SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word meritorious is defined as deserving reward, praise, or esteem due to merit or valuable service. It directly translates to being commendable or worthy of recognition for one's actions or achievements.

Explanation

In English grammar, the preposition by is idiomatically used to indicate the margin or measure of a victory, such as winning by a margin, by a landslide, or by a sweeping majority. Additionally, because sweeping majority is a singular, countable noun phrase that is non-specific in this context, the indefinite article a is required rather than the definite article the. Combining these rules, the correct phrasing is by a sweeping majority.

Explanation

The correlative conjunction not only must always be paired with but also to maintain grammatical completeness and correctness. In the given sentence, part B uses the phrase not only, which requires the corresponding phrase but also in part C. Therefore, part C is grammatically incorrect and must be modified to but also corrupt to resolve the error.

Explanation

When converting an interrogative sentence that begins with an auxiliary verb (a yes/no question) from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb asked is used, followed by the conjunction whether or if. The question form is changed into an assertive sentence, meaning the subject she comes before the verb had. Since the reporting verb asked is in the past tense, the simple present tense do you have in the direct speech changes to the simple past tense she had in the indirect speech. Additionally, the first-person pronoun me changes to the third-person pronoun him to align with the subject of the reporting verb, the king.

Explanation

The term gory is used to describe something that involves or depicts a large amount of violence, blood, and carnage. It originates from the noun gore, which refers to blood that has been shed, especially as a result of violence.

Explanation

The word beleaguer means to beset with difficulties, harass, or cause constant distress to someone. Its antonym must denote providing help or relief, which is represented by assist, meaning to help, aid, or support.

Explanation

The word adjourned is the standard legal term used to describe the suspension or temporary postponement of a court's proceedings or session to a future time or place, especially when the day's business is concluded without a final decision being reached.

Explanation

The word pyroxene is spelled correctly. It refers to an important group of rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. These minerals typically contain calcium, magnesium, and iron, and they represent a major constituent of the Earth's mantle and crust.

Explanation

The word melodramatic refers to behavior or events that are exaggerated, sensationalized, or overly emotional in nature. Similarly, theatrical describes behavior that is excessively dramatic, expressive, or showy, as if performing in a play. Both terms share the central meaning of being artificial, histrionic, and exaggerated for effect, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The idiom to shoot the breeze is an informal expression that means to spend time talking in a relaxed, casual manner about unimportant or trivial things. It originated in American English in the early 20th century, where breeze metaphorically refers to light wind or empty air, representing lighthearted, inconsequential chat.

Explanation

The singular pronoun "she" requires a singular verb, making "were" grammatically incorrect. The phrase "for three months" specifies a duration of time extending from the past up to the present. To express a state that started in the past and continues to the present moment, the present perfect tense must be used. Therefore, the present perfect singular form "has been" is the correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

Despite is a preposition used to express contrast and is directly followed by a noun phrase or a gerund phrase. In this sentence, it correctly precedes the gerund phrase being an intangible idea to introduce a concession before the main clause.

Explanation

The passage discusses how an intangible concept like a nation is reinforced and made real through shared ideas and representation. In the subsequent sentence, the text explicitly refers to "National symbols" as being extremely powerful and mentions examples such as maps, flags, and the figure of Mother India. Therefore, the word "Symbols" is the most appropriate and cohesive term to fill the blank, matching the thematic context of using physical representations to reliably reproduce the shared idea of nationhood.

Explanation

The sentence requires a subordinating conjunction of reason to link two clauses, where the second clause explains the cause or reason for the statement made in the first clause. The conjunction "because" is used to introduce a clause that states the reason for something, making it the correct word to explain why national symbols are extremely powerful.

Explanation

The word turbulent is used to describe a period, situation, or state characterized by conflict, disorder, instability, or financial distress. In this context, turbulent times refers to an unstable and difficult period brought about by an economic recession, which directly impacts families already struggling to manage their expenses and pay their bills.

Explanation

The given sentence is an imperative sentence in direct speech. When converting an imperative sentence into indirect speech, the reporting verb is changed to a verb such as asked, told, ordered, or requested, followed by the person being addressed as the object. The reporting verb said is changed to asked, and the addressee Arjun becomes the object. Additionally, the verb in the reported speech is changed into its infinitive form by placing to before it, transforming lie down into to lie down. This results in the grammatically correct indirect speech form: Mother asked Arjun to lie down.

Explanation

The verb deliberated means to think about or discuss something carefully and slowly, often for a long period of time. It is grammatically followed by the preposition over when referring to the subject of discussion or contemplation. This fits both the grammatical structure of the sentence and the context of spending a prolonged duration of full two hours analyzing a single point.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the subject and verb "Statistics show", which must be followed by a direct object. Part R, starting with the noun phrase "a steady rise in the turnout", perfectly acts as this direct object. Part P immediately follows because the noun "figures" links directly with "turnout" to form the compound phrase "turnout figures", which is then modified by the time expression "over the last three decades". Finally, part Q, representing the spatial modifier "in several parts of India", naturally completes the sentence. This creates a grammatically sound and logical sentence: "Statistics show a steady rise in the turnout figures over the last three decades in several parts of India."

