SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word bother means to cause worry, annoyance, or trouble to someone. Similarly, the word beset means to trouble, harass, or plague persistently, making it a synonym of bother.

Explanation

The word elate means to make someone ecstatically happy, proud, or joyful. Similarly, exhilarate means to make someone feel extremely happy, animated, excited, or thrilled. Both words convey a strong sense of uplifting emotions and high spirits, making them synonymous.

Explanation

The error lies in part B of the sentence. The conjunction when is used to refer to an event that is certain to happen, whereas the context of the sentence implies a possibility or conditional situation. Therefore, the conditional conjunction if should be used instead of when to make the sentence grammatically correct, resulting in: but don't worry if I am late.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the phrase "The loss of these", which requires a plural noun phrase to complete the prepositional object. Part P begins with "young, and often", which is an adjective phrase qualifying the plural noun "people" in part R. The adjective "bright" in part R completes the description "young, and often bright". The noun "people" is then followed by the modal verb "must" at the end of part R, which grammatically connects to the bare infinitive verb phrase "make us ponder" in part Q. This creates the coherent and grammatically correct sentence: "The loss of these young, and often bright, people must make us ponder".

Explanation

The idiom "chink in one's armour" refers to a minor but distinct vulnerability, weakness, or flaw in an otherwise strong position, setup, or character, which can be exploited by an opponent. It originates from the literal meaning of a "chink" (a narrow opening, crack, or gap) in a suit of defensive armor, which provides an opening through which a weapon can penetrate and cause injury. Therefore, it represents an area of vulnerability.

Explanation

The word inflict is defined as imposing something unwelcome, unpleasant, or painful on someone or something. It is commonly used in contexts such as inflicting a blow, inflicting pain, or inflicting a penalty, which perfectly matches the meaning of the given phrase.

Explanation

The blank requires a relative pronoun to refer back to the inanimate antecedents, namely "school uniform, books and stationery, and transport". In English grammar, the relative pronoun "which" is used to refer to non-living things, objects, and concepts. Therefore, "which" is the grammatically appropriate word to connect the preceding noun phrase to the relative clause describing their monopoly status.

Explanation

The passage discusses the various additional expenses that parents face beyond regular schooling costs. The adverb "Occasionally" is the most fitting word for the blank because the sentence refers to "special occasions" like festivals, picnics, and projects. Since these events happen from time to time rather than on a regular or daily basis, the adverb of frequency "Occasionally" correctly indicates that private schools ask for extra money for these periodic, non-routine events.

Explanation

In the context of school activities, the term excursion refers to a short trip or outing organized for a group of students, typically for educational or recreational purposes. This fits naturally in the sequence alongside festivals, picnics, and projects, which are all typical school-related events and activities that incur extra costs for parents.

Explanation

The blank requires a verb in the passive voice because the subject "None of this" represents the collective additional costs that receive the action of being counted. The overall passage is written in the simple present tense, as indicated by verbs such as "is", "want", "recommend", and "add". Since "None of this" acts as a singular subject, the singular simple present passive form "is counted" fits the grammatical structure and context of the sentence.

Explanation

The passage is narrated in the simple present tense, as established by verbs like is, are, want, recommend, and add. To maintain consistency of tense throughout the text, the blank must be filled with a simple present tense verb. Since the subject the family is a singular collective noun, it requires the singular form of the verb, which is bears.

Explanation

To entrain means to board or get onto a train or another vehicle for travel. Similarly, to mount means to climb up on, get onto, or board a vehicle, platform, or horse. Both verbs share the fundamental meaning of boarding or getting onto something to start a journey.

Explanation

Virtuous is correctly spelled as v-i-r-t-u-o-u-s. It is an adjective derived from the noun virtue, meaning having or showing high moral standards, righteousness, or moral excellence.

