SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word mere is used as an adjective to describe something that is very small, minor, negligible, or insignificant in size, quantity, or importance. Its antonym must represent something of exceptionally large size, scale, or significance. The word immense means extremely large, vast, or huge, making it the direct opposite in meaning to mere.

Explanation

The idiom actions speak louder than words means that people are judged by their actions rather than by what they say. Spoken promises or declarations can often be empty, whereas actual deeds provide concrete proof of a person's true intentions, character, and commitment. Therefore, what someone actually does has a much greater impact and carries more meaning than what they merely claim they will do.

Explanation

The word coalesce means to come together, merge, or unite to form a single body or mass. The direct antonym of a word that represents joining or combining is one that means parting, dividing, or disconnecting. Separate means to divide, disconnect, or move apart, making it the antonym of coalesce.

Explanation

The word loiter means to delay, linger, or move slowly and aimlessly, spending more time in a place than is necessary. Conversely, hasten means to move or act with speed, urgency, and hurry. Since hasten represents the direct opposite action of moving slowly or lingering, it is the correct antonym of loiter.

Explanation

The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum in the brain. It is composed of folded grey matter and plays a vital role in highly complex brain functions, including memory, attention, perception, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct and free of any idiomatic or structural errors. The expression "taken by surprise" is a standard idiom meaning to be startled or caught off guard. The past tense "came" aligns correctly with the past passive verb "was taken". Additionally, the phrase "face to face with" is the correct idiomatic way to describe meeting someone in close, direct proximity.

Explanation

A geyser is a specialized type of hot spring characterized by the intermittent, turbulent discharge of water and steam. This natural phenomenon occurs when groundwater is heated to its boiling point by deep magma, creating pressure that forces a column of boiling water and steam to erupt violently into the air.

Explanation

The word encroach is spelled correctly. It is a verb that means to intrude gradually upon another's territory, rights, or property, or to advance beyond established or acceptable limits. Common examples of its usage include describing a structure that extends onto a neighbor's property or a situation where work responsibilities begin to overtake someone's personal time.

Explanation

The word depicted is the correct spelling of the past tense and past participle form of the verb depict. It means to represent by a drawing, painting, or other art form, or to portray or describe in words.

Explanation

The word gregarious refers to a person who is fond of company, sociable, and outgoing. Similarly, the word affable describes someone who is friendly, good-natured, and easy to talk to in social situations. Both terms characterize an individual who is approachable and enjoys interacting with others, making them closely related synonyms.

Explanation

Part C contains grammatical errors in the phrase "thousand squares meters". The word "thousand" must be preceded by an article or number, such as "a" or "one", when used in the singular to represent a quantity. Additionally, "square" functions as a modifier for the noun "meters" and must not be pluralized. The correct phrasing is "a thousand square meters".

Explanation

The word alike is an adjective meaning similar to each other or having a very close resemblance. When used after the verb look, it forms the common expression look alike, which describes physical resemblance. The sentence indicates that two horses can have a similar physical appearance and yet differ in age.

Explanation

The given active sentence is in the simple present tense in the interrogative form. To convert a simple present interrogative sentence into passive voice, the auxiliary verb do or does is replaced by is, am, or are depending on the number of the new subject. The object of the active sentence, your younger brothers, is plural, so the auxiliary verb are is placed at the beginning. The main verb intimidate is converted into its past participle form, intimidated, followed by the agent by you. This gives the correct passive form: Are your younger brothers intimidated by you?

Explanation

The idiom "a blessing in disguise" refers to an event or situation that initially seems bad, unlucky, or unfortunate, but ultimately leads to a highly favorable or positive outcome. It suggests that what appeared to be a misfortune at first was actually a hidden benefit.

Explanation

The term reassert means to state, declare, or maintain something strongly and clearly again. Similarly, to acknowledge means to recognize, admit, accept, or declare the truth, validity, or existence of something. Both terms share a core meaning of affirming, recognizing, or stating something to be true, making acknowledge a suitable synonym.

