SSC CHSL Tier 1 2012 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The grammatical structure "many a" is followed by a singular countable noun and a singular verb. In this sentence, the subject "Many a battle" is singular, so it requires the singular verb "was fought" instead of the plural verb "were fought" to maintain subject-verb agreement.

Explanation

The verb advise is not followed by the preposition from and a gerund. The correct idiomatic construction is to advise someone against doing something, or to advise someone not to do something. Therefore, the phrase from exerting is grammatically incorrect and should be changed to against exerting or not to exert. Additionally, the reflexive pronoun myself must be written as a single word rather than two separate words.

Explanation

The sentence violates the rule of parallel structure in a coordinate list. The preposition of governs a series of gerunds acting as its objects: meeting helpful people and reading useful books. To maintain grammatical parallelism, the verb obtain in option B must also be in its gerund form, obtaining, so that all items in the list share the same grammatical form.

Explanation

The word equipment is an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form and cannot be pluralized by adding the suffix -s. Therefore, the use of equipments is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with the singular form equipment to make the sentence correct.

Explanation

The conjunction unless means if not, which introduces a negative condition. To maintain logical and grammatical consistency, the main clause must express the correct consequence of this negative condition. Since a lender would refuse to provide more books if the previously borrowed ones are not returned, the main clause needs a negative verb. Therefore, the phrase in part C is incorrect and should be modified to I will not lend you more books.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct and structurally sound. It employs a stylistic inversion where the negative phrase "Not a word" is placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. This fronting correctly triggers subject-auxiliary inversion, placing the auxiliary verb "does" before the subject "he". Additionally, the preposition "but" is used correctly to mean "except", making the phrase "any language but his own" completely idiomatic.

Explanation

The phrasal verb feed on means to consume something as food, particularly when describing the dietary habits of animals or insects. Silkworms are herbivorous larvae that rely exclusively on mulberry leaves for nutrition to grow and produce silk. Therefore, feed is the grammatically and factually correct word to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The word neutral refers to not taking part in or giving assistance in a dispute, conflict, or argument between others. In the context of the sentence, refusing to take sides is best described by the standard collocation to remain neutral.

Explanation

The phrasal verb dispense with means to manage without, do away with, or terminate the use of something or someone. In this context, saying that his services have been dispensed with means that his services are no longer required or have been terminated. Therefore, the preposition with is the grammatically correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The verb being modified in the sentence is "re-tell", which is an action verb. To describe how Mahfuz performs the action of re-telling, we must use an adverb rather than an adjective. The word "vividly" is the adverb form of the adjective "vivid". Since a comparison is being made between Mahfuz and everyone else in the classroom, the comparative adverb phrase "more vividly than" is grammatically required to properly modify the action.

Explanation

The phrase beyond doubt means completely certain, clear, or unquestionable. In the context of the sentence, since Rajiv had not attended any of the training exercises, his exclusion from the team was an absolute certainty. The idiom fits grammatically and contextually to indicate that there was no uncertainty about the decision.

Explanation

The word mendicant refers to a person who lives by asking for money or food, which is the definition of a beggar. It is derived from the Latin word mendicans, meaning begging, and is commonly used to describe individuals, including members of certain religious orders, who rely entirely on charity and alms for their livelihood.

Explanation

Instinctive refers to a behavior, response, or characteristic that is natural, inborn, and not learned. It arises from one's inner nature rather than from conscious thought or external training. Similarly, inherent describes a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute that exists as a natural and inseparable part of someone or something from the very beginning. Both terms convey the concept of being innate and deep-seated.

Explanation

The word reprisal refers to an act of retaliation, vengeance, or returning injury for injury. The direct opposite of retaliating or punishing someone for a past wrong is granting them pardon or letting go of the grievance, which is defined as forgiveness.

Explanation

The phrasal verb buckle down means to begin working hard or to apply oneself with serious determination to a task. In the context of academic studies, telling students to buckle down for the semester means urging them to focus, dedicate themselves, and work seriously on their education.

Explanation

The idiom "to have a thick skin" means to be able to withstand criticism, insults, or rejection without being easily hurt, upset, or influenced. In the context of coping with constant criticism, having a thick skin enables a person to remain unaffected and maintain their composure despite negative remarks.

Explanation

The idiom "to give someone a piece of one's mind" means to express one's anger, disapproval, or sharp criticism to someone in a direct manner. When you give a person a piece of your mind, you are severely reprimanding or scolding them for their unacceptable actions or behavior.

Explanation

The idiom "to hold at bay" (or "to keep at bay") means to prevent someone or something from coming closer or approaching, thereby controlling a threat and keeping it at a safe distance. In the context of the sentence, Maharana Pratap successfully prevented the enemy from advancing closer to his positions before eventually being defeated.