Explanation

The error lies in part B of the sentence, where the word "little" should be replaced with "a little". While "little" has a negative connotation meaning "almost nothing" or "hardly any", "a little" has a positive meaning meaning "some" or "a small amount". Since the sentence indicates that Gita danced a small amount more than her usual amount, the indefinite article "a" is required before "little" to make the phrase "a little more than usual" grammatically correct.

Explanation

The word vivified means to give life to, animate, or make something lively, vivid, and bright. The word dull means lacking interest, excitement, brightness, or liveliness, which directly represents the opposite meaning of vivified.

Explanation

The proverb beauty is in the eye of the beholder means that beauty is completely subjective. Different people have different standards and tastes when it comes to what they find attractive or admirable. What is highly appealing and beautiful to one individual might not hold the same value or attraction for another, emphasizing that aesthetic appreciation depends entirely on the observer's personal perspective.

Explanation

The noun forays requires a prepositional modifier to complete the subject noun phrase, which is provided by part R (in history). This plural subject, earlier its forays in history, is then followed by the plural verb phrase were concentrated on in part P. The adjective ancient at the end of part P naturally connects with the coordinating conjunction and in part Q to form the compound object ancient and medieval India. Combining these parts in the sequence RPQ yields a grammatically complete and coherent sentence: Earlier its forays in history were concentrated on ancient and medieval India.

Explanation

To confess a crime means to admit that one is guilty of a crime or wrongdoing. In a legal context, law enforcement officers often advise suspects that admitting or confessing to their actions can result in a more lenient or reduced sentence. The term confess is the standard and most appropriate word that collocates directly with the noun crime in this context.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the active voice and simple past tense, following the structure: Subject + V₂ + Object. To convert a simple past tense sentence into the passive voice, the structure used is: Object + was/were + V₃ + by + Subject. Here, the singular object "the entire building" takes the auxiliary verb "was", followed by the past participle "painted" and the agent "by the painters", which gives "The entire building was painted by the painters".

Explanation

The standard idiomatic expression in English is to hang by a thread, which means to be in a highly precarious, unstable, or critical situation where even a small negative event could lead to disaster, failure, or death. In this sentence, the person's physical condition has severely deteriorated, making their survival highly uncertain. The phrase hangs by a thread correctly conveys this extreme state of vulnerability and danger in accordance with standard grammatical and idiomatic usage.

Explanation

The phrase "Guardians of" requires a noun phrase as its object to complete the subject of the sentence. Intellectual liberty in part R fulfills this role, creating the complete subject "Guardians of intellectual liberty", which is followed by the verb phrase "must stand". The verb phrase is then modified by "four square against" in part Q. Finally, the preposition "against" connects to its object "the tyranny of the state" in part P. Putting these parts together in the order RQP yields the grammatically complete and meaningful sentence: "Guardians of intellectual liberty must stand four square against the tyranny of the state."

Explanation

When converting the direct speech into indirect speech, the exclamation Oh! represents an expression of disgust or fear, which is appropriately reported using the phrase exclaimed with disgust. The statement It's a scorpion is a present tense assertive sentence that changes to the past tense as that it was a scorpion. The negative imperative Don't go near it, children contains an address to the children, which is converted to told the children not to go near it by changing the imperative verb don't to not to. Combining these clauses with the conjunction and yields the correct indirect statement.

Explanation

The verb possess means to have, hold, or occupy something as one's own property or characteristic. It denotes having ownership or having something belonging to oneself, which directly matches the given definition.

Explanation

The word saboteur is correctly spelled. It is a noun that refers to a person who commits sabotage, which is the deliberate destruction, damage, or obstruction of something, typically for military or political advantage. The term is borrowed from French, derived from the verb saboter, and retains its traditional French spelling ending in -eur to denote the agent performing the action.

Explanation

The proverb necessity is the mother of invention means that the primary driving force for new inventions and creative problem-solving is a pressing need. When individuals find themselves in a difficult situation or face a critical shortage of resources, the urgency of their circumstances compels them to think creatively and innovate. Thus, when a requirement becomes essential, people are naturally driven to find or create a way to fulfill it.