Explanation

The word vigorous is the most appropriate fit for the blank. In meteorological terminology, a vigorous monsoon refers to highly active monsoon conditions that bring widespread and heavy rainfall. The passage describes a monsoon that, despite being vital to India's economy, has caused severe damage, including paralyzing floods and destroyed crops due to intense precipitation. Therefore, the adjective vigorous, which denotes strength, energy, and intensity, accurately describes the powerful nature of such a monsoon.

Explanation

The blank is preceded by the indefinite article "a", which requires a singular noun phrase to follow. The noun phrase "short span of time" grammatically completes the sentence and contextually describes a concentrated duration of heavy rainfall that is characteristic of cloudbursts and intense monsoon spells, which rapidly overwhelm drainage systems and cause severe flooding.

Explanation

The phrase "take a heavy toll" (or "take a toll of/on") is a standard English idiom used to describe a situation where a disaster, illness, or event causes a large amount of damage, suffering, or deaths. In the context of natural disasters like floods, "taken a heavy toll of life" grammatically and contextually fits the blank, perfectly expressing the severe loss of human lives alongside the destruction of crops and assets.

Explanation

The term recede means to move back or withdraw from a previous position. In the context of hydrology and natural disasters, it is the standard and most appropriate word to describe floodwaters withdrawing from inundated areas. Once the floodwaters recede, the submerged land is exposed once more, which enables the administrative teams to safely begin their damage assessment, estimate losses, and initiate repairs on infrastructure like river embankments.

Explanation

The word restoration refers to the act of returning something to its original, functional, or undamaged state after experiencing damage, destruction, or decay. In the context of the passage, the destructive floods caused by heavy monsoon rains damage critical infrastructure, specifically river embankments. Once the floodwaters recede, the administrative and physical efforts directed toward rebuilding, repairing, and recovering these damaged structures to their original condition are referred to as restoration work. This term is standard in public infrastructure and disaster management for post-calamity rehabilitation efforts.

Explanation

The verb confiscated means to officially take or seize someone's property, typically as a penalty for a default or a breach of an agreement. When a borrower fails to pay the required mortgage installments to a bank after multiple warnings, the bank exercises its legal authority to seize and take possession of the property to recover its outstanding dues. This action of reclaiming property due to non-payment is precisely described by confiscation.

Explanation

The correct sequence is RPQ. Starting the sentence with the introductory phrase "At one level,", the segment "one senses the limits of" (R) introduces the subject and main verb of the sentence. The preposition "of" at the end of part R requires an object, which is logically provided by the noun phrase "the law in understanding" (P). Finally, the gerund "understanding" in part P requires a direct object to complete the clause, which is completed by "such cases of violence" (Q). Together, they form the grammatically correct and coherent sentence: "At one level, one senses the limits of the law in understanding such cases of violence."

Explanation

To ordain means to officially invest someone with priestly authority or to confer holy orders upon them in a religious ceremony. Similarly, to anoint means to consecrate or dedicate someone to a sacred office, such as a priest, king, or bishop, often by ceremonially applying oil. In religious and ceremonial contexts, both terms share the closely related meaning of choosing, dedicating, or consecrating someone for a holy role.

Explanation

The term strand, commonly used in its past participle or adjective form stranded, means to drive or leave a vessel, sailor, or sea creature aground on a shore, or to be left helpless and unable to move. Similarly, to run aground (represented in the options by the close term to aground) means to touch the shore or shallow bottom and become stuck or stranded. Therefore, aground is the synonym of stranded.

Explanation

The verb level, when used in the context of directing an accusation, charge, or criticism at a person, is collocated with the preposition against. Therefore, the preposition against must follow allegations levelled to properly indicate the target of those allegations.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the introductory clause "It is the right to".

