SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word collapse is spelled correctly. It means to suddenly fall down, give way, or cave in.

Explanation

A subsidy is a financial grant, aid, or contribution provided by a government or an organization to support an endeavor, industry, or individual. Similarly, an endowment refers to a funding source, financial gift, or grant bestowed upon an institution or cause to provide ongoing financial support. Both terms share the core meaning of financial assistance or a monetary grant given to support a specific purpose.

Explanation

Miscible describes liquids that are fully soluble in one another in all proportions, meaning they mix together completely to form a homogeneous solution without separating into distinct layers. Water and ethanol are a classic example of miscible liquids.

Explanation

The phrasal verb do away with means to get rid of, abolish, or eliminate someone or something. Replacing the bracketed word with away with completes this phrasal verb as doing away with, which perfectly fits the context of trying to improve a situation by eliminating certain people.

Explanation

The introductory clause "It is not uncommon" is naturally followed by an infinitive phrase to state what action is common. Part P, "to push for public expenditure", fulfills this grammatical requirement. Following this, the prepositional phrase in part Q, "at a time", introduces the context, which is then immediately modified by the relative clause in part R, "when private investment sentiment is weak". This sequence creates a coherent, grammatically complete sentence.

Explanation

The word digress means to wander away or depart from the main subject or direct course in speech, writing, or thought. Similarly, meander means to follow a winding course or wander aimlessly. Both words share the core meaning of deviating from a straight or direct path, which makes them synonyms.

Explanation

To convert an interrogative sentence starting with a modal verb from active to passive voice, the structure follows: Modal verb + Subject (which is the object of the active voice) + be + past participle of the main verb + remaining prepositional phrase.

In the active sentence, Can we send this container by ship, the modal verb is Can, the active subject is we, the transitive verb is send, and the object is this container. When changing to passive voice, the modal verb Can remains unchanged at the beginning of the sentence. The object this container becomes the new subject, the verb send changes to its past participle form be sent, and the agent by us is omitted as it is understood. This results in the grammatically correct passive sentence: Can this container be sent by ship?

Explanation

The idiom shooting fish in a barrel is used to describe a task, action, or activity that is exceptionally easy, effortless, or simple to accomplish. Since fish trapped inside a barrel have no room to escape, targeting them requires virtually no skill, effort, or precision, making the task ridiculously easy.

Explanation

The word "abhorred" is the past tense and past participle form of the verb "abhor", which means to regard with disgust and hatred. Under standard English spelling rules, when adding a suffix starting with a vowel to a multi-syllable verb that ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern where the stress is on the final syllable, the final consonant is doubled. Therefore, the final letter "r" in "abhor" is doubled before adding the suffix "-ed", making "abhorred" the correct spelling.

Explanation

The given active sentence is in the simple past tense, which follows the structure: Subject + second form of verb (V2) + Object.

To convert a simple past sentence into the passive voice, the structure used is: Object + was/were + past participle (V3) + by + Subject.

In this sentence, the pillars of the bridge is a plural object, which requires the plural auxiliary verb were. The past participle form of corroded is corroded. The adverb eventually is placed between the auxiliary verb were and the main verb. Applying these rules directly gives: The pillars of the bridge were eventually corroded by the seawater.

Explanation

When converting an interrogative sentence starting with a question word like "how" from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb "said to" is changed to "asked". The question word itself acts as the connector, meaning no conjunction like "that" is used to join the clauses. The tense of the reported speech changes from the simple present tense "do you go" to the simple past tense "went" because the reporting verb is in the past tense. Additionally, the second-person pronoun "you" changes to the third-person pronoun "he" to correspond with the object "Juned". Applying these rules yields the grammatically correct indirect speech form.