Explanation

The phrasal verb tide over means to survive, get through, or manage to deal with a difficult situation or period of time. In the given sentence, it refers to successfully facing and overcoming dangers and difficulties with courage.

Explanation

A question tag is used to turn a statement into a question. The rule for constructing question tags dictates that a negative statement must be followed by a positive question tag, whereas a positive statement is followed by a negative question tag. In the given sentence, the statement is negative because it contains the phrase "ought not". Therefore, the sentence requires a positive question tag. Since the modal verb in the main clause is "ought", the positive question tag is formed using "ought" followed by the subject pronoun, resulting in "ought he?".

Explanation

The main clause of the sentence uses the past tense verb leapt, which requires the subordinate relative clause to also be in the past tense. Additionally, the standard English idiom meaning to happen to someone or become available to them is to come someone's way. Combining the past tense came with this idiomatic expression yields came his way, which makes the sentence grammatically and structurally correct.

Explanation

The sentence is a well-known English proverb originally written by Alexander Pope in his 1711 poem An Essay on Criticism. The exact phrasing of the proverb is Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, which means that foolish or inexperienced people often rush into situations that wiser people avoid. Replacing when with where correctly restores the standard idiomatic expression.

Explanation

The sentence begins with an imperative clause, Take an early breakfast, where the subject you is understood. To maintain grammatical parallelism and consistency across the coordinating conjunction and, the second clause must also be in the imperative mood. Replacing the quoted phrase with start your work creates a balanced structure of two parallel imperative actions, resulting in a concise and grammatically correct sentence.

Explanation

The verb recant means to formally reject, disavow, or withdraw a formerly held belief, statement, or opinion, especially under pressure or threat of punishment. In the context of a person being subjected to physical or mental torture to force them to change their testimony, confession, or beliefs, the word recant is the most semantically accurate and contextually appropriate term. Therefore, the sentence is grammatically correct and semantically sound as written, requiring no improvement.

Explanation

The idiomatic expression is "make merry", which means to enjoy oneself, feast, or celebrate. As an intransitive phrase, "make merry" does not take a direct object or a reflexive pronoun. Including "ourselves" in the phrase is grammatically redundant. Replacing "make ourselves merry" with "make merry" restores the sentence to its proper, standard idiomatic form.

Explanation

The word recant means to formally retract or disavow a previously held belief, opinion, or statement, particularly under coercion or pressure. In this sentence, the structure uses the causative verb make followed by the object the man and the bare infinitive recant. This is grammatically correct and contextually appropriate, so no improvement is required.

Explanation

The word sporadic is defined as occurring at irregular intervals or only in isolated, scattered, or random instances. It is derived from the Greek word sporadikos, meaning scattered. When an event, disease, or phenomenon happens occasionally and without any regular pattern, it is described as sporadic. This makes it the precise single-word substitute for something that occurs irregularly.

Explanation

The term sensuous describes something that is appealing to the senses, particularly in an aesthetic or pleasurable way, such as beautiful art, music, or nature. It refers to experiences that delight the senses without carrying carnal or physical connotations.

Explanation

The word lackadaisical represents a person who is carelessly lazy, showing a lack of enthusiasm, interest, or determination. It directly describes an individual who exhibits an indifferent, spiritless, and negligent attitude towards their duties or actions.

Explanation

The term utopia refers to an idealized, imaginary place or state of existence where everything is perfect, harmonious, and everyone enjoys complete happiness and social peace. Coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 book of the same name, the concept represents a visionary system of political, social, and moral perfection that does not exist in reality.

Explanation

Sergeant is the correct spelling of the noun that refers to a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces or a police officer of a rank next below inspector. The word originates from the Old French word sergent, which itself is derived from the Latin serviens, meaning serving.

Explanation

The word commentaries is the plural form of commentary, which refers to a systematic series of explanations, annotations, or remarks on a text, book, speech, or event. The correct spelling begins with the prefix comm-, followed by -ent-, and uses the suffix -aries.

Explanation

Conversing with people is an everyday occurrence because it represents a common, regular event that happens naturally as a routine part of daily life. The term occurrence correctly describes conversation as something that takes place or happens on a daily basis.

Explanation

The passage highlights speech as a major mode of communication and conversation as an everyday essential activity. Since conversation is the primary medium through which people interact and exchange information, communication cannot exist or function in its absence. Therefore, without conversation, communication would be rendered impossible.

Explanation

In the context of the sentence, the blank requires an adverb that modifies the verb "develop" to describe the manner in which one should improve their conversational skills. The word "consciously" means intentionally, deliberately, or with active awareness. Since conversation is established as a major and essential mode of everyday communication, making a conscious, deliberate effort is the most logical and meaningful way to approach developing this skill.

