SSC CHSL Tier 1 2012 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

In this sentence, the verb have is used as a principal or main verb denoting possession. When have functions as a main verb, the tag question must be formed using the auxiliary verb do. Therefore, the grammatically correct question tag for this sentence is don't I? rather than haven't I?. The auxiliary form haven't is reserved for question tags when have acts as an auxiliary verb, typically in perfect tenses, such as in I have finished, haven't I?.

Explanation

The verb hear is a stative verb of perception and is generally not used in the continuous tense to describe an ongoing, voluntary action. Since paying attention to music is an active and intentional process, the progressive form of the verb listen should be used instead. Therefore, the phrase hearing songs is grammatically incorrect and should be replaced with listening to songs.

Explanation

The verb provide requires a preposition when used with both a direct object representing the things provided (here represented by whatever) and an indirect object representing the recipient (him). The correct grammatical phrasing should be whatever God has provided for him or whatever God has provided him with. Lacking the preposition makes the construction grammatically incorrect, which places the error in part C.

Explanation

The phrasal verb care for means to like, appreciate, or have a regard for something. In negative sentences, not care for is commonly used to express a lack of liking, interest, or concern. Therefore, the phrase correctly conveys that she does not value or concern herself with her money.

Explanation

The verb soaked is paired with the preposition in to describe something that is completely submerged, thoroughly wet, or saturated with a liquid. In this context, the clothes were entirely saturated with water, making soaked in the grammatically correct and idiomatic expression to indicate being drenched in a substance.

Explanation

The word impressionable means easily influenced or shaped by ideas, experiences, and external environments, which is highly characteristic of childhood and youth. During our younger years, the mind is in a critical stage of development, making it exceptionally receptive to learning, modeling behaviors, and absorbing information, which is metaphorically described as being soft and open to impressions.

Explanation

The standard English idiom is "all hell breaks loose", which means a situation suddenly becomes noisy, chaotic, or violent. When used in the present perfect tense, the singular noun phrase "all hell" acts as a singular subject and must be paired with the singular auxiliary verb "has" to form "all hell has broken loose".

Explanation

The idiomatic phrase stand a chance is grammatically followed by the preposition of and a gerund (the -ing form of a verb). In this context, using of winning correctly completes the construction to express the probability or likelihood of achieving victory.

Explanation

The word innocence is derived from the Latin word innocentia, which is a combination of the prefix in- meaning not and nocere meaning to hurt or harm. Etymologically and semantically, innocence denotes the quality of being safe, benign, and free from any capacity or intent to cause injury, which is directly synonymous with being harmless.

Explanation

The word gape means to stare with one's mouth open wide, typically in amazement, wonder, or surprise. It refers to looking intently or gazing fixedly at someone or something, which makes stare the closest synonym that best expresses its meaning.

Explanation

The word elude means to escape from, evade, or avoid a danger, enemy, or pursuer, typically in a skillful or cunning way. It can also refer to escaping the understanding, grasp, or perception of someone. Therefore, avoid is the synonym that best expresses the meaning of elude.

Explanation

The word surfeit means an excessive amount, overabundance, or surplus of something. Its opposite in meaning is deficiency, which refers to a lack, shortage, or insufficiency of something.

Explanation

The word repellent refers to something that causes disgust, aversion, or drives others away. Its direct opposite is attractive, which means having the power to draw, interest, or please others by presenting an appealing or inviting quality.

Explanation

The word gorgeous is used to describe something that is strikingly beautiful, magnificent, or splendidly luxurious in appearance. In contrast, shabby refers to something that is in poor condition, worn out, dingy, or neglected through long use. This makes shabby the direct opposite in meaning, representing a lack of beauty, quality, and care.

Explanation

The idiom sum and substance refers to the essence, core meaning, or summary of a speech, text, or argument. It represents the main point or general idea of what has been communicated, which is precisely defined as the gist.

Explanation

The idiom "take the bull by the horns" (written here as "take the ball by the horns") means to confront a difficult situation, challenge, or problem directly, courageously, and with determination. In the given context, it signifies that the honest man will face the management difficulties boldly and handle them decisively. The term "bodily" in this option is a typographical variation of "boldly," which correctly captures this meaning of facing a problem with courage and direct action.

Explanation

The idiom "do someone a good turn" means to perform a helpful, supportive, or kind act for another person. In the context of the sentence, recommending someone for the post of Principal is a beneficial and supportive action, which constitutes performing an act of kindness.

Explanation

The phrasal verb turn off means to dismiss, discharge, or fire an employee from their job. In the context of the sentence, if a person is lazy and not performing their duties productively, the practical course of action is to terminate their employment or dismiss them.