Explanation

The conjunction "although" is used to join clauses and must be followed by a clause containing a subject and a verb. In contrast, "in spite of" or "despite" is used before a noun or noun phrase to show contrast. Since "good rains" is a noun phrase, the use of "Although of" is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with "In spite of" or "Despite" to establish the correct grammatical structure.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence, District judges, is logically modified by the prepositional phrase in far-flung districts (P). This complete subject is followed by the verb phrase have been authorising mass blocking of online content (R), which acts as the main predicate. The conjunction and then connects this direct object with a second parallel object, gag orders (Q). Arranging these parts in the order P-R-Q forms the grammatically correct and coherent sentence: District judges in far-flung districts have been authorising mass blocking of online content and gag orders.

Explanation

The verb prohibit means to formally forbid something by law, rule, or other authority. In the context of legislation, prohibit is the standard legal term used to express that a specific action, such as the sale of alcoholic beverages inside a stadium, is legally banned or outlawed.

Explanation

The verb extricate means to free, release, or disentangle someone or something from a constraint, difficulty, or an awkward situation. It comes from the Latin prefix ex- meaning out of and tricae meaning perplexities or hindrances. Therefore, it perfectly matches the definition of freeing something from a constraint.

Explanation

The phrasal verb beef up means to make something stronger, larger, or more effective, particularly with respect to security, forces, or defense. In this sentence, the presence of the preposition up immediately following the blank requires the verb beefed to complete the phrasal verb beefed up, which perfectly fits the context of increasing security measures for the Prime Minister.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "dry down" is incorrect in this context. The correct phrasal verb to describe a body of water completely losing its moisture and becoming empty due to heat is "dry up". Replacing "dry down" with "dry up" makes the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The word prestige refers to widespread respect, high standing, or distinction achieved through success, influence, or wealth. Its direct antonym is insignificance, which denotes a state of being completely unimportant, trivial, or lacking in consequence, power, or distinction.

Explanation

The idiom "to sleep with the fishes" is a classic euphemism meaning to be dead, specifically referring to someone who has been murdered and whose body has been disposed of in a body of water, such as a river or an ocean. The phrase gained widespread popularity from organized crime slang and was famously featured in the novel and film "The Godfather" to describe the fate of a character who was killed and thrown into the sea.

Explanation

The idiom in peril is the standard English expression used to describe someone or something being in serious danger. When a warning begins with an imperative command like Don't step, the conjunction else introduces the inevitable consequence of failing to heed that warning. The future tense verb will be combined with the prepositional phrase in great peril correctly conveys this certain consequence in a natural and grammatically appropriate manner.

Explanation

The verb interpret means to translate spoken words from one language to another in real-time. In the context of traveling, a guide is often required to translate the foreign language spoken by the locals to help the travelers understand and communicate, making interpret the most appropriate and contextually accurate word for the blank.

Explanation

The passage is written in the simple present tense, as indicated by verbs such as is, plunges, constitutes, and are. To maintain grammatical consistency and tense agreement throughout the text, the blank must be filled with a verb in the simple present tense. Since the relative pronoun that refers to the singular noun phrase a question, it requires the singular third-person verb goes to complete the sentence correctly.

Explanation

The verb plunge means to push, cast, or enter quickly and forcibly into a particular state or activity. When used in the context of analyzing a fundamental concept, such as the basics of what constitutes the social order, the adverb deep is the most appropriate word to indicate a thorough, profound, and intense exploration below the surface. The phrase plunges deep into is a standard English collocation used to describe examining a subject in a highly detailed or comprehensive manner.

Explanation

The passage is excerpted from an article discussing how routine, everyday violence has become integrated into the modern social fabric. The term banality refers to the state of being ordinary, commonplace, or routine. In this context, the banality of violence refers to how acts of brutality and torture have become so ordinary in daily life that society reacts to them with indifference rather than shock. This aligns with the author's critique of how the normalization of violence is used to construct a new kind of social order.

Explanation

The verb ponder is commonly paired with the preposition over to form the phrasal verb ponder over, which means to think about, reflect upon, or consider something deeply and carefully. In the context of the passage, the sentence discusses whether the current strategies of law are sufficient to deeply contemplate and evaluate specific events. Therefore, using over after ponder completes the phrasal verb correctly, maintaining both the proper grammatical structure and the intended meaning of deep contemplation.