Explanation

The phrase engage another in conversation is a standard English collocation. To engage someone in conversation means to attract their attention, interest them, or draw them into a talk. In the context of the passage, it correctly describes the act of initiating a dialogue or involving another person in a verbal interaction.

Explanation

The word "acquainted" means to make someone familiar with or to get to know someone. In the context of the passage, "Sometimes one tries to engage another in conversation just to get acquainted" refers to the initial, casual interaction between individuals who are attempting to establish contact and become familiar with each other, rather than exchanging deeply meaningful information.

Explanation

The passage is written in the present tense, as established by verbs such as is, tries, and meet. The noun meaning is singular, which requires the singular auxiliary verb phrase does not to form a grammatically correct negative statement in the present simple tense. This completes the clause to read meaning does not matter, indicating that in casual or ritualistic conversations, the literal significance of the words is of little importance.

Explanation

The verb talk is followed by the preposition about when referring to the subject or topic of a conversation. In this sentence, the topics of discussion are the weather, rain, heat, and so on. Therefore, about is the grammatically correct and natural preposition to connect the action of talking to the subjects being discussed.

Explanation

Talking about casual topics like the weather when meeting strangers serves as a phatic communion or a social icebreaker. These remarks are polite gestures aimed at establishing rapport and initiating contact, rather than exchanging significant, substantive, or deep factual information. Because the primary function of these opening remarks is social bonding rather than transmitting important data, they are considered ritualistic interactions rather than meaningful communication.

Explanation

The context of the passage discusses how strangers initiate interaction by talking about neutral topics like the weather. The subsequent sentence uses the phrase "Once began" (a variation of once begun), which directly points to the action of starting the dialogue. Therefore, "begin" is the most appropriate verb for blank 94, as it denotes initiating or starting the conversation.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "carry on" means to continue an activity, task, or conversation. In this context, the passage describes how initial remarks about the weather are used to initiate a conversation, and once started, the conversation can be kept going or continued. Therefore, the passive form "carried on" is the grammatically and semantically correct choice to indicate the continuation of the conversation.

Explanation

The blank is followed by the preposition with. In English grammar, the phrasal verb deal with is used to mean managing, coping with, or overcoming a challenging situation or personal state such as shyness. The verb deal is the only option that grammatically collocates with the preposition with to correctly complete the phrasal verb in this context.

Explanation

The passage discusses how a shy individual overcomes her social anxiety by taking on a different persona, particularly in the context of acting or performing on stage. The verb "assume" means to adopt or take on a particular role, character, or guise. Therefore, the woman was able to deal with her shyness when she assumed a different persona, allowing her to step out of her usual shy self and act in a carefree, uninhibited manner.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the woman overcomes her shyness through performing. The sentence describes how she steps out of her usual shy persona to behave or portray herself in a specific manner. The verb act means to behave in a particular way or to perform a role. Therefore, using act in the phrase act the way she wanted to see herself logically completes the sentence, indicating that she behaves like the carefree and uninhibited person she aspires to be.

Explanation

The preposition at is used in the idiomatic expression at the centre of to describe being the main point of attention, focus, or activity. In this context, the woman imagines herself in a bold, outgoing role, positioned right at the heart of a lively debate. Therefore, at is the correct preposition to complete the phrase at the centre of a heated discussion.

Explanation

The sentence presents a contrast between being shy in daily life and feeling comfortable while performing on stage. The coordinating conjunction but is used to connect these two contrasting ideas, indicating that despite many people being generally shy, they experience the opposite state of being comfortable once they are on stage.

Explanation

In indirect speech or indirect questions, the sentence structure changes from interrogative word order (verb before subject) to assertive or declarative word order (subject before verb). The direct question "Which English novel did you like the most?" becomes indirect when introduced by the reporting verb "The teacher asked him". Consequently, the auxiliary verb "did" must be omitted and the main verb "like" must be changed to its simple past tense form "liked", resulting in "he liked the most".

Explanation

The idiomatic expression used in part B is incorrect. The standard English idiom meaning to listen attentively or pay attention is "give ear to" or "lend an ear to". The inclusion of the definite article "the" in "give the ear to" is grammatically incorrect. To make the sentence correct, the article "the" should be omitted, changing the phrase to "give ear to".

Explanation

In standard English grammar, when the verb doubt is used in an affirmative sentence, it should be followed by the conjunction whether or if to express uncertainty. The conjunction that is only used after doubt when the sentence is negative or interrogative, such as in I do not doubt that or Do you doubt that. Since the main clause I doubt is affirmative, the word that in the second part of the sentence is incorrect and should be replaced by whether or if.