SSC CGL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The term malevolent originates from the Latin roots malus, meaning evil, and velle, meaning to wish. It describes a person or entity that possesses or displays a deep-seated desire to cause harm, suffering, or distress to others. This word is specifically used to define intentions or actions characterized by spite, ill will, or a malicious nature aimed at inflicting injury or misfortune upon someone.

Explanation

The paragraph follows a chronological sequence of events at a game of luck. Sentence B establishes the context by introducing the first participant, an old man, who wins a clock and sells it back to the shopkeeper. Sentence A follows by introducing the next participant, another boy, who wins a series of increasingly valuable items. Sentence D provides the transition by explaining that this boy also sold his winnings back to the shopkeeper and then mentions Rasheed's desire to play. Finally, sentence C completes the narrative by detailing Rasheed's unsuccessful attempts and the eventual loss of all his money despite the encouragement he received. This order creates a logical flow from the successful examples that tempted Rasheed to his own failure.

Explanation

The word genuine refers to something that is real, original, and truly what it is said to be, rather than being a copy or a fake. Authentic is the most appropriate synonym because it describes something that is of undisputed origin and possesses the character or qualities attributed to it, indicating that it is actual and trustworthy. Both terms are used to verify that an object, document, or sentiment is sincere and legitimate.

Explanation

The error lies in the use of the modal verb would in the segment the postman would be. In English grammar, when the main clause is in the present tense (I am sure), the subordinate clause expressing a future certainty or prediction should use the future tense auxiliary will. The modal would is the past form of will and is typically used for the future-in-the-past (e.g., I was sure that he would come) or in hypothetical conditional sentences. Therefore, would must be replaced with will to ensure proper tense consistency with the present tense main verb.

Explanation

The idiom bolt from the blue refers to a sudden and unexpected event or piece of news that occurs without any prior sign or warning. It is derived from the imagery of a lightning bolt appearing from a clear blue sky, where a storm is not anticipated. This makes it the most appropriate substitute for the phrase without a warning to describe an incident that happened unexpectedly.

Explanation

The paragraph follows a logical progression from the introduction of a general concept to its specific details and eventual impact. Sentence A sets the context by identifying the primary lesson Nickola learned from the Ready Now program: the necessity of an emergency backup plan. Sentence C serves as a direct continuation of her statement, listing the specific components of that plan, such as wheelchair batteries and medical supplies. Sentence D then illustrates the practical application of this preparedness during a specific event, which was an impending snowstorm. Finally, sentence B provides a concluding reflection on how the instruction empowered Nickola and confirmed her ability to live effectively with a disability. This arrangement ensures a coherent flow from the acquisition of knowledge to its implementation and the resulting psychological benefit.

Explanation

Option d is the correct sentence because every word follows standard English orthography. The term psychologists is accurately spelled with the silent initial p and the ch digraph, reflecting its Greek roots. The noun investigation correctly uses the vowel i in the second syllable and follows the standard -tion suffix. Furthermore, the verb interviewed is the proper past tense form, and the plural noun witnesses correctly adds -es to the root word witness. All words in this version are free from spelling errors.

Explanation

The word veteran refers to an individual who has extensive experience, expertise, and a long-standing history in a particular field or profession. In the context of the sentence, it describes a journalist who has spent a significant amount of time honing her craft. The term novice is the direct antonym as it refers to a person who is new to a profession, a beginner, or someone lacking experience and skill in a specific area. While a veteran is characterized by their proficiency gained over time, a novice is characterized by being at the very start of their professional journey.

Explanation

A fetish refers to an irrational obsession, fixation, or an excessive devotion to a particular object, activity, or idea. It implies a high level of preoccupation and emotional investment. Indifference is defined as a total lack of interest, concern, or feeling toward something. Because indifference represents the absence of the very intensity and fixation that defines a fetish, it serves as its antonym in the context of the sentence provided.

