SSC CHSL Tier 1 2010 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The verb remember, when used to recall a past action that has already occurred, must be followed by a gerund (verb ending in -ing) instead of a bare infinitive. Since the action of meeting happened five years ago, the bare verb meet in part (2) should be replaced with the gerund meeting to make the sentence grammatically correct: I remember meeting him five years ago.

Explanation

The error lies in part (2) of the sentence due to the superfluous use of the conjunction "that". In indirect speech, when reporting an interrogative sentence starting with a question word such as how, what, when, where, or why, the conjunction "that" must not be used before the question word. Therefore, the word "that" should be omitted to make the sentence grammatically correct: "He asked how long you would be absent."

Explanation

The use of "since yesterday" indicates a period of time extending from a point in the past up to the present moment. For actions or states that began in the past and continue up to the present, the present perfect tense must be used instead of the simple past tense. Therefore, "He ate" in part 1 is grammatically incorrect and should be replaced with "He has eaten" to make the sentence correct.

Explanation

The present continuous tense is working is incorrect when used with a time expression denoting a duration or point of origin like since 1983. For actions that started in the past and continue into the present, the present perfect continuous tense must be used. Therefore, is working should be replaced with has been working to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The verb have is a stative verb when used to denote possession, relationship, ownership, or characteristics. Stative verbs describe a state of being rather than a dynamic action, and therefore they are not used in continuous or progressive tenses. Instead, they must be used in the simple present tense.

To correct the sentence, the present continuous verb phrase is having in part 1 must be replaced with the simple present verb has, which correctly indicates possession of a quality or characteristic.

Explanation

The sentence context refers to an accusation of an illegal act regarding financial regulations. The noun violation means the action of breaking or infringing a law, agreement, or set of rules. Using the word violation makes logical and grammatical sense, indicating that the action was carried out in breach of the exchange rules.

Explanation

The term players refers to individuals who participate in sports or athletic activities, which inherently require regular training and practice. The phrasal verb turn up means to arrive or make an appearance. Therefore, it is contextually and logically correct to say that a player would turn up for practice, making this option the most appropriate completion of the sentence.

Explanation

The phrasal verb reconciled to means to accept a situation that is undesirable or difficult because you realize that you cannot change it. In this context, the sentence refers to students accepting and resigning themselves to the changing circumstances, making the preposition to the correct choice.

Explanation

The verb affect means to influence, act upon, or produce a change in something. In this passive voice construction, was adversely affected correctly describes how political instability had a negative impact or influence on the country's economic growth. The combination of the adverb adversely and the verb affected is a common standard collocation used to express that something has been damaged or unfavorably influenced.

Explanation

In official communication and business correspondence, a meeting notice and its agenda are sent together. The phrase enclosed with is the standard and grammatically precise idiom used to indicate that one document is physically or digitally sent along inside the same envelope or package as another. Therefore, the agenda is sent as an accompaniment attached to the notice of the meeting.

Explanation

The word fortify is derived from the Latin word fortis, which means strong. It means to make a place or structure stronger and more secure against attack, or to strengthen physically, mentally, or structurally. Therefore, strengthen is the synonym that best expresses its meaning.

Explanation

The word pacify means to bring peace, soothe, or quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of someone. It is synonymous with calming down, which is represented by the option clam down.

Explanation

The word paucity refers to the state of being present in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts. It represents a scarcity, lack, or dearth of something. Shortage perfectly captures this meaning, as it denotes a state or situation where something needed is unavailable in sufficient quantities.

Explanation

The word "tedious" is an adjective used to describe something that is too slow, long, or monotonous, thereby causing weariness or boredom. The word "dull" directly shares this meaning of being boring, uninteresting, and lacking excitement or variety, making it the synonym that best expresses the meaning of "tedious".

Explanation

An atrocity refers to an extremely cruel, wicked, or brutal act, which is typically characterized by physical force, destruction, or injury. The term is heavily associated with heinous deeds and extreme brutality, making violence the term that best expresses its core meaning.

Explanation

The word hereditary refers to characteristics, traits, or conditions that are genetically transmitted from parents to their offspring or inherited by birth. The direct opposite of hereditary is acquired, which refers to traits, behaviors, or conditions that are developed, learned, or contracted through environmental influences and experiences after birth, rather than being genetically inherited.

Explanation

The word misery is a noun that denotes a state of great distress, suffering, or unhappiness. Its direct antonym must also be a noun representing the opposite emotional state. Bliss is a noun defined as a state of supreme happiness, great joy, or utter contentment, making it the perfect opposite in meaning to misery.

Explanation

The word barbarous is used to describe someone or something that is wild, savage, uncivilized, or brutally harsh in nature. The direct antonym of barbarous is civilized, which denotes being polite, refined, culturally advanced, and adhering to social norms of good behavior.

