SSC CHSL Tier 1 2021 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word Suspicuous is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is suspicious, which is spelled with an i in the final syllable (-cious) rather than a u. This adjective is derived from the noun suspicion and is used to describe having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the simple present tense, where "one" is the subject, "expects" is the verb, and "better behaviour" is the object. To convert this into the passive voice, the object "better behaviour" becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The simple present verb "expects" is changed to its passive form "is expected" (verb to be + past participle). The general pronoun subject "one" is dropped as it is an indefinite agent, resulting in "Better behaviour is expected from a senior student."

Explanation

Sentence A introduces the starting point of the narrative where the Giant lies awake and hears lovely music. Sentence D directly follows this by describing his immediate reaction to the music, explaining that it sounded so sweet he thought it was the King's musicians. Sentence C provides a clarification to his assumption in Sentence D, revealing that it was actually only a little linnet singing. Sentence B concludes the sequence by describing the subsequent change in weather and the Giant's action of jumping out of bed to look outside.

Explanation

The idiom "at loggerheads" is used to describe a situation where two or more parties are in strong disagreement, dispute, or conflict with each other. It typically indicates a state of stubborn opposition where neither side is willing to compromise or reach an agreement.

Explanation

The word ascertain means to find out with certainty, to make sure of, or to establish the truth of something. Its direct antonym is disprove, which means to prove that something is false, invalid, or incorrect, thereby contradicting the act of establishing or confirming its truth.

Explanation

An expedition is defined as a journey undertaken by a group of people with a specific, designated purpose, such as scientific research, exploration, or military operations.

Explanation

The word whole means entire, complete, or all of something. In this sentence, it correctly describes the entire pizza that she was unable to eat by herself.

Explanation

The sentence describes a past action that was in progress when another action interrupted it. The interrupting action, indicated by the verb "came," is in the simple past tense. To express an action that was ongoing in the past at the time of another event, the past continuous tense must be used. Therefore, the present continuous verb "am watching" must be replaced with the past continuous verb "was watching" to maintain grammatical consistency and tense agreement.

Explanation

The preposition "over" is incorrectly used in this context. When displaying, hanging, or attaching an item like a notice to a flat vertical surface, the correct preposition to use is "on". The segment should use "posted on the wall" instead of "posted over the wall" to properly indicate contact with the surface of the wall.

Explanation

The preposition between is used to express a relationship, link, or agreement involving two distinct parties or entities. In this sentence, the contract connects two specific parties, namely the author and the reader. Therefore, between is the grammatically correct preposition to denote this mutual relationship.

Explanation

The preposition of is used to indicate origin, association, or ownership. In this context, the phrase inventions of Western civilisation correctly denotes that Western civilisation is the source or creator of these inventions, establishing the proper relationship between the noun inventions and its origin.

Explanation

The context of the passage refers to the game of telling stories and inventing characters, which are acts of fiction and creation. Therefore, the paradise of the individual created through these literary activities is an imaginary one, representing the realm of fiction and creative freedom.

Explanation

The conjunction because is used to introduce a clause that provides the reason for the preceding statement. In this passage, it establishes the causal relationship explaining why no one can be expelled from the paradise of the individual, which is because, in a novel, no one owns the truth and everyone has the right to be understood.

Explanation

The sentence describes a novel as a democratic space where no single person owns the truth and every individual's perspective is valued. In this context, the phrase "right to be heard and understood" forms a natural and logically coherent pairing. The verb "heard" perfectly complements "understood" to express the fundamental right of individuals to express themselves and have their voices received and comprehended by others within this narrative paradise.

Explanation

The phrase "accepted by the visitors" is the most appropriate improvement because the word "accepted" in this context means to receive or regard something with approval or favor. Since the South Indian dish was tasty, it was naturally received favorably and enjoyed by those who consumed it, making this choice semantically and contextually correct.

Explanation

In English, the standard collocation used to describe temporary digestive discomfort, illness, or indigestion is an upset stomach. The word upset in this context functions as an adjective meaning disordered or physically disturbed, making it the grammatically and idiomatically correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The indefinite article "a" is used before singular, countable nouns that begin with a consonant sound. In this sentence, the noun "man" is modified by the adjective "self-sufficient," which begins with the consonant sound /s/. Therefore, "a" is the grammatically correct article to introduce this characteristic of Rohan.