Explanation

The paragraph follows a thematic and chronological structure that begins with a broad introduction and moves toward historical specifics. Sentence A provides the essential definition of anime, establishing the subject of the paragraph. Sentence D follows this by elaborating on the nature of the genre, specifically its audience and thematic variety. The sequence then shifts to a chronological narrative, with sentence B detailing the early milestones of modern anime in the mid-20th century. Finally, sentence C completes the progression by describing the global expansion of the medium at the start of the 21st century. This arrangement ensures that the reader first understands what the medium is before learning about its historical evolution and modern popularity.

Explanation

The word concise is an adjective that describes speech or writing that is brief and to the point, effectively conveying information in a few words. In the context of the sentence, it complements the adjective short to describe the delivery of the priest's sermon. The conjunction and links two words of similar meaning and grammatical function, making concise the appropriate choice to indicate that the sermon was both brief and succinct.

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error involving the incorrect use of the indefinite article. The word adventures is a plural noun, while the article an is strictly used with singular countable nouns that begin with a vowel sound. Additionally, because the sentence refers to a specific set of stories associated with a particular character, the definite article the should be used instead to form the correct phrase the adventures of Tarzan.

Explanation

The idiom true colours refers to a person's actual character, genuine intentions, or real personality, which is often revealed during a specific or difficult situation. It is typically used when someone’s behavior exposes a side of themselves that was previously hidden or misrepresented. In the given sentence, the harsh action of forcing someone out of the house at an unreasonable hour serves as the catalyst that reveals the individual's genuine nature, making this idiom the perfect substitute for the underlined segment.

Explanation

The sentence expresses a hypothetical wish or a condition contrary to reality using the phrase If only. In formal English, such counterfactual situations require the use of the subjunctive mood. For the verb to be, the past subjunctive form were is used for all persons and numbers, including the first-person singular I. This usage distinguishes a purely imaginary or desired state from a factual statement about the past.

Explanation

The passage discusses the negative consequences of excessive social media use, specifically mentioning feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. The word detrimental means causing harm or damage, which accurately describes these adverse impacts on mental health. The context is further reinforced by the following sentence, which explicitly refers to these outcomes as negative effects that need to be combated.

Explanation

In the context of behavioral regulation, setting rules involves establishing specific and enforceable guidelines to limit a particular activity. Since the passage identifies excessive social media use as a primary cause of anxiety and depression, the most logical recommendation is to implement structured constraints. Rules serve as a practical tool for time management and self-discipline, helping individuals curb the habit of overusing social media and ensuring that digital engagement does not interfere with mental well-being or physical health.

Explanation

The verb interacting is the most appropriate fit for the blank because it grammatically collocates with the preposition with and logically aligns with the phrase in person. In the context of mental health and social media, interacting with friends and family refers to direct social engagement and communication. This physical social interaction acts as a corrective measure against the isolation or loneliness often associated with excessive digital consumption. The sentence structure requires a gerund that denotes a social activity performed face-to-face, which completes the meaning of the strategy being suggested.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the blank requires a noun that complements the adjective professional to describe a form of help for mental health issues. Seeking professional guidance is a standard idiomatic expression used to describe the act of consulting experts, such as therapists or counselors, to receive advice and support for psychological well-being. While other terms might relate to the topic, guidance specifically refers to the expert direction provided by a specialist to help an individual navigate complex emotional or mental health challenges. Grammatically, guidance correctly functions as the object of the verb seeking, whereas advise is a verb and would be grammatically incorrect in this position.

Explanation

The term cognizant means having knowledge or being aware of something. In the context of the passage, the concluding sentence emphasizes the necessity for individuals to recognize and understand the potential risks associated with social media use to manage it effectively. The phrase cognizant of its potential drawbacks grammatically and logically fits the requirement for a word that denotes awareness or mindfulness, aligning with the overall suggestion to take proactive steps for a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Explanation

The word disheveled describes a person or their appearance as being untidy, messy, or in a state of disorder, often characterized by unkempt hair or rumpled clothing. The word tidy denotes a state of being neat, well-organized, and carefully arranged. Since tidy represents the exact opposite condition of being disheveled, it serves as the most appropriate antonym in this context.

