should be changed to "reflects" to match the subject. Additionally, since the sentence follows the structure of a first conditional (If + present simple), the result clause typically uses the future tense, suggesting "it will reflect" would also be a grammatically appropriate correction. The use of the base form "reflect" with a singular subject is incorrect.

Explanation

The sentence correctly employs the present perfect tense to describe a recently completed action that has a direct impact on the present state, which is the increase in the tiger population. The construction consists of the auxiliary verb has paired with the past participle given, which is the correct form for the singular subject a tigress. The idiomatic expression give birth to is used accurately to denote the act of producing offspring. Because the verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and prepositional usage are all grammatically precise, the original phrasing is correct.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice and uses the simple past tense, as indicated by the structure were + past participle (surrendered). To convert a simple past passive sentence into the active voice, the auxiliary verb were is removed, and the main verb is used in its second form (V2). The agent in the passive voice, them, shifts to the subject position as They, while the subject of the passive sentence, All weapons, becomes the direct object. Following the standard active voice pattern of Subject + V2 + Object, the sentence becomes They surrendered all weapons.

Explanation

Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or other planet-like bodies. The term originates from the Greek words seismos, meaning earthquake, and logos, meaning knowledge or study. It involves the recording and analysis of seismic waves using instruments such as seismographs to determine the origin, intensity, and frequency of tremors, which helps in understanding the Earth's internal structure and assessing seismic hazards.

Explanation

The idiom in the same breath refers to the act of saying two things nearly at the same time, especially when those two statements are contradictory or inconsistent. It is typically used to highlight the irony or hypocrisy of a speaker who expresses one sentiment and then immediately follows it with an opposing or conflicting idea without any significant pause.

Explanation

Ostentatious is an adjective used to describe something characterized by a pretentious or vulgar display intended to impress others or attract notice. It typically refers to an excessive or unnecessary exhibition of wealth, luxury, or skill. The word showy serves as a direct synonym because it describes a person or object that is flamboyant, gaudy, or designed to be highly visible and striking in a way that seeks attention. Both terms convey the quality of being grand or conspicuous for the purpose of outward presentation.

Explanation

The use of the definite article the in the phrase the very well-directed film is grammatically incorrect in this context. When a singular countable noun like film is modified by a descriptive adjective phrase, the indefinite article a is required to introduce it as one instance of such a film. The definite article the would only be appropriate if the film had been previously mentioned or was being identified as a specific, unique entity known to the reader. Since the sentence is providing a general qualitative description, the should be replaced with a to correctly form the expression It was a very well-directed film.

Explanation

The error in the segment "No one were" is a violation of the rule of subject-verb agreement. The subject "No one" is an indefinite pronoun, and in English grammar, indefinite pronouns ending in -one, -body, or -thing are always treated as singular. Therefore, they require a singular verb to match. The plural verb "were" is incorrect in this context and must be replaced with the singular past tense verb "was" to properly agree with the singular subject "No one".

Explanation

Retaliate means to respond to an action, typically a harmful one, with a similar or equivalent action in return. It involves taking a counteraction or returning like for like. The word react is the most appropriate synonym because it describes the fundamental process of acting in response to an agent, influence, or event. Both terms encapsulate the concept of a secondary action triggered by an initial stimulus.

Explanation

When converting indirect speech to direct speech, the Past Perfect tense (had booked) in the reported clause typically reverts to the Simple Past tense (did book). The pronoun I in the indirect statement refers to the listener (me), so it changes to the second-person pronoun you in direct speech. Additionally, the word order changes from an assertive structure (I had booked) to an interrogative structure (did you book) to form a direct question. The reporting verb asked is replaced by said to me to maintain the context of the conversation.

Explanation

The term population refers to the total number of individuals of a particular species inhabiting a specific geographical area. In ecological and environmental contexts, such as reporting on the status of Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika Lake, this word is the standard scientific designation for the collective group of animals being monitored. Since the passage discusses a rise in the count of these dolphins resulting from the removal of obstructions and reduced human activity, population is the precise term to describe this demographic increase.

Explanation

The word illegal is the most appropriate choice in this context as it refers to actions or structures that are prohibited by law or government regulations. In Chilika Lake, fish and prawn enclosures, often called gheries, were constructed without authorization and in violation of environmental laws like the Odisha Fishing in Chilika (Regulation) Act. These unauthorized structures restricted the natural movement of aquatic life and degraded the ecosystem. The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) conducted large-scale eviction drives to remove these prohibited enclosures to restore the lagoon's ecological health. Since these enclosures were established in direct contravention of statutory rules and lacked any lawful permit, they are formally categorized as illegal.