Explanation

The word Accommadation is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is Accommodation, which contains an o instead of an a after the double m. All other options are spelt correctly.

Explanation

The idiom playing the devil's advocate refers to a person who presents a counter-argument or argues against a proposition, not because they necessarily disagree with it, but to test the strength of the argument or to provoke further discussion. This role helps identify potential weaknesses in a theory or plan by presenting an opposing viewpoint just for the sake of thorough debate and analysis.

Explanation

The word suffice means to be enough, adequate, or to satisfy a need or requirement. Its antonym is dissatisfy, which means to fail to satisfy, please, or meet the expectations of someone.

Explanation

Opulence refers to a state of having great wealth, luxury, and abundance of resources. Prosperity similarly denotes the state of being successful, flourishing, and financially well-off. Both terms directly relate to material wealth and success, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The idiom back out means to withdraw from a commitment, agreement, promise, or project that one has previously agreed to participate in. For example, if someone agrees to assist in an event but later decides not to participate, they back out of their commitment. Thus, the phrase directly translates to withdrawing from an obligation or arrangement.

Explanation

The main clause of the sentence uses the future tense "will have to wait". In subordinate clauses of time introduced by conjunctions such as "before", "when", "until", or "after", the simple present tense is used instead of the past or future tense to refer to future actions. Therefore, the past tense verb "received" is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with the present tense verb "receives" to maintain tense agreement.

Explanation

The verb told followed by an indirect object (me) requires a to-infinitive to express a command or instruction. The standard grammatical structure for this reporting verb is subject + told + object + to-infinitive. The phrasal verb to clean up, meaning to make a place clean and tidy, correctly functions as the to-infinitive to complete the direct instruction.

Explanation

The word "Immitate" is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is "Imitate", which means to copy or mimic the behavior, appearance, or speech of someone or something. It is spelled with a single letter m.

Explanation

In affirmative sentences, the correlative conjunction pair as... as is used to show comparison of equality. The pair so... as is typically reserved for negative sentences. Therefore, the phrase so efficient as he must be replaced with as efficient as him to make the sentence grammatically correct and natural in standard usage.

Explanation

The idiom comparing apples with oranges is used to describe a situation where a comparison is made between two things that are completely different from each other. Because these two things share no common basis for comparison, any attempt to compare them results in an unequal, unfair, or illogical comparison.

Explanation

In English, the indefinite article "a" is used before numerical units such as "hundred", "thousand", or "million" when they are referred to in the singular to represent "one". In this sentence, "a hundred and fifty-six thousand" represents the specific numerical amount of 156,000, where "a" functions as the equivalent of the number "one" preceding "hundred".

Explanation

The word pertaining means to relate to, belong to, or have reference to a specific matter. In this context, the issues pertaining to pick up and delivery are those that relate or refer to these processes, making referring the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The phrase asked about is the most natural and idiomatically correct way to express making inquiries. When seeking information regarding someone's moral qualities, reputation, or personal nature, the word character is the most appropriate term to use. Therefore, replacing the underlined portion with asked about his daughter's character provides the most grammatically correct and semantically sound improvement to the sentence.

Explanation

The word lurch refers to a sudden, unsteady, or uncontrolled movement, such as a stagger, roll, or sway to one side. It is typically used to describe the abrupt, jerky motion of a person losing their balance or a vehicle suddenly shifting course.

Explanation

The word recondite means dealing with very profound, difficult, or abstruse subject matter that is obscure and hard for an average person to understand. The direct antonym of a word meaning complex or difficult to comprehend is simple, which describes something that is easily understood, plain, or uncomplicated.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The correct spelling of the word is Absent, which means not present in a place, at an occasion, or as part of something. The letter c is incorrect in this spelling.

Explanation

The correlative conjunction both is used in grammatical pair with and to connect two words, phrases, or clauses of equal weight. In the given sentence, both pairs with and to link the two adverbs informally and symbolically, indicating that the phrase sleepwalking is used in both of these ways.