Explanation

A fatalist is an individual who adheres to the philosophy of fatalism, which is the belief that all events are predetermined by fate or destiny and are therefore inevitable. This perspective suggests that human actions or choices cannot alter the course of events, as every occurrence is governed by a power beyond human control.

Explanation

The grammatical error is located in segment A because the singular countable noun phrase honourable person requires an indefinite article to be grammatically complete. In English, a singular countable noun used in a general sense typically needs an article like a or an. Since the word honourable begins with a silent h and starts with a vowel sound, the indefinite article an must be used before it. The correct version of the sentence should begin with An honourable person to satisfy standard syntax requirements regarding noun markers.

Explanation

The word neighbouring is a participial adjective used to describe a person, place, or thing that is situated next to or very near something else. In the given sentence, it correctly modifies the noun country to indicate that Tibet shares a border or proximity with our own. This usage follows the standard grammatical pattern of placing an adjective before a noun to define its relative position or characteristics.

Explanation

Sentence A serves as the introductory statement, establishing the broad context that certain activities, though seemingly harmless to some, are creating significant issues for the internet. Sentence B then moves from this general problem to a specific, everyday example that the reader can recognize, which is the increasing presence of junk mail in their email inbox. Sentence C follows logically to clarify and define this specific example, explaining that it essentially consists of electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. This arrangement follows a clear thematic flow from a global issue to a personal observation and finally to a descriptive definition, making the paragraph coherent and meaningful.

Explanation

The sentence requires a possessive adjective that agrees with the subject of the clause, which is the girl. In English grammar, when a third-person singular feminine noun acts as the subject, the corresponding possessive adjective used to refer to something belonging to that subject is her. Using her arms ensures grammatical agreement and logical consistency, as it indicates that the girl is waving her own limbs to signal for help during her plight.

Explanation

The word Guage is misspelled. The correct spelling is Gauge, which follows the vowel sequence a followed by u. It refers to an instrument used for measuring the magnitude, amount, or contents of something, or a standard measure or scale.

Explanation

The word redress means to remedy, set right, or compensate for an undesirable situation. In the context of climate change, the text mentions that this is achieved through mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation is defined specifically as the human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. Therefore, to redress the climatic system's issues involves the active reduction of the harmful factors and impacts driving global warming, making reduction the most appropriate contextual synonym in this setting.

Explanation

The original sentence is in the past continuous passive voice, which follows the structure: Subject + was/were + being + past participle (V3). To convert this into the active voice, the tense must remain the same while the subject and object are swapped. The past continuous active voice follows the structure: Subject + was/were + present participle (V1 + ing) + Object. Since the children is a plural subject, it requires the auxiliary verb were. Changing the passive form being plucked back to its active form results in were plucking. Thus, the active sentence becomes: The children were plucking the flowers in the garden.

Explanation

The word sweet describes a sugary and pleasant taste typically associated with ripe fruits or desserts. In linguistics and sensory descriptions, an antonym is a word that expresses the opposite meaning. Bitter refers to a sharp, pungent, and often harsh flavor that is the functional opposite of sweetness on the human palate. In the context of food and flavor profiles, bitterness represents the absence of sugary qualities, making it the most direct antonym for sweet.

Explanation

The verb waive means to voluntarily refrain from insisting on or applying a requirement, fee, or tax. In the context of the sentence, the government is choosing to relinquish its right to collect the entertainment tax on the movie. This term is specifically used for the formal act of giving up a claim or an official exemption from a financial obligation.

Explanation

The idiom throw caution to the wind means to behave in a reckless or bold manner by disregarding risks and warnings. It signifies a decision to stop being careful and instead proceed with an action despite the potential for negative consequences or failure. When someone throws caution to the wind, they are prepared to take a risk to achieve a particular goal.

