SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The context of the passage discusses the shortcomings of the criminal justice system, particularly how excessive discretionary powers and vulnerability to corruption can harm ordinary people. In a democratic society, the primary legal and constitutional protections guaranteed to citizens against state overreach or systemic abuse are their basic rights, such as the right to liberty, fair trial, and personal safety. When the police and prosecution systems are corrupt, easily manipulated, or act without proper accountability, these legal safeguards are compromised, directly endangering the basic rights of innocent citizens.

Explanation

The idiom to go for broke means to risk everything or exert all of ones effort and resources in a single, ultimate attempt to achieve a major success. Originating from gambling terminology, particularly from dice games like craps where a player would bet all of their remaining money on one roll, it signifies risking complete failure or going broke for the chance of a massive triumph.

Explanation

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the past tense reporting verb (said) requires changing the tense of the reported clause. The present continuous tense (is coming) changes to the past continuous tense (was coming). Additionally, time expressions shift to reflect the change in perspective, which converts "this week" into "that week". The conjunction "that" is used to connect the reporting verb to the reported statement.

Explanation

The word dissuade is correctly spelled. It is a verb that means to persuade someone not to take a particular course of action. Etymologically, it is derived from the Latin prefix dis- (meaning away or against) combined with suadere (meaning to urge or advise), leading to the standard English spelling with a double s.

Explanation

The comparative form of an adjective is used to compare two things or people. When making a comparison with a comparative adjective like cooler, the conjunction than must be used to introduce the second item of comparison. Therefore, cooler from is grammatically incorrect, and it must be replaced with cooler than to establish a proper comparison between the climate of northern and southern parts.

Explanation

The word charisma refers to a compelling attractiveness, charm, or magnetic personality that can inspire devotion and admiration in others. This trait is a characteristic highly associated with successful movie stars, making it the most appropriate fit for the sentence.

Explanation

An apocalypse refers to a catastrophic event of monumental destruction, ruin, and devastation. A miracle represents an extraordinary, highly positive, and welcoming event that brings hope, creation, or preservation, making it the opposite in meaning.

Explanation

The error lies in part B of the sentence. The noun "substitution" should be followed by the preposition "for" rather than "instead of", making the correct phrasing "The substitution of cream for milk".

Explanation

The verb actuate means to put into action, activate, or motivate a process or device into motion. Conversely, the verb retard means to delay, slow down, or hold back the progress, development, or momentum of something. Since to retard acts as the direct opposite of putting something into active motion or initiating a process, it serves as the antonym of to actuate.

Explanation

Sagacity is spelled correctly. It is a noun that means the quality of having or showing keen mental discernment, good judgment, and practical wisdom. The word originates from the Latin sagacitas, which refers to keenness of perception or acute mental power.

Explanation

In scientific and agricultural contexts, the term spectrum refers to the range or variety of organisms that a chemical agent, such as an insecticide or antibiotic, can affect. A wide spectrum insecticide is one that is designed to target and kill a broad and diverse range of different insect species.

Explanation

A mutineer is defined as a person, especially a soldier or a sailor, who openly rebels, participates in a mutiny, or refuses to obey the direct orders of a commanding officer or any other person in authority.

Explanation

This sentence represents a first conditional structure, which is used to express a possible condition and its probable result in the present or future. In a first conditional sentence, the condition clause containing "if" uses the simple present tense, while the main clause uses a modal verb such as "can", "will", or "may" followed by the base form of the verb. In this sentence, the main clause uses the modal passive construction "can be avoided," which requires the simple present tense verb "are" in the conditional clause to maintain grammatical correctness and logical agreement.

Explanation

The word heckling is spelled correctly. It is the present participle of the verb heckle, which means to interrupt a public speaker with aggressive or abusive comments or questions.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct and structurally sound. The past tense verb swam is correctly used to describe a completed action in the past, followed by the appropriate preposition to which indicates direction towards the destination. The indefinite article an is correctly placed before the singular countable noun island, which begins with a vowel sound. The relative clause that was not far away correctly modifies island, using the relative pronoun that and maintaining tense consistency with the singular past tense verb was. Therefore, the sentence contains no grammatical, syntactical, or punctuation errors.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the active voice and follows the simple future tense structure: Subject + will + base form of the verb + Object.