Explanation

The conjunction both is used to refer to two people, things, or groups together, and it typically functions in the correlative structure both... and... to connect two entities. In this sentence, it serves to link the two distinct groups, infants and adults, indicating that sleepwalking is a genuine disorder that affects both of these categories.

Explanation

The noun repercussions refers to the unintended, typically unwelcome, consequences of an event or action. In the context of the passage, sleepwalking is described as a genuine disorder that carries significant risks and negative consequences for an individual, such as accidental injury or sleep disruption, making repercussions the most logically and grammatically fitting choice to describe these serious effects.

Explanation

In the context of sleepwalking (somnambulism), individuals do not just perform simple movements like walking; they are also known to carry out intricate and highly coordinated physical behaviors while asleep, such as opening doors, preparing food, or moving furniture. The word "complicated" is the most appropriate fit for blank 4 because it accurately describes these complex, multi-step actions that require a higher level of motor coordination and are typically performed when fully awake.

Explanation

The word prevalent means widespread, common, or frequently occurring in a particular group or at a particular time. In the context of the passage, it correctly describes the occurrence of sleepwalking, indicating that the condition is more common and frequently observed in children than it is in adults.

Explanation

The past perfect tense is formed using the auxiliary verb had followed by the past participle (V3) form of the main verb. The past participle of the verb see is seen. Therefore, using the base form see after had is grammatically incorrect, and it must be corrected to seen.

Explanation

When the word visit is used as a noun, it is grammatically paired with the preposition to to indicate the destination or place being visited. In this sentence, visit functions as a noun, making visit to Ladakh the correct and natural phrasing.

Explanation

The phrasal verb set up means to establish, found, or create an organization, institution, or system. In the context of the sentence, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was established by the Government of India in 1961. Therefore, the phrase was set up is the grammatically correct and contextually appropriate choice to describe the establishment of the organization.

Explanation

The preposition for is used to denote a period of time or duration. In the given sentence, two years represents a specific duration of time, making for the correct preposition to show how long the activity of studying has been ongoing.

Explanation

Correct Answer: C

The word "incite" means to stir up, encourage, or prompt action, especially negative or violent behavior. Similarly, "inflame" means to provoke, arouse, or intensify strong emotions, anger, or passion in people, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

Correct Answer: C

The given sentence is in the passive voice of the present continuous tense, which is indicated by the structure "is being watched".

To convert this into the active voice, the agent of the passive sentence, "more than thirty-three million people worldwide" (which is a plural subject), becomes the active subject. It is paired with the present continuous plural verb "are watching" (is/am/are + present participle), followed by the active object "this match" and the adverb "today". This results in the active voice structure: "More than thirty-three million people worldwide are watching this match today."

Explanation

The idiom "sum and substance" refers to the central idea, core meaning, or summary of a speech, argument, or writing. It represents the most important part or the gist of a matter, which is denoted by the word essence.

Explanation

Sentence C introduces the central theme of the paragraph, which is pollution as a serious global issue. Sentence B follows C because the pronoun "It" at the beginning of B refers back to "Pollution" in C, providing historical context about its existence before human evolution. Sentence A transitions from the historical perspective to the present day, highlighting that the current concern is its daily rise due to various pollutants. Sentence D naturally concludes the paragraph by identifying the primary source of these pollutants, starting with "And" to connect directly to the "pollutants" mentioned at the end of sentence A. This establishes a coherent logical flow of CBAD.

Explanation

The idiom under duress refers to a situation where someone is forced, threatened, or coerced into doing something against their will. It originates from the Latin word durus, meaning hard, and represents a state of being under extreme pressure or compulsion.

Explanation

The idiom "apple of one's eye" is used to describe a person or thing that is cherished and loved above all others. Historically, the "apple" referred to the pupil of the eye, which was considered a vital and sensitive part requiring ultimate protection, leading to the figurative meaning of someone who is extremely precious and very dear.

Explanation

The term forthright is used to describe a person or their manner of speaking that is direct, upfront, and outspoken, characterized by a directness of statement or behavior without any hesitation or evasiveness.

Explanation

The word wantantly is misspelled in the given sentence. The correct spelling of the word is wantonly, which is an adverb meaning in a reckless, deliberate, or unjustifiable manner.