Explanation

The word dynamic describes something that is characterized by constant change, activity, progress, or motion. Its direct antonym is static, which refers to a state that is stationary, showing no change, movement, or active development.

Explanation

The word diligent describes someone who is hardworking, industrious, and shows careful, persistent effort in their work or duties. The exact opposite of this is lazy, which refers to someone who is unwilling to work or exert effort, preferring to remain idle or inactive.

Explanation

The idiom beat about the bush means to avoid discussing a subject directly, or to speak about a matter in an indirect, roundabout way. It historically originates from hunting, where beaters would hit the surrounding bushes to rouse game birds, acting as an indirect preliminary to the actual capture. When a person lacks solid arguments, they often resort to this roundabout style of communication to avoid addressing the central issue.

Explanation

The idiom in lieu of is derived from the French word lieu, which means place. It is used as a prepositional phrase meaning in place of, instead of, or as a substitute for. In the given sentence, it indicates that the tenants were offered six months of rent as a substitute or alternative for receiving a formal notice to vacate.

Explanation

The idiom "in the red" means to be losing money, in debt, or experiencing a financial deficit. It originates from the traditional accounting practice where bookkeepers used red ink to record negative balances, losses, or debts, while black ink was used to record positive balances or profits. Thus, a company described as being "in the red" is suffering financial losses.

Explanation

The idiom "face the music" means to accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions, particularly to confront a difficult situation, receive punishment, or bear criticism with courage. In the context of the sentence, the speaker is left alone to deal with the Principal's anger and reprimand, which translates to bearing the criticism.

Explanation

The idiom "dark horse" refers to a competitor or candidate who is little known to the public or whose abilities are underestimated, but who ultimately achieves unexpected success. The term originated in horse racing, where a horse that was not known to the gamblers and was difficult to place odds on would surprise everyone by winning the race. In a sporting context, it represents an underdog that exceeds all expectations to become an unexpected winner.

Explanation

The definite article "the" is used before superlative adjectives to denote the highest degree of a quality among more than two items. In this sentence, using the superlative form "most" after "the" correctly indicates that the watch presented was the one of the highest cost or value.

Explanation

When two singular subjects are connected by the correlative conjunction "either... or", the verb must agree in number with the singular subjects. Since Vijay and Vind are both singular nouns, they require a singular verb. Replacing the plural verb "are" with the singular verb "is" satisfies this rule of subject-verb agreement.

Explanation

The adjective funny forms its comparative degree by adding the suffix -er to become funnier. Using more alongside an already inflected comparative adjective creates a grammatically incorrect double comparative. Therefore, the word more must be omitted, making funnier the correct choice to compare the two people.

Explanation

The reciprocal pronoun one another is used to describe a mutual relationship or action involving more than two people. Because the office staff members represents a collective group consisting of more than two individuals, one another is the grammatically correct phrase to express that they exchanged wishes among themselves.

Explanation

The preposition between is used when referring to a division, distribution, or relationship involving exactly two distinct entities. In this sentence, the sharing of property occurs specifically between two brothers, making between the grammatically correct choice to replace beside.

Explanation

The term philanthropist is derived from the Greek root words philos, which means loving, and anthropos, which means human or mankind. Thus, a philanthropist is literally a lover of mankind who actively seeks to promote the welfare of others, typically through the generous donation of money, resources, or effort to good causes.

Explanation

The word corroborate means to support, strengthen, or confirm a statement, theory, or finding by providing additional, supporting evidence or proof. It is commonly used in investigative, legal, and scientific contexts where one piece of testimony or evidence validates and reinforces another.

Explanation

Introspection refers to the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes. Derived from the Latin words intro, meaning inward or within, and specere, meaning to look, it literally translates to looking within. This psychological process involves self-reflection and analyzing one's own thoughts, feelings, and motives to gain deeper self-awareness.

Explanation

A bigot is defined as a person who is obstinately or unreasonably attached to a belief, opinion, or faction, particularly one who has narrow-minded and prejudiced views regarding religion or other matters. A fanatic, on the other hand, is someone with excessive and single-minded zeal for a cause, which is not necessarily characterized by narrow prejudice.

Explanation

The word ambiguous is derived from the Latin prefix ambi-, meaning both or around, and agere, meaning to drive. It refers to a statement, expression, or idea that is open to more than one interpretation, or capable of being understood in two or more possible ways, because it lacks a single, definite meaning.

Explanation

The term private is the most appropriate word to fill the blank because it refers to things belonging to or for the use of a particular person rather than the public. In this context, it describes the personal, non-public accumulation of saris that belonged directly to her and were later inherited by Sonia. The phrase private collections is a standard English collocation used to describe such personal holdings of valuable or curated items.

