SSC CHSL Tier 1 2022 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The spelling "Prunke" is incorrect because it is not a recognized word in the English language.

Explanation

The word sleam is not a valid word in the English language, making it the incorrectly spelt word.

Explanation

Sentence P establishes the timeline by introducing Bob Marley's diagnosis of malignant melanoma under his toe nail in July 1977. Sentence S logically follows P, as it describes his immediate response to this medical diagnosis, which was turning down his doctors' advice to amputate the toe due to his religious beliefs. Sentence R details the progression of his illness, explaining that he continued touring until the cancer spread throughout his body. Finally, sentence Q concludes the sequence chronologically by detailing his death on 11 May 1981. This flow of events creates a coherent narrative in the order of PSRQ.

Explanation

The idiom "to have a nodding acquaintance" means to know someone or something only slightly or superficially. It refers to a level of familiarity where you recognize a person well enough to nod your head in greeting when passing them, or have a basic, non-detailed knowledge of a subject, rather than a deep or intimate understanding.

Explanation

The context of the sentence indicates that the speaker is pausing to regain composure and steady themselves before attempting a task again. The adjective calming fits this situation perfectly, as a calming breath helps to reduce tension, restore focus, and enable a successful second attempt at the task.

Explanation

In the context of preparing a beverage, the verb making is the standard collocated term used with a cup of coffee. It refers to the process of brewing, mixing, and preparing the drink, which aligns with the subsequent actions described in the passage, such as foaming the milk and dusting chocolate on top.

Explanation

The verb stare conventionally requires the preposition at when specifying the target or object of one's gaze. In this context, staring at the machine correctly completes the phrasal verb to describe looking fixedly and intently at the coffee machine.

Explanation

The noun smoothness is the most appropriate fit for the blank because it directly complements the comparative phrase "like silk." Silk is a material globally characterized by its soft, even, and frictionless texture. Describing the texture of a well-crafted cup of coffee as having "smoothness like silk" is a highly natural and idiomatic use of sensory imagery.

Explanation

The present participle forming is grammatically and contextually correct here because it functions as part of a participial phrase modifying the noun phrase the little dusting of chocolate. It describes the action of the chocolate powder creating or taking the shape of a perfect heart on top of the coffee foam.

Explanation

The word appreciative means showing pleasure, gratitude, or a deep understanding and recognition of the value of something. In this passage, the narrator has meticulously crafted a perfect cup of coffee, complete with smooth, silk-like foam and a beautiful chocolate dust heart on top. The speaker feels it is a shame that they are the one drinking it, rather than serving it to a customer who would recognize, admire, and value the effort and artistry put into creating such a high-quality beverage. Therefore, appreciative is the most appropriate word to describe a customer who would truly value this creation.

Explanation

The sentence "Fine feathers do not make fine birds" is a well-known English proverb written with correct spelling for all its constituent words. This idiomatic expression means that an elegant or beautiful exterior does not make a person good, valuable, or noble on the inside, emphasizing that appearances can be deceptive.

Explanation

The original phrase is grammatically correct. The relative pronoun "that" refers to the singular indefinite pronoun "something", which correctly agrees with the singular verb "exists". The preposition "in" is also appropriate here to denote the presence or manifestation of fashion within dresses. Since the sentence is grammatically sound, no improvement is required.

Explanation

The word worried refers to feeling anxious, troubled, or uneasy about actual or potential problems. Its direct antonym is unconcerned, which describes a state of being free from anxiety, worry, or interest, reflecting a calm and indifferent attitude.

Explanation

The fragment Q introduces a comparison regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat. Fragment R continues this comparative structure directly by using the pronoun "that" to refer back to the MSP ("that of rapeseed-mustard"), establishing a clear grammatical link from Q to R. Fragment S follows by explaining the implication of this difference in price increases, ending with the verb "wants." This verb requires an infinitive to complete its meaning, which is provided by fragment P beginning with "to focus." This establishes the logical and grammatically coherent sequence as QRSP.

Explanation

The term "a bull market" refers to a financial market condition where prices of securities are rising or are expected to rise. It represents a period of investor optimism, strong confidence, and economic growth. This term is derived from the way a bull attacks by thrusting its horns upward into the air, symbolizing the upward movement of market prices.

Explanation

The word "then" is used as an adjective before a noun or title to indicate that the person held that specified position or role at the particular time in the past being discussed. In this sentence, it specifies that Hamid Karzai was the serving president at the time the unprecedented pardon was granted and Gulnaz was freed.

Explanation

The verb advertising fits the context of the sentence, as businesses and manufacturers typically allocate large financial budgets to market, promote, and publicize their products to the public in order to increase sales and brand awareness.

Explanation

The word despondent describes a state of being in low spirits, dejected, and filled with a complete loss of hope or courage. Its direct antonym is hopeful, which characterizes a state of feeling or inspiring optimism, expectation, and confidence about the future.

Explanation

The sentence in option C contains no spelling errors. Every word, including recently, literary, and festival, is spelled correctly according to standard English rules.

Explanation

In the phrase "a noticeable fall", the word "fall" functions as a noun indicating a decline or decrease. The word "noticeable" is an adjective that correctly modifies this noun. This grammatical structure is fully correct and natural in English, so no improvement is required.

Explanation

The correct order of the sentence parts is SRPQ, which forms a grammatically correct and coherent sentence.