To convert a simple future tense sentence into the passive voice, the structure changes to: Object + will be + past participle of the verb + by + Subject.

Following this rule, the active subject "The partners" becomes the agent "by the partners", the active object "their triumph" (referred to as "the triumph") becomes the new subject, and the verb "will celebrate" is converted into "will be celebrated". The adverb "tomorrow" remains unchanged. This produces the grammatically correct passive sentence: The triumph will be celebrated by the partners tomorrow.

Explanation

The word sinister refers to something that is threatening, evil, or suggestive of harm or misfortune. Similarly, malevolent is defined as having or showing a wish to do evil or cause harm to others. Both words convey a strong sense of malicious intent and ill-will, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The introductory phrase We must urgently ends with the adverb urgently. This naturally connects with part R, which introduces the parallel adverb consciously through the conjunction and, completing the verbal phrase and consciously develop a new. The adjective new in part R requires a singular noun to follow it, which is provided by the word ethics in part P. Furthermore, the verb responds at the end of part P requires the preposition to to introduce its object, which is found in part Q as humanely to, the strangers in our cities. Connecting the segments in the order of R, P, and Q forms a grammatically correct and meaningful sentence.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The sentence begins with the subject and verb phrase "Every government wants". In English grammar, the transitive verb "wants" is typically followed by a to-infinitive. Part Q begins with "to shower", which completes this infinitive construction to form "wants to shower favours on".

The preposition "on" at the end of part Q requires a noun or pronoun object. Part R begins with "farmers", which perfectly fulfills this role, creating the phrase "to shower favours on farmers".

Part R ends with the word "after", which links directly with the word "all" at the start of part P to form the cohesive conjunctive phrase "after all". Part P then finishes the sentence by providing the logical reason behind the government's behavior: "they have so many votes".

Thus, arranging the parts in the sequence Q-R-P yields the grammatically correct and meaningful sentence: "Every government wants to shower favours on farmers; after all, they have so many votes."

Explanation

The preposition "for" in part C of the sentence is grammatically incorrect and should be replaced with the preposition "of" to form "the colour of their eyes". The preposition "of" is used to indicate belonging, association, or a specific characteristic of a noun, whereas "for" is used to indicate purpose, reason, or duration.

Explanation

The word repercussion refers to an unintended and usually unwelcome consequence of an event or action. It represents the indirect effect or reaction produced by an event, making it the precise substitute for the given phrase.

Explanation

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the reporting verb said to changes to asked for an interrogative sentence. Since the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported speech changes from the simple past were to the past perfect had been. The pronoun you changes to she to match the object of the reporting verb, my sister. The time-indicative word this evening changes to that evening. Finally, the word order of the question changes from verb-subject to subject-verb, making it an assertive clause. This yields the sentence: I asked my sister where she had been that evening.

Explanation

The correct arrangement of the sentence parts is Q-P-R.

The introductory phrase Due to poor organic matter logically connects with part Q (incorporation, organic carbon) to complete the opening adverbial clause, forming Due to poor organic matter incorporation, organic carbon. This is followed by part P (in soil is below the required), which introduces the prepositional phrase and the verb phrase explaining the state of the organic carbon. Finally, part R (level in most parts of India) completes the noun phrase required level and adds the geographical context.

The complete, grammatically sound sentence is: Due to poor organic matter incorporation, organic carbon in soil is below the required level in most parts of India.