Explanation

The phrasal verb done up is an informal idiom that means to be completely tired out, fatigued, or physically exhausted. In the context of the sentence, walking a long distance of twenty miles naturally results in a state of extreme physical tiredness, making exhausted the appropriate meaning.

Explanation

The phrase "so as not to" is a standard and grammatically correct English idiom used to express negative purpose, meaning "in order to avoid" or "with the intention of preventing". It is followed correctly by the bare infinitive verb "overturn". Since the sentence is already grammatically sound, natural, and conveys the intended meaning perfectly, no improvement is required.

Explanation

The standard English proverb is "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." This idiomatic expression uses the definite article "the" before "hand" to refer to the hand of the person who currently holds the bird, contrasting it with "the bush" where the other two birds are located. Using "the hand" correctly completes the well-known saying, which means that it is better to keep something you already have than to risk losing it by trying to get more.

Explanation

The verb "acquit" is used reflexively to mean performing or conducting oneself in a specific manner. It requires a reflexive pronoun, in this case "himself", as its direct object. An adverb of manner, such as "nobly", is typically placed after the verb and its direct object. Therefore, the grammatically correct word order is "acquitted himself nobly".

Explanation

The sentence contains two coordinate clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction and. In the first clause, the subject is the active pronoun I, associated with the active verb stayed. In the original phrasing, the second clause shifts the subject to much of my time and changes the voice to passive with was spent, breaking the grammatical parallelism of the sentence.

Using the active-voice verb spent maintains parallel structure by allowing both clauses to share the same active subject, I. The subject I is understood to govern both verbs in the past tense, stayed and spent. This makes the sentence more direct, concise, and grammatically consistent.

Explanation

The phrase "none but the brave deserve the fair" is a well-known English proverb originating from John Dryden's poem Alexander's Feast. In this classical idiom, the word "but" is used as a preposition meaning "except", indicating that only the brave deserve the fair. Replacing "as" with "but" restores the correct grammatical and idiomatic structure of the sentence.

Explanation

The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that began in the past and has continued up to the present moment, especially when used with the time marker "since". The subordinate clause "since we last played together" establishes a starting point in the past that connects directly to the present. Thus, the present perfect continuous form "have you been playing" is the grammatically correct choice to denote an ongoing action spanning from that past reference point up to the present.

Explanation

The word apprehend means to anticipate, foresee, or dread a future event, typically with anxiety or fear. In this sentence, it is the correct term to express the anticipation or expectation of encountering trouble or difficulties in the neighborhood following a recent theft.

Explanation

A jockey is a professional athlete who rides horses in horse races, especially as a career or occupation. These riders are highly trained to handle racehorses at high speeds, employing specialized techniques to navigate the racetrack and compete in events while adhering to strict weight and fitness standards required by the sport.

Explanation

A maxim is a short, concise statement that expresses a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct. It serves as a practical guide for behavior and is widely accepted and recognized for its brief yet meaningful phrasing.

Explanation

The word versatile refers to a person who has a wide range of skills or is capable of doing many different things competently. It is derived from the Latin word versatilis, which means turning about or adaptable, making it the most appropriate term for someone who possesses many talents.

Explanation

A sadist is defined as a person who derives pleasure, gratification, or satisfaction from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others. The term originates from the Marquis de Sade, an eighteenth-century French nobleman and writer who famously depicted such behaviors in his literary works.

Explanation

Carburettor is the correct spelling of the apparatus used in an internal combustion engine for mixing air with a fine spray of liquid fuel. This is the standard British English spelling, characterized by the double t and ending in or, whereas carburetor is the standard American English variant.

Explanation

The word "hierarchy" is correctly spelt with "ie" after the initial "h". It refers to a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above another according to status or authority. The term originates from the Greek words "hieros" (meaning sacred) and "arkhein" (meaning to rule).

Explanation

Books serve as permanent records of human knowledge and thought. By preserving thoughts across generations, they ensure that ideas do not fade away or die with their creators. Instead, books enable these ideas to live and spread, which in turn sustains and advances civilization.

Explanation

The phrase "the fact that" is a standard English grammatical construction used to introduce a clause that refers to a known truth or objective reality. In this sentence, the statement about very hot countries and their civilization is presented as a concrete, observable reality, making "fact" the grammatically and contextually correct choice to precede the subordinate clause.

Explanation

The passage describes how the destruction of books by white ants in very hot, tropical countries hinders the preservation and transmission of knowledge. As a result, these regions have almost no or negligible civilization. The quantifier little is used with uncountable nouns like civilization to mean hardly any or almost none, expressing a negative connotation that fits the context of the sentence perfectly.

