SSC CHSL Tier 1 2011 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The error lies in part C because the phrase "times immemorial" is grammatically incorrect. The standard idiomatic expression in English is "time immemorial" or "from time immemorial". In this context, "time" acts as an uncountable abstract noun referring to a period of the past that is beyond memory or record, meaning the plural form "times" should not be used.

Explanation

When the principal clause of a sentence is in the future tense, the subordinate clause of time introduced by conjunctions such as before, when, or until must be in the simple present tense to refer to a future action. In this sentence, the main clause uses the future tense verb will reach, which requires the verb in the subordinate clause to be in the simple present tense. Therefore, the past tense verb left must be replaced with the simple present tense verb leaves to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The preposition in is incorrect in this context and should be replaced with at. While in suggests being physically inside the interior space of a building, the preposition at is the standard idiomatic choice used to refer to a location or establishment where one lodges, works, or receives a service (e.g., staying at a hotel, staying at a resort).

Explanation

The verb prohibit is grammatically followed by the preposition from and a gerund (verb-ing) rather than an infinitive (to + verb). Therefore, the infinitive phrase to bring cycles should be replaced with from bringing cycles to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The singular countable noun mistake must be preceded by an article or determiner, or used in its plural form. The grammatically correct phrasing should be either to make a mistake or to make mistakes. Therefore, using mistake as a singular noun without an article in this part of the sentence is incorrect.

Explanation

The phrasal verb bring out means to elicit, reveal, or draw out a particular quality, making it prominent or noticeable. In the context of education, the fundamental objective is to develop and elicit the finest potential, talents, and latent qualities already existing within a student. Therefore, bring out is the contextually and grammatically appropriate phrasal verb to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The present perfect tense uses the preposition for to indicate a duration or span of time. Since a long time represents a period of duration rather than a specific starting point in time, for is the grammatically correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The construction with wish is used to express regret or a desire for a different outcome regarding a past situation. When expressing regret about a past action that did not occur, the verb following wish must be in the past perfect tense. Therefore, the past perfect form had asked is used to indicate a retrospective regret about an action in the past.

Explanation

The phrase "take advantage of" is a standard English idiom meaning to make use of an opportunity or to exploit a situation, such as a mistake, for one's own benefit. In this sentence, the adjective "full" collocates perfectly within the expression "takes full advantage of" to describe someone who consistently and completely exploits the errors made by their friends.

Explanation

The preposition "of" is used to indicate a portion or part of a whole. In the phrase "what was left of his drink", "of" connects the remaining portion to the entire original quantity of the beverage. This is the standard idiomatic construction in English to express what remains after a part of something has been consumed or used.

Explanation

The word irresolute refers to someone who is hesitant, uncertain, or unable to make a firm decision. It comes from the prefix ir-, meaning not, combined with resolute, which means purposeful and determined. Therefore, someone who is irresolute is lacking in determination and remains undecided.

Explanation

The word frugal refers to being sparing, thrifty, or careful with resources, especially money or food, to avoid waste. Economical carries the exact same meaning of using money, resources, or time carefully and efficiently without any unnecessary waste.

Explanation

The word motive refers to the inner drive, purpose, or psychological reason that impels a person to do something. Similarly, intention refers to a person's design, aim, or plan to achieve a specific end. Both terms describe the underlying objective or mental state that directs human actions toward a goal, making intention the most appropriate synonym for motive.

Explanation

Pity refers to a feeling of compassion, sympathy, or sorrow aroused by the suffering or misfortune of others. Mercy likewise denotes compassion, lenience, or forgiveness shown toward someone in distress or subject to punishment, making it the closest synonym.

Explanation

The word quash means to reject, void, or officially put an end to something, such as a legal proceeding, decision, or indictment. It is commonly used in legal contexts to declare that something is invalid or no longer has legal force, making reject the most accurate synonym.

Explanation

The word quiet is used to describe a state, person, or environment characterized by silence, tranquility, or a complete lack of sound and activity. The opposite in meaning is noisy, which describes a state or environment filled with loud, disruptive, clamorous, or chaotic sounds.

Explanation

The word "vague" refers to something that is indistinct, uncertain, or not clearly expressed. Its direct antonym is "clear," which describes something that is easy to perceive, understand, or define without any ambiguity.