Explanation

The passage discusses a profound and abstract issue concerning the fundamental nature of what constitutes society, rights, democracy, and violence. In this intellectual and reflective context, the text questions whether existing legal frameworks are adequate to deeply contemplate and theorize about these complex societal occurrences. The word philosophise, which means to speculate, theorize, or explain from a philosophical standpoint, perfectly aligns with the tone of intellectual inquiry. Paired alongside ponder, it fits the academic and conceptual objective of analyzing the deeper, non-legalistic dimensions of violence and social structure.

Explanation

The verb to remand means to send back a prisoner into custody or to refer a legal case back to a lower court for further action, which results in delaying or postponing the final resolution of the proceedings. In contrast, to expedite means to speed up, accelerate, or hasten the progress of an action or process, making it the opposite in meaning.

Explanation

The relative pronoun that must be used instead of which after the phrase the same followed by a noun. In this sentence, the noun story is preceded by the same, so the relative pronoun which in part B should be replaced with that to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The term proximal refers to something that is situated close to a central point, origin, or point of attachment. The word adjacent means lying near, close, or contiguous, which directly shares this meaning of physical nearness and proximity.

Explanation

Eternity refers to infinite or unending time, signifying a state of everlasting or eternal existence. Ephemeral describes something that is very short-lived, transient, or lasting for only a brief period. Therefore, ephemeral is the direct antonym of eternity as it represents the opposite concept of duration.

Explanation

The verb to alight means to descend, get down, or step off from a vehicle, train, or bus. Similarly, to disembark means to leave or step off a ship, aircraft, or other passenger vehicle. Both terms directly denote the action of exiting a form of transport, making them precise synonyms.

Explanation

Nihilism is the correct spelling of the word. It represents the philosophical belief that life is meaningless, rejecting all religious and moral principles, and asserting that values and beliefs are baseless. The term originates from the Latin word nihil, which translates to nothing.

Explanation

The sentence structure uses the passive voice verb phrase "is answered", where "is" serves as the auxiliary verb and "answered" is the past participle. An adverb is required to modify the participle "answered". The adverb "easily" correctly modifies the verb to describe the manner in which the answer is provided, making the sentence grammatically complete and coherent.

Explanation

The idiom ignorance is bliss conveys the idea that if you do not know about something unpleasant, you cannot worry or be unhappy about it. In many situations, being unaware of certain difficult truths, problems, or harsh facts can preserve a person's peace of mind and keep them happy. Thus, sometimes it is indeed better for an individual not to know all the facts.

Explanation

The plural subject "State leaders" requires a plural verb to maintain proper subject-verb agreement. The present perfect tense is appropriate in this context to describe actions that have occurred and remain relevant to the current situation. This tense is formed by combining the plural auxiliary verb "have" with "shown", which is the correct past participle of the verb "show".

Explanation

The word probable is correctly spelled as p-r-o-b-a-b-l-e. Derived from the Latin word probabilis, meaning provable or credible, it functions as an adjective in English to describe something that is likely to happen, exist, or be true. For example, it is used in contexts describing a likely outcome or a candidate expected to succeed.

Explanation

The standard English idiom for visiting a theater to watch a movie is "go to the cinema". In this phrase, the preposition "to" is required to indicate movement or direction toward a destination, and the definite article "the" is conventionally used as part of the idiomatic expression, even when no specific theater is being specified.

Explanation

The idiom "have a blast" is a common informal expression that means to have an exceptionally good, exciting, or highly enjoyable time. It is used to convey that someone is having a lot of fun or thoroughly enjoying an activity or event.

Explanation

When an active voice sentence follows the structure "It is + adjective + active infinitive (to + verb) + object", its passive voice counterpart is constructed using the pattern "Object + is + adjective + passive infinitive (to be + past participle of the verb)".