Explanation

Reparation refers to the act of making amends, offering compensation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong, injury, or injustice that has been committed. It specifically denotes restoring or compensating someone for damages, losses, or suffering caused by one's actions, thereby making things right with the aggrieved party.

Explanation

The word unduly means to an unnecessary, unwarranted, or excessive degree. In formal and business contexts, the collocation unduly delayed is standard terminology used to indicate that a delay has gone beyond reasonable or acceptable limits.

Explanation

The word discerning refers to someone who possesses or displays keen insight, sharp perception, and excellent judgment. Similarly, astute is defined as having the ability to accurately assess situations or people and make clever, shrewd decisions. Both terms describe a high degree of mental sharpness and analytical intelligence, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The grammatical structure too + adjective + to-infinitive is used to express that an excess of a quality makes a particular action impossible. In the sentence, the adverb far is incorrectly used before the adjective arrogant. To make the sentence grammatically correct, far must be replaced with too, making the correct phrasing Ramesh is too arrogant to learn the error of his ways. This makes part A the erroneous section of the sentence.

Explanation

The phrasal verb put on is used to describe the action of applying cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, or other items to one's body. In this sentence, applying cosmetics to the face is correctly expressed as putting on make-up.

Explanation

The word wary is defined as feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems, which implies being alert, watchful, and highly attentive. The antonym of this is inattentive, which means not paying attention, being negligent, or showing a lack of care and alertness to one's surroundings or potential risks.

Explanation

The word substantial is an adjective that means of considerable size, importance, or worth. In the context of international diplomatic negotiations like the Paris Climate Agreement, countries make significant or major compromises to reach a common ground. Using substantial to modify the plural noun concessions precisely conveys that India has already made significant and meaningful compromises to facilitate a successful and consensus-based outcome.

Explanation

The noun attrition refers to a process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained pressure or constant wearing down. In the context of international negotiations, an attrition process describes a scenario where a nation is slowly worn down, with each successive concession weakening its stance and inviting demands for further compromises. This perfectly matches the context of avoiding a cycle where repeated concessions continuously erode India's negotiating position.

Explanation

In this context, the adverb precisely is the grammatically and contextually correct choice to modify the verb determine. It means with accuracy, exactness, and in greater detail, indicating that the upcoming post-Paris negotiations will define the specific and concrete outline of the global climate change architecture for the decades to come.

Explanation

The modal verb "must" is used to express absolute necessity, strong obligation, or an urgent duty. In the context of the passage, protecting India's vital interests and ensuring equitable burden-sharing during critical international climate negotiations is portrayed as a mandatory and non-negotiable requirement. Grammatically, "must" is followed directly by the bare infinitive "ensure" to construct this strong assertion of duty.

Explanation

The preposition of is used to connect a noun with a following noun phrase that defines, describes, or characterizes it. In this sentence, the noun principle is specified by the concept equity. The standard grammatical construction and idiom is the principle of equity, which denotes a fundamental rule or guideline that is constituted by equity and fair treatment. This makes of the grammatically correct preposition to complete the phrase.

Explanation

To theorize means to form a theory or conjecture about a subject, often involving abstract reasoning or constructing hypotheses to explain a phenomenon. Similarly, to speculate means to form opinions, theories, or conjectures without firm, conclusive evidence. Both terms describe the cognitive process of conceptualizing, hypothesizing, and intellectualizing possibilities, making them synonyms in contexts where one proposes explanations that are not yet fully proven.

Explanation

The sentence is a well-known quote by George Orwell from his essay "The Prevention of Literature".

The introductory phrase "To write in plain vigorous language" is immediately followed by part P, "one has to think fearlessly, and if", which establishes the primary requirement and introduces a conditional clause.

