SSC CHSL Tier 1 2021 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. This tense is structurally formed using the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle (third form) of the main verb. The past participle of the verb "resign" is "resigned". Therefore, the segment "She had resign" is grammatically incorrect and must be corrected to "She had resigned".

Explanation

Bafflement is defined as a state of being completely bewildered, perplexed, or unable to comprehend a situation. The word confusion directly denotes this state of being disoriented, unclear, or lacking understanding, making it the most accurate synonym.

Explanation

The word praise means to express warm approval, admiration, or commendation for someone or something. Its direct antonym is condemn, which means to express strong disapproval, criticism, or censure. Therefore, expressing disapproval or condemnation is the exact opposite of offering praise.

Explanation

The preposition among is used when referring to a distribution, relation, or division involving three or more distinct people or things. In this sentence, since the expenses are being divided among three individuals (the three of us), among is the grammatically correct preposition to use.

Explanation

The idiom "at one's elbow" means to be close at hand or right next to someone. Therefore, "Next to someone" is the most appropriate meaning.

Explanation

The word confront means to face, meet, or stand up to someone or something, especially in an adversarial, opposing, or defiant manner. Similarly, to challenge means to invite a fight, argument, or competition, or to call into question and dispute something directly. Both words share the core meaning of actively opposing, facing, or dealing with a situation or person directly.

Explanation

The verb sleep is an intransitive verb, which means it cannot take a direct object. Therefore, using the reflexive pronoun themselves after the verb slept is grammatically incorrect. To make the sentence correct, the reflexive pronoun must be omitted, changing the segment to slept peacefully.

Explanation

The word Laxuryous is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is Luxurious, which refers to something characterized by luxury, extremely comfortable, elegant, or enjoyable, especially in a way that involves great expense.

Explanation

The word novice refers to a person who is new to and inexperienced in a job, trade, or situation. This term perfectly substitutes the underlined phrase describing someone who lacks experience at a specific task or job.

Explanation

The jumbled parts can be logically sequenced by identifying the subject, the verb phrase, and the quote attributed to the subject.

Part d introduces the subject of the sentence, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India.

Part a provides the verb phrase that links the subject to the statement, is credited with saying.

Part c begins the famous quote with a conditional if-clause, If you want to leave your footprint on the sands of time,.

Part b completes the quote and the entire sentence with the main clause, do not dry your feet.

Combining these in the order of d, a, c, b forms a grammatically coherent and meaningful sentence: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India is credited with saying If you want to leave your footprint on the sands of time, do not dry your feet.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is argument, without an "e" after the "u". The option printed as "Arguement" adds an extra letter, making it the incorrectly spelled word among the choices, while performance, valuable, and secretary are all spelled correctly.

Explanation

The grammatical structure of the sentence requires a noun or a noun phrase to act as the subject of the subordinate clause introduced by "that". The gerund "robbing" functions as a noun, making "robbing children of their childhood" a gerund phrase that serves as the subject of the singular verb "is".

Explanation

The word detrimental means tending to cause harm, damage, or injury. Its direct antonym is harmless, which describes something that does not cause or is not capable of causing any harm, damage, or injury.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "blow up" is commonly used to mean causing something to explode or destroying something by means of an explosion. For example, in the context of demolition or warfare, a building or bridge is said to be blown up when explosives are detonated to completely demolish it.

Explanation

The word dwarf is used to describe an entity that is unusually small or much below the average size of its species. The word giant, on the other hand, refers to an entity of extraordinary or unusually large size, making it the exact antonym of dwarf.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is canopies, with only one n. Since the sentence uses the form with a doubled n, that is the word spelled incorrectly among the four choices.

Explanation

The words in option C fit the context of the sentence perfectly, explaining how we perceive multiple thoughts as simultaneous because a myriad of thoughts are actually alternating in very quick succession. Other options contain words that do not make semantic or grammatical sense in the context of the sentence, such as quick velocity, quick interruption, or quick ramification.

Explanation

The preposition for is followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun) to express the purpose or function of an action or object. In this sentence, distinguishing is a gerund that takes individuals as its direct object. The phrase for distinguishing correctly indicates the purpose of competition, which is to identify and differentiate individuals who possess specific qualities.