Explanation

The term encroachment refers to the unauthorized or illegal entry into or use of a territory that is not one's own, such as public land or water bodies. In the context of Chilika Lake, the fish enclosures mentioned in the passage are illegal prawn gheris that occupied vast areas of the lake's surface. When these unauthorized structures were removed through eviction drives, the lake became encroachment-free. This term is the standard administrative and environmental descriptor for restoring a protected area to its natural state by removing illegal human-made obstructions, thereby providing the Irrawaddy dolphins with the necessary unobstructed space for movement and habitat connectivity.

Explanation

The passage outlines the reasons for the positive change in the Irrawaddy dolphin's status in Chilika Lake. The first reason mentioned is the eviction of fish enclosures, which provided the dolphins with more space. The sentence beginning with blank 4 introduces a second, additional factor: the reduction in tourist boat traffic resulting from the COVID-19 lockdown. The conjunctive adverb "Moreover" is used to transition to this additional piece of supporting information, as it functions to add a new point that aligns with and reinforces the preceding argument.

Explanation

The word conducive means providing the right conditions for something to happen or making a particular outcome likely or possible. In the context of the passage, the significant reduction in tourist boat traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown led to a decrease in underwater noise pollution and physical disturbances. This created a favorable and supportive environment that facilitated the natural behavior of the Irrawaddy dolphins, allowing them to navigate between different sectors of Chilika Lake with greater ease and safety. The absence of human interference effectively provided the ideal circumstances for their unobstructed movement throughout the lagoon.

Explanation

The word Revange is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is Revenge, which refers to the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. It is derived from the Old French word revengier, and in modern English, it requires the vowel e in both the first and second syllables.

Explanation

To convert the direct speech into indirect speech, the reporting verb said is changed to told me to indicate the presence of an implied listener. The conjunction that is used to connect the reporting part and the reported part. The first-person pronoun I changes to she to match the subject Mother, and the second-person possessive adjective your changes to my to refer to the listener. According to the rules of tense transformation, since the reporting verb is in the past tense, the present simple am worried changes to the past simple was worried.

Explanation

When comparing exactly two items or people, the comparative degree of an adjective or adverb must be used. In this sentence, the comparison is specifically between two plans submitted by the architect. The word more is the comparative form used for the adjective likely when evaluating two options. Therefore, the phrase more likely is grammatically accurate in this context to indicate a higher probability of acceptance for one plan over the other. The use of the superlative form would only be appropriate if three or more plans were being discussed.

Explanation

The sentence requires the passive voice because the subject, the first meeting, is the receiver of the action rather than the doer. In English grammar, the future passive is formed using the structure will + be + past participle of the main verb. The past participle of the verb hold is held. Therefore, the phrase will be held correctly follows the rules of passive construction to indicate an event that is scheduled to take place in the future.

Explanation

The paragraph begins with sentence B, which introduces the central theme of advertisements and establishes a conditional premise regarding their usefulness. Sentence A directly follows B as it elaborates on this utility by explaining exactly how advertisements assist consumers in making product decisions. Sentence D introduces a logical contrast using the transition word However, shifting the focus from the benefits to the potential dangers of dishonest advertising. Sentence C completes the sequence by providing a specific consequence of these harmful advertisements, using the phrase such advertisements to refer back to the deceptive practices mentioned in sentence D. This structure moves logically from a general introduction to a specific elaboration, followed by a contrasting viewpoint and a concluding detail.

Explanation

An invigilator is a person appointed to maintain surveillance over candidates during an examination to ensure that the proceedings are conducted in accordance with established rules and to prevent any form of cheating or malpractice. The term is derived from the Latin word invigilare, which means to watch over or keep watch, specifically applied in an academic or formal testing environment.

Explanation

Taciturn describes a person who is habitually untalkative, silent, or uncommunicative in speech. The word is derived from the Latin tacere, which means to be silent. A reserved person similarly avoids showing their feelings or thoughts and typically speaks very little, preferring to keep to themselves. Since both terms describe a temperament characterized by a lack of talkativeness and a tendency to remain quiet, they function as synonyms.

Explanation

The word vertical refers to something that is in an upright position or perpendicular to the horizon. Therefore, upright is its most appropriate synonym among the given options.

Explanation

The idiom cakewalk refers to an accomplishment, task, or victory that is remarkably easy to achieve. It is used in English to describe a situation that requires very little effort or presents no significant obstacles. The term originated from 19th-century dance competitions where the prize for the most graceful performance was a cake, eventually evolving into a figurative expression for any easily won contest or simple undertaking.