Explanation

The verb rectify means to put right, correct, or remedy a bad situation or error. In the context of the sentence, the act of re-teaching a lesson and administering a second test is the most appropriate remedy to correct or improve the poor grades that the children received. This makes rectify the grammatically and contextually correct word to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The word frolic refers to playful, lighthearted, and cheerful activity or entertainment, characterized by fun and a lack of serious worry. In contrast, drudgery represents hard, tedious, boring, or menial work that is entirely devoid of fun, playfulness, or enjoyment. Thus, drudgery acts as a direct antonym to frolic because it describes a state of laborious and uncreative toil, representing the opposite of playful leisure.

Explanation

An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, representing a legally binding and truthful account of facts. Slander is a false and defamatory oral statement made to damage someone's reputation. Because an affidavit represents sworn, verified truth, and slander represents a malicious untruth, they function as opposites in terms of truthfulness and credibility.

Explanation

The idiom "to drive someone up the wall" means to make someone highly annoyed, irritated, or frustrated. It conveys the feeling of being pushed to the limit of one's patience, as if one is driven to climb the walls out of extreme exasperation or vexation.

Explanation

The verb compel in its passive construction is grammatically followed by a to-infinitive (to + base form of the verb). The correct idiomatic structure is to be compelled to do something. Therefore, the phrase compelled for asking must be corrected to compelled to ask to establish proper grammatical flow and syntax.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the simple past tense (active voice), featuring the past tense verb took. To convert a simple past tense sentence from active to passive voice, the standard grammatical structure is:

Subject (originally the object) + was/were + past participle of the verb (V3) + by + object (originally the subject)

In this sentence, the object the grinder becomes the new subject. Since it is singular, it is paired with the helping verb was. The past participle form of the verb take is taken. The active subject I changes to the objective pronoun me, and the adverb of time yesterday remains unchanged in voice conversion. Applying these rules directly gives the correct passive form: The grinder was taken by me yesterday.

Explanation

The idiom dry run refers to a trial exercise, practice session, or rehearsal of a procedure or performance before the actual event takes place. It allows those involved to identify potential problems, test their preparedness, and ensure that the real performance or operation proceeds smoothly without any errors.

Explanation

The word probable refers to something that is likely to happen, exist, or be true. The word plausible describes an argument, statement, or event that is reasonable, believable, or likely to be true. Both terms are used to denote a high likelihood or feasibility of occurrence, making them close synonyms.

Explanation

The preposition across is used to mean in or to various parts of a large area. In this context, the phrase across the world is a standard idiomatic expression meaning throughout the world or in different countries globally, indicating that the shift toward restorative justice models is occurring in various nations spread throughout the globe.

Explanation

The sentence discusses the transition of criminal justice systems from traditional models to restorative ones. In legal terminology, the traditional common law system of adjudication is formally known as the adversarial model of criminal justice. This model pits two opposing parties (the prosecution and the defense) against each other under the mediation of a neutral judge or jury. The passage contrasts this system with restorative justice, which is described as more collaborative, consensual, and inclusive. Thus, adversarial is the contextually and terminologically accurate adjective to complete the phrase model of criminal justice.

Explanation

The conjunction "or" is used to connect alternative terms or levels of degree. In the phrase "partly or wholly", the adverbs represent two different extents to which the criminal justice model is being replaced. The sentence indicates that the replacement can be either partial (partly) or complete (wholly), making "or" the grammatically correct and logical choice to link these alternatives.

Explanation

The sentence uses a present participle clause to describe the direct consequence or result of the main action. The present participle yielding functions as an adverbial modifier, indicating that the ongoing process of replacing the model of criminal justice with restorative justice results in promising outcomes for crime control.

Explanation

The adjective characteristic takes the preposition of when used to denote a quality or feature that is typical or representative of a specific group, system, or entity. In this sentence, the collaborative, consensual, and inclusive process is described as being typical of indigenous systems of justice, which makes of the grammatically appropriate preposition to complete the phrase characteristic of.