Explanation

In English vocabulary and usage, "good taste" is a standard collocated phrase used to describe a refined, elegant, and sophisticated sense of aesthetic appreciation or judgment. In the context of the passage, describing the inherited sari collections as remarkable for their "good taste" highlights the high artistic and aesthetic value of the selections. This choice seamlessly fits the positive tone established by the adjective "remarkable" and complements the subsequent mention of distinct weaves and traditional representations.

Explanation

The noun variety refers to the quality of being diverse or containing many different types of things. In the context of a highly praised sari collection, it highlights the wide range of different weaving styles, regional techniques, and artistic representations present. This fits the description of a remarkable textile collection that showcases a diverse range of traditional Indian heritage.

Explanation

The sentence refers to a specific period of time, namely "the first five decades after independence". The preposition "in" is used to denote a position or occurrence within a certain timeframe or era, indicating that the public figure existed or was active during those specific fifty years. Therefore, "in" is the most appropriate and grammatically correct preposition to complete the phrase "any other public figure in the first five decades".

Explanation

In this sentence, the adjective must grammatically pair with the to-infinitive verb phrase "to acquire" and convey a strong desire or eagerness. The word "keen" is the most appropriate fit because "keen to do something" is a highly standard English idiomatic construction meaning eager or highly interested in doing something. Other options like "attracted" or "enthusiastic" typically require different prepositional patterns, such as being "attracted to" a noun/gerund or being "enthusiastic about" doing something, making "keen" the grammatically correct choice in this context.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the discussion focuses on traditional Indian textiles, specifically saris. Saris are hand-crafted garments characterized by their unique styles of interlacing threads on a loom. The noun "weave" refers to the specific texture, pattern, or method of a woven fabric. Therefore, the phrase "saris of distinct weave" is grammatically and contextually appropriate, as it emphasizes the unique and traditional craftsmanship of the items in the collection.

Explanation

The sentence introduces a conditional clause where noticing the specified fact about her saris is the condition that leads to the subsequent actions of joining her circle and gaining her attention. The subordinating conjunction "If" is used to establish this conditional relationship, making the sentence grammatically complete and logically coherent.

Explanation

The passage discusses Indu's passion for saris, her deep appreciation for different weaves, and her focus on traditional Indian textiles. Within this context, someone who notices her distinct collection and discusses these details with her would be considered well-informed or expert on the subject. Therefore, the word knowledgeable is the most appropriate fit to describe a circle of people who possess deep understanding and expertise regarding traditional textiles.

Explanation

The sentence uses the correlative conjunction structure not only ... but also to connect two coordinate clauses or ideas. Since the preceding part of the sentence contains the phrase not only joined her circle, the blank must be filled with the coordinating conjunction but to complete the standard grammatical pairing but also got a chance.

Explanation

The correct word to fill in the blank is attention. The phrase bring someone's attention to something is a standard English collocation meaning to make someone aware of or focus on a particular matter. In this context, noticing her love for saris served as an entry point to draw her focus and consideration toward the specific cause being advocated.

Explanation

The writer uses the phrase "gone with the wind" to express deep disappointment and regret that the noble goals of education, such as nurturing originality and problem-solving skills, are completely lost in practice. Instead of being implemented, these essential aims of true education are only talked about in seminars and seminars alone, leaving the actual system dominated by rote memorization and stressful examinations.

Explanation

The passage highlights the stark contrast between the traditional school examination system, which acts like a nightmare or a Damocles sword for students, and the evaluation system in disciplines like music and dance. In these creative fields, because of constant reinforcement, committed guidance, and an ideal teacher-pupil ratio, students welcome and enjoy examinations. By drawing this comparison, the author emphasizes the need to reform the current system to make the examination process an enjoyable and positive experience for students rather than a source of dread.

Explanation

According to the second paragraph of the passage, the current examination system decides the destiny of students based on true-to-test bookish, rote memory. The author expresses dissatisfaction because instead of assessing genuine learning, originality, or problem-solving skills, examiners focus heavily on testing a student's capacity for rote memorization. This reliance on testing memory is what makes the examinations a nightmare for most students.

Explanation

The author contrasts the stressful nature of conventional examinations with disciplines like dance and music to demonstrate a successful educational alternative. In music and dance, because the students have a genuine aptitude and receive daily, constructive feedback from their teachers, they find joy in both the learning process and the regular assessments, viewing examinations as a positive way to realize and reinforce their progress.

Explanation

The passage explicitly states that the laudable objectives of kindling originality and problem-solving ability are trumpeted in educational seminars and workshops. This indicates that the true and desirable goals of education should be to nurture and encourage originality and problem-solving skills in students, rather than relying on rote learning.