Part R, which starts with the noun "privacy", naturally completes this opening phrase to form "It is the right to privacy that protects us from".

Since the preposition "from" requires an object, it is logically followed by part Q, "the indiscretions of doctors", identifying what we are being protected from.

Finally, part P, "who see us at our most vulnerable", is a relative clause that modifies the noun "doctors" to complete the thought.

Combining these parts in the order R-Q-P creates a grammatically correct and coherent sentence: "It is the right to privacy that protects us from the indiscretions of doctors who see us at our most vulnerable."

Explanation

The verb comprise means to consist of, include, or contain, representing the integration or acceptance of components into a unified whole. Conversely, the verb dispute means to challenge, argue, or contest, which represents conflict, disagreement, or opposition rather than inclusion. This makes to dispute the antonym.

Explanation

The word trivialize means to cause something to seem less important, significant, or trifling than it really is. It is derived from the adjective trivial, which refers to things of little value, consequence, or importance. Therefore, to trivialize a matter is to minimize its importance or treat it as if it is of little account.

Explanation

The word fidgety means restless, uneasy, or constantly moving due to nervousness, anxiety, or impatience. Its antonym must denote a state of calmness and peace. The word composed directly refers to being calm, tranquil, and having one's feelings and expression under control, making it the direct opposite of being fidgety.

Explanation

The idiom against the clock means to do something as fast as possible in order to finish it before a specific deadline or a particular limit of time. It originates from sports and races where competitors are timed by a clock to see if they can complete a task within a set limit.

Explanation

Demagogy is the correct spelling of the English noun defined as the political practices, methods, or rhetoric used by a demagogue. It refers to a style of leadership or campaigning that appeals directly to the emotions, prejudices, and passions of ordinary people rather than using logical reasoning or rational arguments.

Explanation

The word bland is used to describe things that are dull, unexciting, lacking in strong flavor, or devoid of character. Its antonym is lively, which describes someone or something that is full of life, energy, enthusiasm, and active interest. This directly contrasts with the dull and lifeless nature associated with being bland.

Explanation

The noun advice is an uncountable noun in English. It represents a mass noun and does not have a plural form. It is correctly paired with the determiner some to denote an indefinite quantity. Because the original word advice is used correctly as a noun in this context, the sentence is grammatically correct as written and requires no improvement.

Explanation

The idiom to have a cast-iron stomach is used to describe someone who has an exceptionally strong digestive system. It means the person can eat or drink almost anything, including highly spicy, greasy, or unusual foods, without experiencing any indigestion, discomfort, or illness. The phrase metaphorically compares the resilience of the stomach to cast iron, which is known for being extremely tough and durable.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct and contains no errors in syntax, tense consistency, or prepositional usage. The past tense verbs (was annoyed, found, and was stuck) are used consistently to describe a sequence of past events. Additionally, the phrase "stuck to her hair" correctly utilizes the preposition "to" with the participle "stuck". Therefore, the sentence is free of any errors.

Explanation

The sentence uses the correlative conjunction both, which must be paired with and rather than as well as. Therefore, as well as in part C should be replaced with and. Additionally, to maintain parallel structure with the plural noun fans, the singular countable noun critic should be in its plural form critics.

Explanation

The word obeisance, spelled here as obesiance, refers to a movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy, such as a bow, curtsy, or genuflection. It is used to signify an act of showing reverence or submission to another person or authority.

Explanation

The word blotting is spelled correctly. It is the present participle form of the verb blot, which means to dry a wet surface using an absorbent material, or to mark or stain something. Under English spelling rules, when a single-syllable verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, the final consonant is doubled before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel, such as -ing. This rule applies to the word blot, making the correct spelling blotting.

Explanation

Bedevilment refers to the act of harassing, tormenting, or causing persistent trouble, confusion, or distress. Similarly, the word beset means to trouble, harass, or plague persistently, or to surround someone or something with problems and difficulties. Both terms describe a state of being continually troubled or afflicted, making them close synonyms in meaning.