Explanation

The word "incredible" is formed by prefixing the negative particle "in-" (meaning "not") to "credible" (meaning "worthy of belief" or "believable"). Therefore, "incredible" translates literally to "not believable" or "unbelievable." The exact opposite in meaning to "incredible" is "believable", which describes something that is plausible, convincing, and can be accepted as true.

Explanation

The word inevitable is defined as something that is certain to happen and cannot be prevented or escaped. The word avoidable means capable of being shunned, prevented, or kept from happening, making it the direct opposite in meaning to inevitable.

Explanation

Humility refers to the quality of being humble, modest, and having a low view of one's own importance or status. Pride, on the other hand, refers to an excessively high opinion of oneself, arrogance, or a feeling of superiority, making it the direct antonym or opposite in meaning to humility.

Explanation

The idiom "an open book" refers to a person, situation, or system that is highly transparent, honest, and has nothing hidden. When applied to business transactions, it signifies that the dealings are completely transparent, leaving no room for secrecy, which represents straightforward and honest dealings.

Explanation

The idiom "leaps and bounds" is used to describe rapid progress, rapid growth, or swift advancement. When a project advances by leaps and bounds, it is moving forward very quickly and making large, successful strides in a short period of time. This figurative expression originates from the physical action of leaping and bounding, both of which describe fast, forward movement.

Explanation

The idiom to be fond of one's own voice means to enjoy talking very much, especially to the extent of talking continuously or excessively. It is used to describe someone who is highly loquacious or very talkative, often to the annoyance of those around them.

Explanation

The term high-handed refers to a person or action that uses power, authority, or influence in an arbitrary, dictatorial, and domineering manner without considering the feelings, rights, or opinions of others. This is synonymous with being overbearing, arrogant, or domineering in one's conduct.

Explanation

The idiom "take exception" means to express opposition, disapproval, or a strong objection to something. When someone takes exception to a statement, they are raising an objection to it because they disagree with it or find it offensive. This makes "object" the most accurate expression of the phrase.

Explanation

The verb pain is primarily used as a transitive verb meaning to cause mental or physical distress to someone, as in it pains me to see you sad. It is non-standard in English to use pain as an intransitive verb in the continuous form to describe a body part causing discomfort. Instead, the verb hurt is used intransitively to express that a specific part of the body is experiencing or causing physical pain, making hurting the grammatically correct and standard English choice in this context.

Explanation

The sentence describes a continuous past action that was interrupted by a sudden past event. The sudden, completed event is expressed in the simple past tense (went out), which requires the ongoing background action introduced by while to be expressed in the past continuous tense (was reading) to show that the action of reading was in progress at that moment.

Explanation

The verb tell is a transitive verb that directly takes a personal object to show who is receiving the information. When we specify the listener, we use tell followed immediately by the person (e.g., told me, told him, told them) along with the preposition about to introduce the topic. This makes told me about grammatically correct and idiomatic in this context.

Explanation

The verb 'prefer' is standardly followed by the preposition 'to' rather than 'than' when comparing two nouns or noun phrases. In this sentence, the comparison is made between "the theatre" and "the cinema", making "prefer... to" the grammatically correct construction.

Explanation

The relative pronoun who is correctly used in the sentence to refer to a person (the only man) and functions as the subject of the verb phrase can laugh at himself in the relative clause. Because the sentence is grammatically correct as written, no improvement is needed.

Explanation

A brewery is an industrial or commercial facility where fermented alcoholic beverages, such as beer and other malt liquors, are produced. In the context of general vocabulary and one-word substitutions, it represents the commercial establishment dedicated to the preparation and manufacturing of alcoholic drinks.

Explanation

The term manuscript is derived from the Latin words manus, meaning hand, and scriptus, meaning written. It refers directly to a document, book, or piece of music that is written by hand rather than typed or printed.

Explanation

Taxidermy is the art and science of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals, birds, and fish to make them appear lifelike. The term is derived from the Greek words taxis, which means arrangement, and derma, which means skin. It is widely used by natural history museums and hunters to preserve animal specimens for display, study, and exhibition.

Explanation

The word lunar is an adjective defined as relating to, determined by, or resembling the moon. It is derived from the Latin word luna, which means moon. It is used in various contexts to denote a direct relationship with the moon, such as in lunar eclipse, lunar cycle, or lunar calendar.

Explanation

Flora is the collective term used to describe the plant life and vegetation naturally occurring in a specific geographic region or geological period.