Explanation

The sentence describes historical events that concluded in the 19th century, which requires the use of the simple past tense to denote completed actions. Abraham Lincoln's role in preserving the United States is a specific past achievement, so the verb must be changed from the base form save to the past tense saved. Additionally, the American Civil War was a period of time lasting several years; the preposition during is the grammatically correct choice to indicate that an action occurred throughout the course of that specific historical event.

Explanation

The word rectify means to correct something, put it right, or remedy a mistake. It is derived from the Latin rectus, meaning right, and implies an improvement or a solution to a problem. In the given sentence, it refers to the act of fixing an error. The antonym worsen means to make a situation or condition more severe, difficult, or of poorer quality. While rectifying involves resolving an issue to achieve a better state, worsening involves exacerbating the problem, making it the direct opposite in meaning.

Explanation

The sentence uses the reporting verb asked, which is in the past tense, indicating that the entire statement is in indirect speech. According to the rules of sequence of tenses, when the principal clause is in the past tense, the verbs in the subordinate clause must also be in the past tense. Therefore, the modal auxiliary will must be changed to its past form would to maintain grammatical consistency within the reported speech. The correct construction should be would take a seat and.

Explanation

The idiom take it with a grain of salt means to view something with skepticism or not to interpret it as being literally true or entirely serious. It suggests that a person should remain cautious and not be completely convinced or affected by what they hear or experience, often because the information might be exaggerated or unreliable. In the context of the sentence, Mahesh has learned to maintain this sense of detachment and skepticism, ensuring he does not react or commit to things with undue seriousness.

Explanation

The word charishma is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is charisma, which refers to a compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others. The term originates from the Greek word kharisma, meaning favor or divine gift. In standard English usage, the word is spelled with a single h after the initial c, and it does not contain an h between the s and the final a.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the present continuous tense in the active voice. To convert a sentence from active to passive voice in the present continuous tense, the object becomes the subject, followed by the appropriate form of the verb to be (is/am/are), then being, and finally the past participle form of the main verb. The formula used is: New Subject + is/am/are + being + V3 (past participle) + by + Agent.

In this sentence, the sheet is the object and I is the subject. When converted, the sheet moves to the subject position. Since the sheet is a singular noun, it takes the auxiliary verb is. The negative not remains in its position, followed by being to maintain the continuous aspect, and the past participle of spoil, which is spoilt. The subject I changes to the object pronoun me. Combining these elements results in the construction: The sheet is not being spoilt by me.

Explanation

Transgression refers to the act of overstepping a limit or boundary, particularly in a legal, moral, or social context. It signifies an offense or the breaking of a law, rule, or code of conduct. Violation is defined as the act of disregarding or breaking a law, agreement, or principle, which directly aligns with the meaning of transgression as an act of non-compliance or wrongdoing.

Explanation

The word fatal is an adjective used to describe something that causes or results in death. It is derived from the Latin word fatalis, meaning ordained by fate, and in modern usage specifically denotes an event, action, or condition—such as an accident, a disease, or a mistake—that has a lethal or terminal outcome.

Explanation

The passage discusses the historical transition of economic systems from primitive methods to modern currency. In the context of the sentence, the word traded is the most appropriate choice because it describes the fundamental act of exchanging goods and services for one another. The sentence immediately following the blank introduces the barter trade as the simplest form of these interactions, confirming that the subject is the mechanism of exchange. Before money served as a medium, people relied on direct swaps of their belongings to acquire what they needed. The term traded encompasses these various methods of transaction and provides the necessary semantic bridge to the explanation of the barter system that follows.

Explanation

The passage describes the barter system where individuals exchange goods they possess for items they desire. A transaction is defined as an instance of buying or selling something or a business deal involving the exchange of goods, services, or funds. In the context of the sentence, exchanging a cow for a set of clothes represents a specific economic exchange or business deal. Therefore, transaction is the most appropriate term to describe this type of commercial activity where value is transferred between two parties.