Explanation

The given sentence is an imperative sentence expressing a suggestion or advice. When converting an imperative sentence that provides advice into the passive voice, the standard structure is: Object + should + be + past participle (V3). In this instance, the child is the indirect object and a nourishing diet is the direct object. Using the child as the subject of the passive sentence, the structure becomes the child followed by the auxiliary should be and the past participle of give, which is given. This results in the construction: The child should be given a nourishing diet.

Explanation

The word tenacious describes a person or thing that holds fast, remains firm, and is persistent or stubborn in maintaining a course of action or a physical grip. Its antonym must represent the quality of giving way easily or being submissive. Yielding means to give way under pressure, influence, or persuasion, directly contradicting the unbending and resolute nature of tenacity.

Explanation

The segment during he was is grammatically incorrect because during is a preposition that must be followed by a noun or a noun phrase, such as during the summer or during his holiday. It cannot be used to introduce a clause containing a subject and a verb. To connect a clause like he was on holiday, the subordinating conjunction while should be used instead. Alternatively, the sentence could be corrected by changing the clause into a noun phrase, such as during his holiday.

Explanation

The sentence follows a past tense structure, as established by the verb allowed in the first segment. According to the rule of tense consistency, when the main verb of a sentence is in the past tense, subsequent verbs in the same sequence of events should also be in the past tense. The verb warn is in the present tense, which creates a grammatical mismatch. It must be replaced with the past tense form warned to align with the rest of the sentence and correctly indicate that the warning occurred at the same time or immediately after the permission was given.

Explanation

The idiom rank and file refers to the individual members of an organization or a body of people, exclusive of its leaders or officers. It originates from military terminology where rank refers to soldiers standing side by side in a line and file refers to soldiers standing one behind another. In a corporate or social context, it denotes the ordinary employees or the common people who make up the majority of a group but do not hold positions of power or authority.

Explanation

In English grammar, when the auxiliary verb did is used to form a question or a negative sentence in the simple past tense, the main verb must always be in its base form. Since the word did already indicates that the sentence is in the past tense, using the past tense form of the main verb results in a double past tense error. In this sentence, the verb baked should be replaced with the base form bake to follow the rule of did + base form of the verb.

Explanation

In the context of environmental discourse, global warming and climate change are identified as significant risks to human survival and ecological stability. The word threat is a noun that refers to a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger. The sentence requires a noun to follow the adjective major to describe the relationship between climate change and humanity. Given that global warming involves potential catastrophic outcomes such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and habitat loss, it is defined as a pressing danger or threat to the future of mankind.

Explanation

The word rough refers to a surface that is uneven, irregular, or coarse to the touch, lacking a level or polished finish. Its direct antonym is smooth, which describes a surface that is perfectly regular, even, and free from any bumps, ridges, or projections. These two terms are standard opposites used to describe the physical texture and tactile quality of objects.

Explanation

The verb recall is followed by a gerund rather than a to-infinitive when it refers to remembering a past action or event. Since the sentence asks about a meeting that took place at a party in the past, the gerund form meeting must be used to correctly express the recollection of that experience. Using the infinitive to meet is grammatically incorrect because recall requires the -ing form of the subsequent verb to denote a memory of a previous occurrence.

Explanation

The word amble refers to a slow, easy, and relaxed way of walking. It describes a leisurely gait that is typically performed for pleasure or without any specific hurry, capturing the essence of moving at a comfortable and unhurried pace.

Explanation

The sentence is in the simple past tense, as indicated by the verb gifted. To convert a simple past active sentence into passive voice, the structure used is Subject + was/were + past participle (V3) + by + Object. The indirect object me in the active voice shifts to the subject position as I, and the third-person feminine pronoun she becomes the agent by her. Applying the formula for the simple past passive, the verb gifted becomes was gifted, resulting in the construction I was gifted a beautiful handbag by her.

Explanation

The sentence discusses the health benefits of physical activity in relation to heart disease. Physical exercise is a well-established preventive measure that reduces the risk and frequency of cardiovascular events. The term incidence refers to the rate at which new cases of a condition occur. In this context, minimising is the grammatically and logically correct choice because it describes the process of reducing the occurrence of heart attacks to the smallest possible degree through regular exercise.

Explanation

The context of the sentence highlights a significant and worrying increase in the occurrence of heart attacks, as emphasized by the phrase causing grave concern to the medical community. In English collocations, the adjective alarming is standardly used with proportions to describe a negative trend or phenomenon that is growing at a rate or to a degree that triggers distress, anxiety, or an urgent need for intervention. The choice reflects the serious nature of the health crisis described in the passage.