In the active sentence "It is impossible to do this job": "this job" serves as the object of the infinitive. "to do" is the active infinitive. "impossible" is the adjective.

To convert this into the passive voice: The object "This job" is shifted to the position of the subject. The structure "is impossible" is maintained to express the quality of the action. The active infinitive "to do" is changed to the passive infinitive "to be done", which uses the third form of the verb "do".

This systematic conversion produces the grammatically correct passive sentence "This job is impossible to be done."

Explanation

The word dissolve is correctly spelled as d-i-s-s-o-l-v-e. It is a verb of Latin origin, derived from the prefix dis- meaning apart and solvere meaning to loosen.

In English, it has two primary meanings: To incorporate a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance into another liquid to form a homogeneous solution. To formally terminate, dismiss, or disperse an assembly, partnership, or legal agreement.

The spelling preserves both the s from the prefix dis- and the s from the root, resulting in a double s.

Explanation

The verb muster means to gather, summon, or bring together, especially a feeling, support, or physical/mental strength, particularly when facing a difficult situation. The phrase "muster all your strength" is a standard idiomatic collocation in English that refers to gathering all available inner or physical resources to overcome a challenge.

Explanation

The error lies in part A because the noun "sense" is used as a singular countable noun in this context. It requires an indefinite article "a" before the modifying adjective "renewed". The grammatically correct phrasing is "There is a renewed sense".

Explanation

The verb phrase to console means to comfort someone in a time of grief, disappointment, or sorrow, directly representing the act of alleviating or soothing another person's sadness and distress.

Explanation

The definite article "the" is grammatically incorrect in this context because it is modifying a non-specific, singular countable noun phrase "tremendous effect". When introducing a general impact or result for the first time, the indefinite article "a" must be used instead. The phrase should correctly read "has had a tremendous" to be grammatically precise.

Explanation

The subject phrase "A significant number" requires a prepositional phrase starting with "of" to define what is being counted. Part R "of these jobs will have" perfectly connects to the subject, introducing the modal verb phrase "will have". This modal verb must be followed by an infinitive construction, which is provided by part Q "to be created". Finally, the prepositional phrase in part P "in the rural non-farm sector" provides the essential adverbial context indicating where these jobs must be generated. This logical and grammatical sequence constructs the coherent sentence: "A significant number of these jobs will have to be created in the rural non-farm sector."

Explanation

The phrase "in the process" is a standard English idiom used to indicate that something happens during or as a result of a particular course of action. In this context, it describes how, while playing into the hands of the Central government, the representatives simultaneously forgot the history of their own societies. Using the preposition "in" correctly completes this idiom to establish the temporal and causal connection between the ongoing process and the loss of historical memory.

Explanation

The word chastise means to reprimand, scold, or punish someone severely. In the context of the sentence, the child's reaction of being afraid of her teacher indicates that she fears being scolded or disciplined further. Therefore, chastise is the most appropriate word to complete the sentence logically.

Explanation

When converting direct speech into indirect speech, if the reported speech contains a universal truth, permanent fact, or established habit, the tense of the verb in the reported speech remains unchanged even if the reporting verb is in the past tense. Since the fact that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is India's central bank is a permanent, established fact, the present tense verb is does not change to the past tense was. Additionally, the reporting verb said to changes to told, and the reporting clause is joined with the reported clause using the conjunction that.

Explanation

An escort refers to a person, group, or vehicle accompanying another for protection, security, guidance, or companionship, which implies a supportive, friendly, or protective presence. A foe refers to an enemy, opponent, or adversary who poses a hostile threat or opposition. Since a foe represents hostility rather than protection or companionship, it acts as the direct antonym to escort.

Explanation

The verb to permeate means to spread through, pervade, or saturate something completely. Similarly, the verb to imbue means to inspire, saturate, or permeate with a particular quality, feeling, or dye. Since both words share the core meaning of thoroughly diffusing or spreading through a medium, they are synonyms.