Explanation

The sentence uses the correlative conjunction pair not only... but also. In part B, the word only is missing after not. To maintain grammatical correctness and sentence parallelism, the phrase not in Hindi essay must be corrected to not only in Hindi essay to properly pair with but also in part C.

Explanation

The term deceased refers to a person who has recently died, particularly in a formal, legal, or medical context. When used as a noun, typically as the deceased, it directly denotes the recently dead person in question.

Explanation

The idiom "the best of both worlds" refers to a situation in which an individual can enjoy the advantages or benefits of two entirely different circumstances or opportunities at the same time, without having to make a compromise or choose one over the other. For example, working part-time allows someone to maintain a career while having plenty of free time, thereby enjoying the best of both worlds.

Explanation

The word vigour refers to physical strength, active force, or high energy and enthusiasm. Lethargy represents a state of drowsiness, sluggishness, inactivity, or a complete lack of energy, making it the direct antonym of vigour.

Explanation

A streak is defined as a long, thin mark, band, or line of a different substance or color from its surroundings, or a smudge. Similarly, a smear refers to a smudge, dab, or streak of a greasy or sticky substance. Both words are synonymous as they refer to an irregular mark or stain made on a surface.

Explanation

A skeptic is a person who habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with accepted opinions, doctrines, or beliefs, especially in religious contexts. In contrast, a devotee is an ardent follower, supporter, or strong believer who is characterized by unwavering loyalty and deep commitment to a particular faith, deity, or cause. This complete dedication and belief make devotee the direct antonym of skeptic.

Explanation

The word humanoid is spelled correctly. It is a noun or adjective formed by combining the word human with the suffix -oid, which means resembling or having the form of. It is used to describe something that has human-like form, characteristics, or appearance, such as a robot or science fiction creature.

Explanation

The verb "tell" is a transitive verb that directly takes an object representing the person being spoken to, without the use of any preposition. Therefore, using "to" after "told" is grammatically incorrect. The sentence should instead use "I told the coach" or "I said to the coach".

Explanation

Ethnic cleansing is defined as the systematic and forced removal, displacement, or mass killing of members of an unwanted ethnic, racial, or religious group from a specific geographic area. The objective of this practice is to create an ethnically homogeneous territory, often involving violence, terror, and mass atrocities to force the targeted population to flee or to eliminate them entirely.

Explanation

A sentry is a soldier or guard stationed to keep watch and protect a place from unauthorized entry or surprise attack. Similarly, a sentinel refers to a soldier or guard whose chief duty is to stand watch and guard a specific area. Because both terms share the exact definition of a lookout or guard, they are synonyms.

Explanation

The sentence structure represents a third conditional, which is used to express a hypothetical situation in the past and its imaginary past outcome. The grammatical pattern for a third conditional sentence is:

If + subject + past perfect (had + past participle), subject + would have + past participle

Since the main clause of the sentence uses "would have wondered", the conditional clause must use the past perfect tense. Therefore, the simple past verb "studied" must be replaced with the past perfect form "had studied" to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The idiom "to take the cake" originated in the 19th century from "cakewalk" dance competitions, where the couple that performed the most outstandingly was awarded a cake as the prize. Consequently, the phrase evolved to mean being especially good, highly remarkable, or outstanding in a particular way, whether in a positive or a negative context.

Explanation

The word culpable is spelled correctly. It is an adjective defined as deserving blame, censure, or being responsible for something bad or wrong. It originates from the Middle English word coupable, which in turn comes from the Latin word culpabilis, derived from culpa, meaning guilt or fault.

Explanation

When converting an interrogative sentence starting with an auxiliary verb from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb said to is changed to asked. The conjunction if or whether is used to connect the reporting clause with the reported speech. The second-person pronoun you in the direct speech refers to the listener Rahul, so it changes to the third-person pronoun he. Since the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in the reported speech changes from the simple present are to the simple past was. Finally, the question structure is converted into an assertive statement, changing the word order from verb-subject to subject-verb.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice in the simple past tense, indicated by the structure "was given". When converting a passive voice sentence in the simple past tense to the active voice, the passive auxiliary verb "was" is removed, and the main verb is written in its past tense form (V₂), which is "gave".

The agent in the passive sentence, "by my aunt", becomes the subject "My aunt" in the active sentence. The recipient "me" and the direct object "the most useful gift of my wedding" follow the verb. This yields the grammatically correct active construction: "My aunt gave me the most useful gift of my wedding."

Explanation

The correct arrangement of the sentence parts forms a well-known quote by Charles Evans Hughes, a former Chief Justice of the United States. The phrase begins with the subject, A dissent in a court, which is logically followed by the modifying prepositional phrase of last resort is an appeal in part R. The preposition appeal is followed by the prepositional phrase starting with to in part Q, which reads to the brooding spirit of law, to. This parallel structure is completed by part P, the intelligence of a future day, which serves as the object of the second preposition to. Thus, combining these parts in the order RQP yields a grammatically complete and coherent sentence: A dissent in a court of last resort is an appeal to the brooding spirit of law, to the intelligence of a future day.