Explanation

The context of the sentence refers to the causes or explanations behind the phenomenon of very hot countries having limited or no civilization. The author mentions that multiple factors contribute to this situation, specifying one of them in the clause that follows: "but one of the most important is that white ants in the tropics eat all the books." The noun reasons correctly denotes these explanatory factors or causes behind a given situation.

Explanation

The phrasal verb eat up means to consume completely or devour. In the context of the passage, white ants, which are termites, in the tropics destroy books by completely consuming them, which prevents the preservation of literature and ideas. Therefore, eat up is the correct phrasal verb to express complete destruction by consumption.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the author discusses the negative consequences that a lack of books has on the progress of a civilization. Books are the primary medium used to document and preserve historical events, knowledge, transactions, and achievements over time. Without books, there is no way to maintain these written accounts or archives. Therefore, the word records is the most logical fit to complement the term literature, representing the absence of documented history and written preservation in a society.

Explanation

In the context of transmitting knowledge and ideas, the term generation refers to the body of individuals born and living at about the same time. The phrase "handed down to the next" describes the transfer of information, culture, and wisdom from one generation to the subsequent generation, ensuring the preservation and progress of human civilization over time.

Explanation

The phrasal verb hand on means to pass or transmit something, such as knowledge, ideas, or possessions, to a successor or the next generation. In the context of the passage, books preserve information so that the ideas and knowledge of one generation can be successfully transmitted or handed on to the next.

Explanation

The passage explains how books serve as the primary medium for preserving and transmitting knowledge across generations. In an environment where books do not exist, the accumulation of knowledge from previous generations is lost, making the process of societal advancement and civilizational growth far more arduous and challenging. Therefore, the word difficult perfectly completes the logical flow of the sentence by describing the obstacle a race faces in progressing without written records.

Explanation

The context describes the role of books in enabling a society to develop, preserve, and transmit knowledge across generations. Without books and records, a race faces great difficulties in advancing its culture and social structure. The verb become is the grammatically correct and semantically appropriate choice to complete the infinitive phrase, indicating the transition of a human group or race into a civilized state.

Explanation

The preposition in is used to indicate inclusion, position, or existence within a specific physical space, context, or setting. In this sentence, the gorilla is described within the context of the African scene, which represents its natural habitat and ecological backdrop, making in the most appropriate preposition to establish this spatial and situational relationship.

Explanation

The context of the sentence refers to how gorillas are brought into and kept in zoos. For a wild animal to be housed or imprisoned in a zoo, it must first be caught in the wild. The word captured fits this context perfectly, creating a logical sequence of events when paired with the word imprisoned.

Explanation

The phrasal verb set up is used in this context to mean assembling, constructing, or arranging components into a structured form for public display. When applied to animal bones or skeletal specimens in a museum, setting up describes the physical process of assembling and staging the skeleton so that it stands or is structured as an exhibit. This aligns with the meaning of mounting bones for display in natural history museums.

Explanation

The idiomatic expression to exert a strong fascination upon someone means to arouse intense interest, wonder, or attraction in them. In the context of the passage, which is extracted from Alan Moorehead's work, the gorilla has historically commanded deep curiosity, mystery, and scientific interest, making fascination the contextually and collocationally correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the gorilla is a primate that represents a direct evolutionary connection to human evolutionary history. The term link is the most appropriate and idiomatic word choice when describing a bridge or relationship that connects modern humans to their biological origins and evolutionary ancestors, representing a tangible link with our past.

Explanation

The conjunction lest means for fear that or to avoid the risk of. Because lest has a negative connotation built into its meaning, it must not be followed by another negative word such as not. Furthermore, clauses introduced by lest typically use the modal auxiliary verb should or the subjunctive mood of the verb, rather than may. Therefore, the correct construction should be lest you should repent or lest you repent, making the use of may not grammatically incorrect.

Explanation

The sentence "What kind of animal is the dodo?" is grammatically correct and free of errors. The singular noun "animal" correctly follows "kind of" without an article, and "the dodo" is the appropriate way to refer to the species as a singular class.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct in all its parts. The main clause uses the second-person pronoun "You" with the past tense copula verb "were," which is structurally correct. The infinitive phrase "to leave the hall" properly modifies "the last person." For the question tag, because the main clause is affirmative ("You were..."), the tag must be negative and use the corresponding helping verb and pronoun, making "weren't you?" correct. Since there are no grammatical, syntactic, or punctuation errors, the sentence is free of error.