Explanation

The causative verb get is grammatically followed by an object and a to-infinitive, as in the structure get someone or something to do something. In this context, to get their minds to work means to cause or direct one's mental faculties to begin functioning actively and productively. This fits the syntax and meaning of the sentence, indicating the action of motivating or enabling one's mind to focus on hard work.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the phrase "this arduous battle" refers to the highly challenging and competitive environment of exams. To succeed in or win a battle, the most appropriate verb is "overcome," which means to defeat, conquer, or successfully prevail over a difficulty or obstacle. Filling the blank with "overcome" aligns perfectly with the tone and meaning of the sentence, indicating that only those who put in consistent effort and dedication will be able to conquer the difficult challenges they face.

Explanation

A polyglot is a person who is able to speak, write, or understand many languages. The term comes from the Greek prefix poly-, meaning many, and glotta, meaning tongue or language. This makes it the precise one-word substitute for someone who speaks multiple languages.

Explanation

The word loathe means to feel intense dislike, disgust, or hatred toward someone or something. Similarly, abhor means to regard with extreme disgust, hatred, or loathing. Since both words share the same core definition of feeling a strong aversion or intense hatred, they are close synonyms.

Explanation

The idiom "a snake in the grass" refers to a treacherous, deceitful, or untrustworthy person who pretends to be a friend while secretly working against you. The phrase metaphorically compares such a person to a venomous snake hiding silently in the grass, which remains unseen and unsuspected until it strikes unexpectedly.

Explanation

The spelling geilty is incorrect. The correct spelling of the word is guilty, which means being responsible for a specified wrongdoing, crime, or error, or experiencing a feeling of regret or self-reproach.

Explanation

The idiom man of straw refers to a person of weak character, lacking substance or courage. In the context of a war, this appropriately describes how the comedian proved to be weak or unreliable when faced with adversity.

Explanation

The word perturbed means to be anxious, unsettled, or mentally disquieted. Its denotation refers to being thrown into a state of troubled, uneasy, or restless excitement, which is synonymous with being agitated.

Explanation

The word wizened means shrivelled, wrinkled, or withered, especially as a result of aging. It is the most precise vocabulary term to describe skin or a body that has become dry, shrunken, and lined due to old age.

Explanation

The adverb deliberately means intentionally or on purpose. In the context of the sentence, it correctly describes the action of the friend who consciously and intentionally set out to deceive or trick Asha, making her a fool. This fits both the grammatical structure of the passive voice verb phrase "was deliberately made" and the logical meaning of the sentence.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the simple present tense with the transitive phrasal verb "hear of". To convert it to passive voice, the object "a happy billionaire" becomes the subject, the verb becomes "is never heard of", and the generic agent "by you" is omitted.

Explanation

In the active voice sentence, the subject is "The most recent studies on the human body", the action is represented by the infinitive "to alter" (associated with the auxiliary phrase "are likely to"), and the direct object is "the face of health sciences".

To convert this sentence into the passive voice, the direct object "the face of health sciences" becomes the subject of the new sentence. The verbal construct "are likely to" is adjusted to "is likely to" to agree in number with the new singular subject. The active infinitive verb "to alter" is converted into its passive infinitive form "to be altered". Finally, the original subject is placed at the end of the sentence as the agent of the action, preceded by the preposition "by". This yields the correct passive construction: "The face of health sciences is likely to be altered by the most recent studies on the human body."

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error because of the incorrect usage of the preposition besides. The word besides means in addition to or apart from, which does not fit the context of indicating physical location. The correct word to use here is beside, which means at the side of or next to. Therefore, besides must be replaced with beside to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The idiom tit for tat refers to an action where an equivalent retaliation or injury is given in return for one received. It represents a situation where a blow or action is returned with a corresponding counter-blow, which is synonymous with a counter attack.

Explanation

The word succumbed means to fail to resist pressure, temptation, or a negative force, or to die from the effects of a disease or injury. Its direct opposite or antonym is overcame, which means to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty, or to defeat and recover from an illness.

Explanation

The superlative degree of comparison is used when comparing one entity with more than two others in a group. Since the context refers to choosing a dress from all the dresses available in an entire shop, the superlative adjective "the best" is grammatically required to denote the single outstanding item in that collection.