Explanation

The active voice sentence "Someone gave the old man a push" is in the simple past tense and contains a transitive verb with both a direct object (a push) and an indirect object (the old man). When converting this structure to the passive voice, the direct object can be made the subject of the passive sentence. The simple past verb "gave" changes to the passive form "was given". Thus, the passive construction becomes "A push was given to the old man." The indefinite pronoun agent "by someone" is omitted in the passive voice because it is vague and does not add necessary information to the sentence.

Explanation

The idiomatic expression "in thrall" is followed by the preposition "to" to indicate being under the power or influence of something. This connects the opening sentence fragment directly to part Q: "to a vicious, selfish culture". The noun "culture" is then modified by the relative clause starting with "whose" in part R: "whose main products are misery". Finally, part P, beginning with the coordinating conjunction "and", links "used heroin needles" with "misery" to complete the list of the culture's main products. This creates the grammatically correct and coherent sentence: "The white American underclass is in thrall to a vicious, selfish culture whose main products are misery and used heroin needles."

Explanation

The sentence refers to two events in the past, where one event happened before the other. The action of working hard occurred prior to the action of deserving the accolades. To express an action that was completed before another past action, the past perfect tense, which takes the form had + past participle, is used. Therefore, the past perfect form had worked hard correctly establishes this chronological order of events.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the introductory phrase "But the most important thing is," which is immediately followed by the subordinate clause "even if we're apart" (Q) to establish the condition. This is followed by the main subject-verb phrase "I'll always be" (P) and is completed by the prepositional phrase "with you" (R) acting as the complement. This arrangement creates the grammatically coherent sentence: "But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."

Explanation

The original bracketed phrase "were waited" is in the passive voice, which is grammatically incorrect because the passengers themselves are performing the active action of waiting. The sentence includes the duration phrase "for long," which indicates that the action started in the past and continues into the present. To express such an ongoing duration of action, the present perfect continuous tense is required. The active construction "have been waiting" correctly establishes this tense, making the sentence grammatically complete and accurate.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the present continuous tense, which follows the structure: Subject + is/am/are + verb-ing + Object.

To convert this structure into the passive voice, the rule is: Object + is/am/are + being + past participle of the verb + by + Subject.

In this sentence, the plural object "all the reservations" becomes the new subject, requiring the plural auxiliary verb "are", followed by "being" and the past participle "made". This yields the correct passive sentence: "All the reservations are being made by the event manager."

Explanation

When converting direct speech into indirect speech, several standard grammatical transformations are applied. The conjunction that is introduced to connect the reporting verb said with the reported clause. The first-person pronoun I changes to the third-person singular pronoun she to match the subject Geetal. Additionally, since the reporting verb is in the past tense, the simple past tense bought shifts back to the past perfect tense had bought. Finally, the time expression yesterday is converted to the previous day to reflect the shift in the reporting timeframe.

Explanation

To deprive means to strip someone of a possession, right, or privilege, or to prevent them from enjoying or using something. Similarly, to dispossess means to deprive someone of land, property, or other assets. Both verbs share the core definition of taking something away from its possessor, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The term scapegoat refers to a person who is unfairly blamed or punished for the mistakes, faults, or wrongdoings of others. It is often used in situations where a single individual is singled out to bear the responsibility or consequences for a collective failure, allowing the actual wrongdoers to escape blame.

Explanation

The complete idiom is let the cat out of the bag, which means to accidentally or prematurely reveal a secret. This common English expression is used to describe a situation where confidential information is made public, often spoiling a surprise.

Explanation

The word concept refers to an abstract idea, principle, or general notion. In the context of the passage, guru dakshina is introduced as a traditional philosophy and custom deeply rooted in Indian culture. Referring to it as a concept aligns with describing its historical and philosophical existence as an ancient Indian tradition.