Explanation

The passage describes the historical transition from a physical exchange of goods to a structured system of value representation. The term concept is the most appropriate fit for blank number 3 because it refers to an abstract idea or a general principle that is formed in the mind. In the context of economic history, money is an abstract framework used to represent value, and its acceptance by society required the mental adoption of this theoretical system. The phrase concept of money is a standard linguistic collocation used to describe the realization and implementation of a standardized medium of exchange to replace the physical barter system.

Explanation

The word appealing means attractive, desirable, or interesting to someone. In the context of the passage, the practice of carrying a bulky coin pouch became less desirable and practical for traders because it posed a significant security risk by attracting robbers. The narrative focuses on the evolution of financial systems based on convenience and safety, making appealing the most suitable choice to describe how the popularity of physical coins diminished in favor of safer alternatives like checks.

Explanation

The sentence describes the historical transition from physical gold to paper currency, where banks acted as custodians for valuable assets. In banking terminology, when individuals place their wealth or precious metals into a bank for safekeeping or to back a financial instrument, they are making a deposit. Therefore, banks issued paper notes as a representation of the specific amount of gold that individuals had deposited into the bank's vaults, allowing the notes to circulate as a convenient substitute for the underlying physical metal.

Explanation

The original sentence is in the present perfect tense, which uses the structure: Subject + has/have + past participle (V3) + object. To convert this into passive voice, the object becomes the new subject, and the verb form changes to: Subject + has/have + been + past participle (V3).

In this case, the object of the active sentence is An undigestible criticism. Since this is a singular noun, it is followed by has been raised. The agent of the action, one group of the club, is introduced using the preposition by. This results in the construction: An undigestible criticism has been raised by one group of the club against the manager.

Explanation

The idiom a blessing in disguise refers to an event that initially appears to be a misfortune or a negative situation but ultimately results in a highly positive outcome or prevents a disaster. In the context of the sentence, Vinay missing his flight was an immediate inconvenience and a perceived stroke of bad luck. However, because the aircraft subsequently crashed into the sea, the act of missing the flight directly led to his survival. This transformation of a seemingly bad circumstance into a life-saving event perfectly illustrates the meaning of the phrase.

Explanation

The paragraph follows a logical and chronological progression starting with a definition and ending with a statement of global significance. Sentence B serves as the introduction by defining the Olympic Games and establishing their historical origins in ancient Greece and their modern revival. Sentences C and D form a chronological sequence regarding athlete eligibility: sentence C describes the transition from amateur to professional participation during the 1970s and 1980s, while sentence D details the current status where top professional athletes are fully integrated into the competition. Finally, sentence A concludes the paragraph by highlighting the result of this long history and evolution, noting that the Games have come to be regarded as the foremost sports competition in the world.

Explanation

Earnestly is an adverb that describes an action performed with a serious and intense state of mind or a sincere conviction. It implies that the person is being genuine, honest, and deeply serious about what they are saying or doing. Sincerely serves as its most appropriate synonym because it also denotes a manner that is honest, genuine, and free from hypocrisy or pretense. Both words highlight the truthfulness and gravity of an individual's intentions or expressions.

Explanation

The sentence follows the standard English spelling for every word within the statement. The word enough is correctly spelled with the ough phonogram representing the final f sound. The term beggar follows the specific orthographic rule where the agent noun for the verb beg ends in ar rather than the more common er suffix. The use of the possessive apostrophe in beggar's is also correct for indicating ownership by a singular noun. Each word in this version of the sentence aligns with conventional dictionary spellings and grammatical punctuation rules.

Explanation

The term septuagenarian is derived from the Latin word septuagenarius, based on septuaginta, meaning seventy. It is the standard English classification for an individual who has reached the age of 70 but has not yet turned 80. This terminology follows the decimal-based system for categorizing people by decade, similar to sexagenarian for the sixties and octogenarian for the eighties.