Explanation

The word systematically is the correct spelling. It is an adverb derived from the noun system. The adjective form is systematic, which is formed by adding the suffix -atic to the base word. To convert this adjective into an adverb, the suffix -ally is added, resulting in the spelling systematically, which means carrying out a task in a methodical, organized, or planned manner.

Explanation

The word earthiness is the correct spelling, which is the noun form of the adjective earthy. Under standard English spelling rules, when adding the suffix -ness to an adjective ending in y preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to i. Applying this rule to earthy results in earthiness, which refers to the quality of being like soil, or having a natural, robust, or down-to-earth character.

Explanation

The word truly is the correct adverbial form of the adjective true. When adding the suffix -ly to adjectives that end with a silent e preceded by a u, the letter e is dropped before appending the suffix. This spelling rule applies to words such as true (becoming truly) and due (becoming duly).

Explanation

The correct spelling is alienate, which is a verb meaning to cause someone to feel isolated or estranged, or to transfer the ownership of property to another person. It originates from the Latin word alienatus, which is the past participle of alienare, meaning to estrange or make another's.

Explanation

The word vacillation is the correct spelling, which means the state of indecision or wavering between different opinions or actions. It is derived from the Latin verb vacillare, meaning to sway or waver, and is spelled with a single c and a double l.

Explanation

The blank requires a verb that collocated with the noun phrase a role. In the English language, the standard idiomatic expression is to play a role, which means to have a part, share, or influence in something. Since the sentence uses the auxiliary verb has, the past participle form played is used to complete the present perfect tense, correctly forming has played a role.

Explanation

The passage is excerpted from Sir C.V. Raman's famous essay titled The Elixir of Life. The word shaping is the most appropriate fit here because it means to give a particular form, direction, or character to something. In the context of the Earth's history, water has been a fundamental force in molding, guiding, and determining the geological, geographical, and biological development of the planet over billions of years.

Explanation

The passage describes the enduring and essential role of water in the history and existence of the earth. The structure of the sentence connects a past action to an ongoing present action. Since water has played a significant role in the past, the verb continues is grammatically and contextually appropriate to indicate that water still performs and will go on performing this leading role in sustaining life on the earth's surface.

Explanation

This passage is adapted from the celebrated essay Water - The Elixir of Life written by Sir C.V. Raman. In this text, the author uses theatrical imagery to describe the processes of existence. The metaphorical phrase "drama of life" captures the dynamic, complex, and evolving nature of biological existence on Earth. Since water is portrayed as playing the central and leading role in supporting this biological activity, the word "drama" is the precise and correct term to complete the phrase.

Explanation

The passage discusses the significance of water on Earth, referencing earth's history in the previous clause. The phrase on the surface of our planet refers directly back to the Earth, which is a planet. Using planet in blank 95 is contextually and factually accurate to complete the sentence.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The phrasal verb adds to means to increase, enhance, or intensify a particular quality or feeling. In the context of the passage, water is described as enhancing the beauty of the landscape. Grammatically, the verb adds is the only option that correctly pairs with the preposition to in the phrase adds so much to.

Explanation

The passage is adapted from the famous essay The Elixir of Life by the eminent Indian scientist Sir C.V. Raman. In this sentence, the author highlights how water enhances the natural beauty of the rural landscape. The term countryside refers to rural areas or land consisting of natural scenery outside towns and cities. This perfectly aligns with the subsequent descriptions of natural, rural elements in the sentence, such as a small stream trickling over rocks and a wayside pond where animals quench their thirst.

Explanation

The passage describes the aesthetic value of water in nature. The blank requires a singular noun that represents a small, natural flow of water. The noun stream refers to a continuous flow of water, and when paired with the adjective little, it perfectly describes a small, gentle current. This matches the subsequent participle phrase trickling over the rocks, which depicts the slow, gentle movement of a small amount of water.

Explanation

The passage is an excerpt from the well-known essay Water: The Elixir of Life written by Sir C.V. Raman. In this essay, the author describes the aesthetic beauty that water adds to the countryside. In the original text, the author uses the phrase "a little pond by the way side where animals quench their thirst" to depict a small, peaceful body of water. Thus, the word "little" is the correct choice to fill blank 99, as it perfectly aligns with the author's original composition and the context of the sentence.

Explanation

The term quench is a standard English verb specifically used with thirst to mean satisfying it by drinking. In the context of the sentence, animals visit the wayside pond to drink water and satisfy their thirst, making quench the grammatically and semantically correct choice for the blank.