SSC CGL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word eloquent refers to a person who is fluent, persuasive, and vivid in their communication, often possessing a forceful or grand delivery. Modest functions as an antonym in this context because it describes a person or a style that is unassuming, plain, or reserved. While an eloquent speaker is characterized by their expressive and outward articulateness, a modest individual is typically more restrained and avoids elaborate or attention-seeking displays in their speech and behavior.

Explanation

The question follows the format of collective nouns where a group of cattle is called a herd and a group of birds is called a flock. Other options like litter, pack, and streak refer to groups of young animals, wolves, and tigers respectively.

Explanation

The phrase one of the requires a superlative adjective followed by a plural noun. Therefore, biggest states is the grammatically correct choice to describe Uttar Pradesh in relation to other states in India.

Explanation

The modal verb 'will' must be followed by the base form of the verb to indicate a future action or mandate. 'Organise' is the only grammatically and contextually correct option that fits the structure of the sentence.

Explanation

The word strengthening is the most appropriate choice because it conveys the idea of reinforcing or making the vision of Jal Shakti more effective. This matches the context of implementing a new ritual to support a government mission and is the specific term used in original reports on this event.

Explanation

The word immense is the most appropriate adjective to modify importance in this context, forming the common collocation immense importance to signify great significance. Total and complete are generally used to describe quantities or states of entirety rather than degrees of value or importance.

Explanation

The word laudable means deserving praise and commendation, which perfectly fits the context of describing a positive and environment-friendly initiative like water conservation. The other options are either grammatically incorrect or contextually irrelevant.

Explanation

The word frugal is defined as being sparing or economical with regard to money or food, characterized by thriftiness and the avoidance of waste. The term extravagant functions as its direct antonym because it describes spending that is excessive, lacking restraint, or costing much more than what is reasonable. In the context of the provided sentence, extravagant refers to prices that are the opposite of being thrifty or moderate.

Explanation

The word in option b is misspelled as it should be written as Ignition. The word derives from the Latin ignitus and refers to the action of setting something on fire or the process by which a fuel and air mixture is ignited in an engine. In English, words denoting an action or process derived from such Latin roots typically use the suffix -tion rather than -sion.

Explanation

The sentence follows the structure of a first conditional, which is used to express a possible condition and its likely result in the future. In this grammatical construction, the main clause uses the future simple tense (will not go out), while the subordinate clause introduced by if must be in the simple present tense. The verb requires a subject to be grammatically complete, and for weather-related expressions, the dummy subject it is used. Thus, it rains provides the correct subject and tense to satisfy the conditional structure.

Explanation

The phrasal verb get off is the correct idiomatic expression used to indicate moving away from or leaving a surface or position, such as a piece of furniture. The preposition of in the original sentence is grammatically incorrect in this context as it typically denotes possession or origin rather than movement. Furthermore, the possessive adjective my is required because it precedes the noun couch to show ownership. The form mine is a possessive pronoun that functions as a noun substitute and cannot be used directly before a noun. Therefore, get off my provides the necessary preposition for the action and the correct possessive form to modify the noun.

Explanation

The sentence describes a continuous background action that was interrupted by a sudden event in the past. In English grammar, when an ongoing activity is interrupted, the background action must be expressed in the Past Continuous tense (subject + was/were + verb-ing), while the interrupting action takes the Simple Past tense. Since the act of reading was the ongoing process during which the speaker fell asleep, the segment I read is grammatically incorrect and should be replaced with I was reading. The use of the conjunction while further emphasizes the necessity of using a continuous tense to indicate the duration of the activity.

Explanation

The word lonely, when used to describe a location like a street, signifies that the place is deserted, quiet, and lacks human activity or presence. Its antonym must describe a place that is teeming with people or full of life. Crowded specifically refers to a space that is packed with a large number of individuals, making it the direct opposite of a desolate or lonely environment. In linguistics, this creates a contrast between social isolation and high-density social presence.

Explanation

The word Concieve is misspelled. According to the standard English orthographic rule i before e except after c when the sound is a long e (as in meet), the correct spelling is Conceive. Since the vowel combination follows the letter c, the letters e and i must be placed in that specific order.

Explanation

The phrase go on the rampage is a standard English idiom used to describe a group or individual moving about in a wild, violent, and destructive manner. In the context of a mob looting shops and causing chaos, the past tense went on the rampage is the grammatically appropriate and idiomatic choice. This expression specifically denotes a period of localized violence or riotous behavior, making it the correct colocation to describe the actions of the mob in the given sentence.

Explanation

A conspiracy is a secret agreement or plot between two or more people to perform an unlawful, harmful, or unethical act. The term carries a specific connotation of clandestine coordination with the intent to deceive others or violate the law, perfectly matching the description of a secret plan made to do something wrong.

Explanation

The paragraph follows a chronological and thematic sequence starting with sentence C, which establishes the context of the Lahore Declaration in February 1999. Sentence A provides a direct temporal link using the phrase after a few months to describe the transition from a peace treaty to the outbreak of the Kargil War. Sentence B adds further information regarding the broader history of violent conflicts between the two nations. Sentence D concludes the sequence by providing specific descriptive details about the nature of these military engagements, focusing on the challenges the Indian army faced due to the rough rocky terrain. This arrangement ensures a logical flow from a specific starting point in time to the general characteristics of the combat.