The conditional conjunction "if" at the end of part P naturally connects to the clause in part Q, "one thinks fearlessly".

This condition then leads directly to its consequence in part R, "one cannot be politically orthodox", which completes the sentence logically and grammatically.

The correct sequence of the segments is P-Q-R.

Explanation

The verb afford is used here in the sense of being able to bear the negative consequences of a situation. The structure cannot afford to do something is a standard English idiom meaning that one must not allow a particular thing to happen because the resulting consequences would be too damaging or unacceptable. In this context, parents cannot bear the detrimental outcome of seeing their child waste their potential.

Explanation

When converting a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, several grammatical transformations are required. Since the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, the tense of the reported clause undergoes a backshift, changing the modal verb "will" to its past form "would". The first-person pronoun "I" is replaced by the third-person pronoun "he" to agree with the subject "Abhay". The conjunction "that" is added to connect the reporting verb and the reported clause. Lastly, the adverb of time "tomorrow" is changed to "the next day" to reflect the shift in the time frame.

Explanation

The singular noun need is required because it is part of the common idiomatic expression the need of the hour, which refers to something that is extremely necessary at a specific point in time. Additionally, the singular form agrees with the singular past tense verb was used later in the sentence.

Explanation

The active voice sentence uses the future construction subject + is/are/am going to + base verb + object. To convert this construction into the passive voice, the structure object + is/are/am going to + be + past participle + by + subject is used.

In this sentence, the singular object a drama becomes the new subject, which requires the singular helping verb is going to. The base verb watch changes to its passive infinitive form be watched. The original subject they is transformed into the object of the preposition by them. Combining these elements yields the correct passive sentence.

Explanation

The phrasal verb resort to means to turn to or adopt a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one, in order to resolve a difficult situation. In the given sentence, resort is the only word that grammatically collocates with the preposition to to complete the standard English phrase resort to violence.

Explanation

The word ambushed refers to being hidden or lying in wait in a concealed position to launch a surprise attack. In contrast, exposed means to be uncovered, visible, unprotected, or revealed, representing the direct opposite state of being concealed or hidden.

Explanation

The introductory phrase Elections are likely to be held is logically followed by part P, which provides the timeframe in 2017 once law and order. The singular collective subject law and order then links to the verb phrase is restored though no in part R. Finally, the determiner no in part R is completed by the noun phrase time frame has been set in part Q. Combining these parts in the order PRQ yields the grammatically complete and meaningful sentence: Elections are likely to be held in 2017 once law and order is restored though no time frame has been set.

Explanation

The word sweeping is used as an adjective to describe something that has a very wide range, scope, or far-reaching effect. For example, when used in phrases like sweeping changes or sweeping reforms, it indicates that the actions or decisions have a broad and comprehensive impact across a large system or population.

Explanation

The word traducer is spelled correctly. It is a noun derived from the verb traduce, which means to speak maliciously and falsely of someone, or to slander and defame. A traducer refers to a person who engages in such slander, misrepresentation, or defamation.

Explanation

The word abuse means to treat a person or an animal with cruelty or violence, especially in a regular or repeated manner. It refers to inflicting physical, psychological, or emotional harm, or using offensive and insulting language against someone.

Explanation

The adjectives sweet and caring are both positive qualities that complement each other rather than contrast. Therefore, they should be joined by the coordinating conjunction and to show addition, forming the coherent phrase sweet and caring. This positive description of their behavior in the first half of the sentence then serves as a sharp contrast to their deceitful action in the second half.

Explanation

This sentence is a third conditional sentence, which is used to describe a hypothetical situation in the past and its past result. The correct grammatical structure for a third conditional sentence is:

If + subject + past perfect, subject + would have + past participle

In part B, the phrase "it will have" incorrectly uses "will" instead of "would". To correct the error, "will" must be replaced with "would" to complete the conditional structure. The correct sentence should read: "If I had remembered this, it would have prevented some mistakes."