Explanation

Sentence B introduces the protagonist, Jane Eyre, and her living situation at Gateshead, making it the ideal opening sentence. Sentence D follows by describing her age and status as an outsider in the Reed family, which is then elaborated upon in sentence C with the mention of her female cousins, and sentence A concludes the sequence by describing their brother John's hostile behavior toward her.

Explanation

The spelling Beautycian is incorrect. The correct spelling of the word is Beautician, which refers to a professional who provides beauty treatments such as makeup, hair styling, and skincare.

Explanation

The sentence is set in the past tense, which is established by the subsequent phrase "were going to be visiting". The construction "we were informed" is the correct past simple passive voice form, where the plural auxiliary verb "were" is paired with the past participle "informed" of the main verb "inform". This structure perfectly fits the context and maintains tense consistency throughout the sentence.

Explanation

The word perilous is an adjective that means full of danger, exposure to injury, loss, or risk. It originates from the Old French word perilleus, which is derived from the Latin word periculosus, meaning dangerous. Therefore, dangerous, which describes something that is able or likely to cause harm, injury, or threat, serves as its direct synonym.

Explanation

Serendipity refers to the occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way, essentially representing an unexpected stroke of good luck. A godsend is something highly desirable or needed that comes unexpectedly, making it a perfect synonym as both terms denote an unanticipated, highly beneficial event or piece of good fortune.

Explanation

The noun route is idiomatic when paired with the preposition to to indicate the direction, pathway, or means of reaching a specific destination, goal, or outcome. In this context, routes to achievement correctly expresses the two paths that lead toward the goal of attaining achievement.

Explanation

The word down is the most appropriate preposition to fill in the blank, as the phrase following the crowd down conventional paths correctly conveys the idea of moving along or following a specific path.

Explanation

The term status quo refers to the existing state of affairs or the current situation. In the context of conformity, which is defined as following the crowd and adhering to conventional paths, the most appropriate action regarding the status quo is to keep it unchanged. The verb maintaining means to preserve or keep something in its existing state, making maintaining the status quo the correct and idiomatic collocated phrase that fits the definition of conformity.

Explanation

The idiom "road less travelled" refers to a choice or path that is unconventional and not followed by the majority of people. Since the passage defines originality as standing in contrast to conformity and conventional paths, and as championing novel ideas that go against the grain, this idiomatic expression perfectly fits the context.

Explanation

The sentence describes originality as taking an unconventional path and championing novel ideas that challenge the status quo but result in a positive outcome in the end. The adverb ultimately means in the end or eventually, which perfectly fits the context to show that the final, long-term consequence of pursuing originality is making things better.

Explanation

The spelling Informassional is incorrect. The correct spelling of the word is Informational, which is an adjective that means relating to or providing information. The correct suffix to use with the base word inform is -ational, not -assional.

Explanation

The phrasal verb carry through means to sustain, support, or help someone endure and survive a difficult period, ordeal, or set of challenges. In this context, sincerity and patience are the inner virtues that sustained and guided the speaker through the hardships and adversities of life. Substituting drove me with carried me perfectly conveys this sense of being supported and enabled to overcome difficult circumstances.

Explanation

The idiom within a hair's breadth refers to an extremely small distance, width, or margin, comparable to the physical thickness of a single hair. When used in the context of an achievement or a competition, it signifies being incredibly close to succeeding or winning, thereby representing a very narrow margin.

Explanation

Historically, a Zealot was a member of a first-century Jewish sect that advocated for strict, uncompromising adherence to the laws of Judaism and fought fanatically against Roman rule in Judea. In broader contemporary English, the term zealot is used to describe anyone who is fanatically, uncompromisingly, and excessively enthusiastic about their religious, political, or personal beliefs. This makes it the most appropriate substitute for the underlined phrase.

Explanation

The word Acomplishment is incorrectly spelt; the correct spelling is Accomplishment with a double c. All the other options are spelt correctly.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word that describes handwriting that is impossible or difficult to read is illegible. The word is formed by adding the negative prefix il- to the word legible, which results in the double l spelling. Substituting the misspelled word ilegible with the correct spelling illegible accurately completes the sentence to show why she loses marks due to her unclear handwriting.