SSC CHSL Tier 1 2017 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

In part 1 of the sentence, the noun quarter is incorrect because it is used to modify the noun results. To properly describe financial performance released every three months, the adjective quarterly must be used. The correct phrasing is quarterly results.

Explanation

The adjective awful is followed by the preposition at when indicating a lack of ability, skill, or proficiency in a specific task or activity. In this sentence, picking vegetables is the action being referred to, so the preposition at is grammatically required to connect the adjective to the gerund phrase.

Explanation

The sentence is based on a famous quote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: "Never stand begging for what you have the power to earn."

In the context of self-esteem, the word begging fits logically because it directly contrasts with the action of earning. Self-esteem is rooted in self-reliance, capability, and dignity. Therefore, a person with self-esteem would choose to work and earn what they need through their own efforts rather than standing in a position of dependency and pleading or begging others for it.

Explanation

The word "imitate" means to copy or mimic the behavior, actions, or appearance of someone or something. Similarly, the verb "ape" means to closely mimic or copy the actions or gestures of another, making it the correct synonym.

Explanation

The word incumbent is used as an adjective to describe something that is necessary, obligatory, or morally binding as a duty or responsibility, as in the phrase incumbent upon someone to act. In this context, it is synonymous with words like required, mandatory, or compulsory, all of which indicate that a particular action or state is essential and must be performed.

Explanation

The word inept means having or showing no skill, competence, or dexterity. The direct opposite of inept is skillful, which refers to having or showing skill, proficiency, or expertise in a particular area.

Explanation

The word meek describes someone who is quiet, gentle, submissive, and easily imposed upon by others. The opposite of meek is assertive, which refers to someone who is confident, forceful, and self-assured in expressing their opinions or defending their rights.

Explanation

The introductory clause "Some modern anthropologists hold that" requires a subject and a verb to complete its meaning. Part Q, "biological evolution has shaped", provides the subject "biological evolution" and the transitive verb "has shaped", making it the logical starting point. The verb "shaped" must then be followed by its objects. The correlative conjunction pair "not only... but also..." is used to connect parallel elements. Part R, "not only human morphology", presents the first object, which is followed by Part P, "but also human behaviour", completing the parallel grammatical structure. This establishes QRP as the correct order.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the simple present tense. To change a simple present tense sentence from active to passive voice, the auxiliary verb is/am/are is used along with the third form (past participle) of the main verb. The object of the active sentence (Sita) becomes the subject of the passive sentence, followed by the singular helping verb is, the past participle loved, and the agent Ram introduced by the preposition by. This yields the structure: Sita is loved by Ram.

Explanation

When converting direct speech into indirect speech, the tense of the verb in the reported speech remains unchanged if the sentence expresses a universal truth, scientific fact, or geographical fact. Since "The moon goes round the earth" is a universal geographical fact, the simple present tense "goes" is preserved. The reporting verb "said" is followed by the conjunction "that" to connect the clauses, making "The teacher said that the moon goes round the earth" the correct indirect statement.

Explanation

The word curiosity is the correct spelling for the noun that refers to a strong desire to know or learn something. It originates from the Latin word curiositas, which means inquisitiveness. Although it is related to the adjective curious, the spelling changes from -ous to -os when the suffix -ity is added, making the correct sequence of letters c-u-r-i-o-s-i-t-y.

Explanation

The blank is preceded by the adjective natural, which requires a noun to modify. The context of the passage focuses on innate talents, artistic pursuits, and imaginative abilities, such as becoming a landscape artist, wildlife photographer, or writer. The noun creativity refers to the mental characteristic or ability to produce original ideas and artistic work, making natural creativity the grammatically and contextually appropriate phrase to describe these inherent talents.

Explanation

The sentence lists alternative career paths that "those nestlings" can choose to pursue in the future: becoming a biologist, a wildlife photographer, or a landscape artist. The coordinating conjunction "or" is used to connect these mutually exclusive choices in a parallel structure. Therefore, "or" is the grammatically correct conjunction to complete this list of options.

Explanation

The blank is preceded by the preposition "to", which is part of the infinitive structure "ability to + verb". An infinitive construction requires the base form of the verb. Among the given options, "narrate" is the base form of the verb, making it the grammatically correct choice to complete the infinitive phrase "ability to narrate".

Explanation

The preposition of is used to introduce the noun phrase that specifies the nature or content of the gift. The phrase gift of is a standard English collocation used to describe a natural talent, ability, or quality that someone possesses. In this context, the gift consists of verbal or linguistic creativity, making of the grammatically correct preposition to connect the noun gift with its describing attribute.

Explanation

Subject-verb agreement requires a singular verb when the subject is singular. In this sentence, the subject is the singular demonstrative pronoun "This", which refers back to the gift of verbal or linguistic creativity. Therefore, the verb must be in the third-person singular present form, which is "opens", to maintain grammatical correctness in the present tense context of the passage.

Explanation

The idiom "a walk of life" refers to a person's occupation, position, social standing, or background within society. It is commonly used to describe people's professional backgrounds or socioeconomic status, often seen in the expression "people from all walks of life" to indicate individuals from diverse careers and social backgrounds.

Explanation

The idiom cut to the chase means to get to the point or focus on the most important details of a matter without wasting time on preamble or irrelevant information. The phrase originated in the early days of silent cinema, where filmmakers would skip the slow-moving dramatic setups and cut directly to the exciting chase scenes to keep the audience engaged.

Explanation

The word parochial describes a narrow, limited, or restricted outlook, scope, or interest, particularly one that is focused on local or provincial matters at the expense of a broader, more comprehensive perspective. It originates from the word parish, referring to things relating to a local church parish, and has evolved to represent narrow-mindedness in a general sense.

Explanation

The word felicitous means well-chosen or suited to the circumstances, especially in relation to an action, remark, or expression. It denotes something that is highly appropriate, apt, or well-suited to a particular situation, bringing about a pleasing or fitting result.

Explanation

The pronoun we is plural and requires a plural verb. Since the subordinate clause expresses a general fact or universal truth as indicated by the present tense verbs see and hear, the simple present tense is used. Therefore, the plural present passive form are influenced is grammatically correct to agree with the plural subject we.

Explanation

The subject "Tunnels" is a plural noun, which requires a plural verb. Since the coordinating clause "whereas innovative trick doors were attached..." is in the past tense, the first clause must also be in the past tense to maintain tense consistency. Therefore, the past tense plural passive form "were built" is the correct grammatical choice to agree with the plural subject "Tunnels" and the past tense of the sentence.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the phrase "I belong to the Indian", which naturally requires a noun phrase. Connecting this with segment B ("banking family, and thanks to the leave") completes the first clause logically as "I belong to the Indian banking family, and thanks to the leave". Following this with segment A ("fare concession (LF C), I have a fair") introduces the compound noun "leave fare concession (LFC)", which is a standard travel benefit. Segment C ("share of travelling experience") then completes the phrase "I have a fair share of travelling experience". Putting these segments together in the order B-A-C forms the grammatically correct and meaningful sentence: "I belong to the Indian banking family, and thanks to the leave fare concession (LFC), I have a fair share of travelling experience."

Explanation

The word distillation is correctly spelled with an i in the first syllable and a double l in the middle. Derived from the Latin destillare, which means to drip down, the noun refers to the process of purifying a liquid by heating it to create vapor and then condensing the vapor into a liquid.