Explanation

The term fraternity refers to a group of people sharing a common profession, interests, or set of beliefs. In formal and academic writing, the phrase medical fraternity is a standard collective expression used to denote the entire community of doctors, physicians, and healthcare professionals. Given that the passage discusses heart attacks and health concerns, it is linguistically appropriate to describe the concern felt by the collective body of medical experts as being felt by the medical fraternity.

Explanation

The context of the sentence describes the simplicity and accessibility of walking as a form of physical exercise. The verb requires means to need something for a particular purpose. In this blank, it conveys that walking is an activity that does not necessitate any specialized gear, financial investment, or specific resources to perform. This aligns with the overall theme of the passage emphasizing why walking is considered the best mode of exercise due to its lack of prerequisites.

Explanation

The sentence highlights the accessibility and cost-effectiveness of walking as a physical activity. By stating that walking requires no equipment, money, or material, the author emphasizes its simplicity. The term membership fits the context of a club, as it refers to the state of being a part of a group or organization, which often involves fees or specific requirements. Therefore, the phrase membership of a club accurately describes the formal affiliation one might need for other types of exercise, such as gym workouts or sports clubs, which is unnecessary for walking.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice of the past perfect tense, identified by the structure had been + past participle (interviewed). To convert a past perfect sentence from passive to active voice, the auxiliary verb had been is replaced by had followed directly by the past participle. The object of the preposition by (him) becomes the subject of the active sentence (he), and the subject of the passive sentence (How many candidates) becomes the object. Therefore, the structure for the interrogative active voice follows the pattern: Question word + had + subject + past participle + object. This results in the construction: How many candidates had he interviewed before lunch?

Explanation

The word smooth refers to a surface that is perfectly regular, even, and free from any bumps, ridges, or projections. The term flat is synonymous in this context as it describes a level surface that lacks protrusions or indentations, making it the most suitable replacement when describing the physical characteristic of being even and level. Both words characterize a state where there is a lack of texture or vertical variation on a plane.

Explanation

The verb apologise functions as an intransitive verb when followed by the person receiving the apology. According to standard English grammar rules, the preposition to must be used to connect the verb apologise with the person being addressed. The complete idiomatic structure is apologise to someone for something. In this context, the phrase apologised to the teacher is the grammatically accurate construction because it correctly provides the necessary preposition to relate the action of apologizing to the recipient.

Explanation

To convert the direct speech sentence into indirect speech, the reporting verb said indicates that the tense of the reported clause must change. The present continuous tense are shining undergoes a backshift to the past continuous tense were shining. Furthermore, time expressions must be adjusted to the past perspective, resulting in tonight being changed to that night. The conjunction that is added to link the reporting verb to the subordinate clause, completing the standard transformation for assertive sentences in indirect speech.

Explanation

The segment contains an error in parts of speech usage. In the phrase The recently hike, the word hike functions as a noun representing an increase in cost or amount. Grammatically, a noun must be modified by an adjective rather than an adverb. Recently is an adverb, which is typically used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. To correctly modify the noun hike, the adjective recent should be used instead, making the correct phrase The recent hike.

Explanation

In this sentence, the subject is the noun phrase Their idea of a holiday. To complete the meaning of the sentence after the linking verb is, a subject complement is required. A gerund, which is the -ing form of a verb functioning as a noun, is used to define or rename the subject. Here, relaxing acts as the gerund that describes the specific activity constituting their idea of a holiday, making the sentence grammatically complete and logically sound.

Explanation

Sentence A introduces the central theme by establishing a premise about the lack of enjoyment when one is in solitude. Sentence B provides the logical counterpoint to solitude by introducing friendship as a source of happiness and a mitigator of misery. Sentence D then offers a practical illustration of this concept, describing the delight of sharing success with friends. Sentence C serves as the concluding summary, where the pronoun "It" refers back to the established concept of friendship, explaining its functional role in doubling joy and dividing grief.

Explanation

The segment precedes before mine contains a grammatical error due to redundancy. The verb precede is defined as to come or go before something or someone else in time, order, or rank. Since the concept of being before is already inherent in the meaning of the verb, the addition of the preposition before is unnecessary and tautological. In standard English usage, precede is a transitive verb that directly takes an object without the need for an intervening preposition. The grammatically correct version of the sentence should be Your name precedes mine in the admission list.

Explanation

The idiom bitten off more than I can chew is used to describe a situation where a person has committed to a task or a series of responsibilities that exceed their capacity, time, or ability to manage effectively. It draws a metaphor from taking a mouthful of food so large that it is impossible to masticate or swallow comfortably. In the context of the sentence, having too many projects signifies that the speaker has overextended themselves and taken on a workload that is beyond what they can realistically handle.