Explanation

The idiom to go the extra mile means to make a special effort or do more than what is strictly required or expected of one in order to achieve a goal or help someone. It has its origins in the biblical passage Matthew 5:41, where Roman soldiers could legally compel citizens to carry their gear for one mile, and Jesus exhorted his followers to willingly carry it a second mile. Today, it is widely used in both personal and professional contexts to describe outstanding dedication and the willingness to put in additional work to ensure a successful outcome.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct in all its parts. The compound subject, the prince and princess, consists of two singular nouns joined by the conjunction and, which correctly takes the plural possessive pronoun their in the clause made their way. The verb made is in the appropriate past tense form, and the prepositional phrase through the cheering crowd is used correctly. Therefore, the sentence contains no grammatical, syntactical, or idiomatic errors.

Explanation

The word shimmering refers to something that shines with a soft, slightly wavering or sparkling light. The word glinting shares this exact meaning, describing something that reflects small, bright flashes of light or sparkles. Both terms are used to describe a lustrous, flickering quality of light, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The word abseiled is the past tense and past participle form of the verb abseil, which means to descend a steep cliff or wall using a rope. The term comes from the German word abseilen, where ab means down and Seil means rope. Adding the standard past-tense suffix -ed to the base form abseil gives the spelling abseiled.

Explanation

Recitation refers to the act of repeating a passage, poem, or other text aloud from memory, typically before an audience or as part of a classroom exercise. It involves retrieving stored verbal information and vocally reproducing it exactly as it was learned.

Explanation

The term bounder is used to describe a man whose behavior is dishonorable, ill-mannered, or socially unacceptable. It refers to an ill-bred, vulgar, or boorish person. The word lout similarly refers to an uncouth, clumsy, or ill-mannered individual. Because both words describe a person lacking in manners, decency, and social refinement, they are synonyms.

Explanation

The word "Given" is used here as a preposition meaning "considering" or "taking into account". It correctly introduces the circumstance or context that must be kept in mind—the existence of multiple cyber warfare scenarios—before presenting the main argument about the necessity of erecting proper defences.

Explanation

The verb cavort means to jump or dance around in a highly excited, playful, or physically lively manner. It is commonly used to describe energetic and boisterous behavior, capturing the exact essence of lighthearted, spirited movement.

Explanation

The word detoxify is spelled correctly. It is a verb that means to remove toxic substances or poisons from something, especially to rid the body of harmful chemicals or drugs.

Explanation

The idiom "finding your feet" means to become familiar with, confident in, and accustomed to a new situation, job, or environment. It originates from the image of a young animal or a baby learning to stand and walk, gradually gaining balance and stability. When someone transitions to a new phase of life, a new city, or a new job, they need time to find their feet, which means they are adjusting to the new place or situation.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the active voice and the simple present tense, as indicated by the verb raise. When converting a sentence in the simple present tense from active to passive voice, the structure is transformed using the formula: New Subject + is/am/are + past participle (V3) of the verb + by + New Object.

Here, the active object sugarcane (singular/uncountable) becomes the passive subject, the simple present verb raise is converted to is raised, and the active subject some farmers becomes the passive object introduced by the preposition by. This results in the correct passive structure.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is Out-of-the-box statecraft. This noun phrase requires a verb to initiate the main clause, which is provided by would bring dividends in part Q. The noun dividends is followed by the preposition in in part R to specify the areas of benefits, which are peace of mind, savings and. The coordinating conjunction and at the end of part R links to the final parallel noun phrase economic growth in part P, completing the sentence logically and grammatically as QRP.

Explanation

When converting a direct speech question to indirect speech, the reporting verb said to is changed to asked because the sentence is interrogative. Since the question inside the quotation marks begins with the modal verb can, the conjunction if is used to connect the clauses. The pronoun I changes to he to match the subject of the reporting verb, the intern. Additionally, the modal verb can changes to its past tense form could because the reporting verb is in the past tense.

Explanation

The correct phrasal verb is "look down on" or "look down upon", which means to think of or treat someone as unimportant or inferior. The sentence incorrectly uses the preposition "to" instead of "on" or "upon" in the phrase "down to a man", which makes part B grammatically incorrect.