Explanation

The idiom by the skin of your teeth refers to a situation where someone succeeds in doing something or escapes from a difficult situation by the narrowest of margins. It implies that the success was achieved with no room to spare, essentially meaning just barely. The phrase has biblical origins, specifically from the Book of Job, where it was used to describe a narrow escape from death. In contemporary English, it is commonly used to describe passing an exam with the minimum required marks or catching a train right as the doors are closing.

Explanation

The phrase I am being really busy is grammatically incorrect because the word busy describes a state of being rather than a deliberate action or a temporary behavior. In English, stative adjectives that describe a current condition or situation are used with the simple present tense of the verb to be. The correct expression is I am really busy. The progressive form being is typically used to describe someone who is acting in a specific way at the moment, such as he is being difficult, whereas the state of having many tasks is a straightforward condition that does not take the continuous form.

Explanation

The word procrastinate refers to the act of delaying or postponing tasks, often despite knowing that there will be negative consequences. It is derived from the Latin roots pro, meaning forward, and crastinus, meaning of tomorrow, which together signify the habit of leaving something until the next day. In linguistic and psychological contexts, it describes a habitual or intentional avoidance of starting or finishing a task, usually driven by laziness, carelessness, or a lack of motivation. This behavior involves substituting high-priority tasks with lower-priority or more pleasurable activities, thereby putting off necessary work.

Explanation

The word seldom is an adverb used to describe an action that occurs rarely or almost never. To find its antonym, we look for a term that denotes a high regularity or a high number of occurrences. The word frequently serves as the direct opposite because it indicates that an event happens often or at many times. In the context of the sentence, while seldom implies that the individual rarely felt such joy, frequently would imply that he experienced it on many occasions.

Explanation

The sentence Rohit helps Reghu is in the simple present tense, where the subject Rohit performs the action and Reghu is the recipient. To convert a sentence from active to passive voice in the simple present tense, the grammatical structure follows the rule: Object + is/am/are + past participle (V3) of the main verb + by + Subject. In this case, Reghu becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Since Reghu is a singular noun, the auxiliary verb is is used, followed by the past participle form helped. The original subject Rohit is then added after the preposition by to indicate the doer of the action. This results in the construction Reghu is helped by Rohit.

Explanation

The word loud is used here as an adverb to describe the manner in which the songs are being played. In the context of the sentence, the action of playing music results in the entire neighbourhood being disturbed, which directly implies an excessive or high volume. Therefore, loud is the only term that logically explains the cause of the disturbance.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice of the past continuous tense, which follows the structure: object + was/were + being + past participle (V3) + by + subject. To convert this into the active voice, the agent following by (her) becomes the subject of the sentence (She), and the original subject (the cards) becomes the object. The active voice structure for the past continuous tense is: subject + was/were + present participle (V-ing) + object. Following this rule, the verb phrase were being distributed transforms into was distributing to agree with the singular subject she.

Explanation

The word disgrace refers to the loss of reputation or respect as a result of a dishonorable action or behavior. In the context of the sentence, it indicates the shame brought upon the family. Honour serves as the direct antonym because it signifies high respect, great esteem, and the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. While disgrace involves a loss of status and social standing, honour represents the attainment or maintenance of dignity and a good reputation.

Explanation

Divergence refers to the process or state of moving, branching off, or evolving in different directions from a common point. Its direct semantic opposite is convergence, which describes the act of moving toward union or meeting at a common point from different directions. The prefix di- signifies moving apart, while the prefix con- signifies coming together, making convergence the most appropriate antonym for describing the opposite directional flow or conceptual merging.

Explanation

The term Samaritan refers to a person who provides assistance, kindness, and sympathy to individuals who are in distress or in need of help. This usage originates from the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan, which describes a man who helps a stranger who had been robbed and beaten, demonstrating unconditional compassion regardless of the recipient's background or status. In modern English, it is the standard one-word substitute for someone who performs charitable acts for the benefit of others in difficulty.

Explanation

The sentence requires an indefinite article to precede the singular countable noun part. When a singular countable noun is modified by an adjective or an adverb-adjective phrase, such as very beautiful, the indefinite article a is placed before the entire phrase if the following sound is a consonant. Here, a correctly introduces the specific region of Africa as one instance of a beautiful area, following the standard grammatical structure of Article + Adverb + Adjective + Noun.

Explanation

The verb consists is used to describe the composition or makeup of a specific place or entity. In the context of the passage, it indicates that the area is made up of miles of rolling grassland. Grammatically, the word consist is almost always followed by the preposition of to denote the components that form a whole. Given that the subject the area is singular, the singular verb form consists correctly completes the phrase to explain what the landscape contains.

Explanation

The verb graze is used to describe the action of livestock eating grass or other vegetation in a field. When specifying the material being consumed, the verb is typically followed by the preposition on. In the relative clause structure of the sentence, the preposition on is required to connect the relative pronoun which—referring to the grasses and other plants—to the action performed by the cattle. Therefore, the phrase on which their cattle can graze correctly indicates that the plants are the substance upon which the animals feed.

Explanation

The noun phrases weeks and months are plural countable nouns. In English grammar, the quantifier few is used with plural countable nouns to indicate a small number of items or a short duration of time. The indefinite article a combined with few creates the phrase a few, which means some or a small quantity. In the context of the passage describing the nomadic lifestyle of the Maasais, they stay in a Manyatta for a temporary period, making a few the grammatically correct and logically appropriate choice to describe the duration of their stay.