Explanation

The prepositional phrase "By 2030" indicates a specific deadline or target point in the future. To express an action that is predicted to be completed or accomplished by a certain point in the future, the future perfect tense is required. The structure of the future perfect tense is formed using "will have" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Replacing "would" with "will" correctly establishes this grammatical structure, resulting in "will have become".

Explanation

The noun commitment refers to a dedication, duty, obligation, or prior engagement that restricts one's freedom of action. In English collocations, we frequently use the verb meet in conjunction with commitments to refer to fulfilling one's obligations or scheduled responsibilities. Thus, having certain commitments to meet is the idiomatic and grammatically appropriate phrase to explain why someone is unable to attend an event like a party.

Explanation

The verb lop refers to the action of cutting off, pruning, or removing branches, twigs, or limbs from the main body of a tree or shrub. This term is widely used in gardening, forestry, and horticulture to describe the trimming of overgrown or unwanted parts of a plant to maintain its health and shape.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The adjective distinct is grammatically followed by the preposition from to indicate that one concept is clearly different, separate, or distinguishable from another. In this context, restorative justice and mediation are separate concepts with their own unique characteristics, even though they share some common processes like meetings and dialogues. Therefore, distinct from is the correct idiomatic and semantic choice to highlight this difference.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the blank is followed by the plural noun parties, which refers to the three entities involved in the restorative justice process, namely the victim, the offender, and the community. The word all is a determiner used with plural countable nouns to refer to every individual member of a group. It correctly modifies parties to indicate that the resulting solution must be mutually acceptable to every single party involved in the restorative dialogue.

Explanation

The passage describes the characteristics of restorative justice. The adverb "therefore" is used to indicate a logical consequence or result of a preceding statement. Since restorative justice directly addresses the needs of the victim, it consequently and for that reason highlights the private aspects of what is legally considered a public wrong. This creates a cohesive flow showing that the emphasis on the private dimensions is a direct result of addressing the victim's needs.

Explanation

The noun substitute is idiomatically followed by the preposition for when referring to the person or thing that is replaced. Therefore, the phrase should read is not a substitute for the formal criminal justice system.

Explanation

The sentence concludes with the standard idiomatic phrase "as a whole", which means considered altogether, as a single unit, or in its entirety. In this context, it refers to increasing the sense of justice within the criminal justice system in its entirety, rather than just in individual parts or cases.

Explanation

The word gross is used to describe behavior, language, or character that is extremely rude, coarse, or vulgar. It refers to something that is offensively impolite, indecent, or lacking in refinement or good taste.

Explanation

The verb desist means to stop doing something, or to cease or abstain from a particular action. It is derived from the Latin word desistere, which literally means to leave off or stand away, making it the precise English term for halting or refraining from an activity.

Explanation

The error lies in part A of the sentence because the present perfect tense requires the past participle form of the verb after the auxiliary verb "have". Therefore, the base form "sign" must be replaced with its past participle form "signed" to make the sentence grammatically correct as "I have signed over".

Explanation

The idiom "every cloud has a silver lining" is used to convey that even the most difficult, gloomy, or unpleasant situations have some positive aspect, hopeful element, or beneficial outcome. The cloud represents the dark and unfavorable circumstance, while the silver lining represents the bright, encouraging side of it, reminding us to remain optimistic and look for the good in every bad situation.

Explanation

The sentence starts with the main clause "It is a crisis which", where the relative pronoun "which" introduces a defining clause that describes the future course of the crisis. Part R contains the verb phrase "will get even worse", which directly completes this relative clause. This is followed by a conditional clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction "unless" and the subject "policymakers" in part P, which then naturally connects to the verb phrase "exercise some intelligence" in part Q. Joining the parts in the sequence R-P-Q creates the grammatically sound and meaningful sentence: "It is a crisis which will get even worse unless policymakers exercise some intelligence."

Explanation

The verb fill is the most appropriate and idiomatic choice when describing sounds, smells, or light spreading throughout and occupying a space or atmosphere. In this context, the loud noises and cheering of the crowd naturally fill the air, creating a vivid and grammatically correct description of the scene.

Explanation

The introductory phrase In Tamil Nadu, is immediately qualified by the temporal prepositional phrase on Maattu Pongal (part Q) to specify the particular day of the festival. This is followed by the main subject-verb clause cows and bulls are worshipped and celebrated (part P), which details the action taking place on that day. Finally, the coordinating conjunction in and the finale is Jalikattu (part R) logically connects the concluding clause to complete the sentence.

Explanation

To entrust means to give responsibility to someone, or to assign, hand over, or trust someone with a duty or possession. Conversely, to deny means to refuse to grant, give, or allow something to someone. Therefore, to deny acts as the direct opposite or antonym of to entrust by representing the act of withholding or refusing to give responsibility or possession.