Part S introduces the subject and action, stating that the residents of Noida can now get their pets like dogs or cats. This naturally links to part R, which completes the action of registering the pets, stating they can be registered with the local authority through a mobile phone. Part R then seamlessly connects to part P with the noun application, clarifying the registration method as a mobile phone application, which can also be used to log complaints about. Finally, part P connects to part Q, which specifies the nature of the complaints, namely littering or caused by the animals, according to officials.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The error lies in the use of the word "Near" at the beginning of the sentence. In this context, the word is used to mean "almost" or "approximately" to modify the quantity "800 million". The correct adverb to express this meaning is "Nearly". While "near" is typically used as an adjective, preposition, or adverb indicating physical or temporal proximity, "nearly" is the appropriate adverb of degree used before numerical values to indicate an approximate amount.

Explanation

In the passive voice construction "will be affected", the past participle verb "affected" must be modified by an adverb to describe how the action is performed. Since "severe" is an adjective, it must be changed to its adverbial form "severely" to grammatically modify the verb. Therefore, "affected severely" is the correct formulation.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the simple past tense, which follows the structure: Subject + past tense verb (V₂) + Object. To convert this into the passive voice, the object (the aerobic ball) becomes the subject, followed by the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were) and the past participle of the main verb (used), and finally the agent of the action (by her). Since "the aerobic ball" is a singular noun, it takes the singular auxiliary verb "was", resulting in the correct passive construction: "During workout the aerobic ball was used by her."

Explanation

The term posthumous refers to something that occurs, is awarded, or is born after the death of its creator or father. Specifically, a posthumous child is a child born after the death of their father, deriving from the Latin word posthumus, which means coming after death or burial.

Explanation

In English grammar, ordinal adjectives and qualifiers such as next, last, first, or second must always precede cardinal numbers like one, two, three, or five when they modify a noun. Therefore, the word order in the phrase five next is incorrect and must be reordered to next five to make the sentence grammatically correct as In the next five years.

Explanation

In direct speech, the conjunction that is not used before the quoted text, so it must be removed. Additionally, the conditional clause represents a hypothetical or unreal situation in the subjunctive mood. In the subjunctive mood, the verb were is used instead of was for all subjects, which requires the phrasing if she were just a bit more careful.

Explanation

The word "fad" refers to an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially a short-lived fashion, craze, or trend. Similarly, a "sensation" in this context refers to a widespread reaction of interest and excitement among the public. Both terms denote a temporary phenomenon that captures immense public attention and popularity.

Explanation

The verb isolate is the most appropriate fit for the blank because in scientific and biological contexts, to isolate means to identify and separate a specific strain, gene, characteristic, or variable from others to study it in detail. In the unique environment of space, researchers can identify and separate (isolate) specific physiological and biological changes that occur in the human body without the confounding influence of Earth gravity.

Explanation

The word devious describes someone or something that is deceitful, underhanded, indirect, or not straightforward in behavior or communication. The opposite of being devious is being frank, candid, and direct in expressing one's thoughts and opinions, which is the precise definition of outspoken.

Explanation

The word nacreous describes something that resembles or is made of nacre, commonly known as mother-of-pearl. Nacre has a distinct pearly luster that displays a play of lustrous, changing, rainbow-like colors depending on the angle of light. The word iridescent directly defines this quality of exhibiting luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles, making it the correct synonym.

Explanation

In English grammar, auxiliary verbs such as do, does, and did, including their negative forms, are always followed by the base form of the main verb. In this sentence, the singular negative auxiliary "doesn't" must be paired with the base verb "watch" instead of the past tense form "watched". The plural pronoun "them" is also required to correctly refer back to the plural noun "cartoons".

Explanation

The idiom "to play with fire" is used to describe a situation where someone is taking foolish, unnecessary, or highly dangerous risks that are very likely to result in harm, trouble, or disaster. It originates from the literal danger of handling fire, which can easily burn someone or cause widespread destruction if not treated with extreme caution. Metaphorically, it warns against engaging in hazardous activities or behaviors that have predictable negative consequences.

Explanation

The word struggler is derived from the base verb struggle by adding the suffix er. According to English spelling rules, it retains the double g from struggle, making the correct spelling s-t-r-u-g-g-l-e-r. Spelling it with a single g as strugler is incorrect.

Explanation

The phrase "look forward to" is a phrasal verb where "to" functions as a preposition, not as part of an infinitive. In English, prepositions must be followed by a noun, pronoun, or a gerund (the -ing form of a verb). Therefore, "to meet you" is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with "to meeting you".

Explanation

When converting a sentence from direct to indirect speech, several standard grammatical transformations are applied. Since the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech must shift. The simple past tense "bought" changes to the past perfect tense "had bought". The first-person pronoun "I" changes to the third-person pronoun "she" to align with the subject "Nandini". Finally, the adverb of time "yesterday" shifts to "the previous day" to reflect the change in perspective. Applying these rules yields the grammatically correct indirect assertion.

Explanation

The sentence requires a negative auxiliary verb that is grammatically compatible with the first-person singular pronoun I and can be followed by the base form of the verb pay. The auxiliary verb did in didn't combines with the base form of a main verb to form the negative simple past tense. Using didn't correctly completes the sentence to express a past action of not paying attention.

Explanation

The idiom backseat driver refers to a person who offers unsolicited advice or directions, particularly in situations where they have no direct responsibility or control. The term originates from a vehicle passenger sitting in the back seat who constantly tells the driver how to drive. In a broader sense, it describes anyone who interferes and gives unwanted instructions to others who are actually performing a task.

Explanation

The word corrective refers to something that is intended to correct, amend, or remedy a fault, abnormality, or undesirable condition. Similarly, restorative means having the ability to restore, renew, or return something to its original, healthy, or proper state. Both terms share the core meaning of bringing a system, condition, or situation back to its correct and optimal functioning.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the introductory phrase "Research shows". This is logically followed by the subordinate conjunction "that" in part P to introduce the noun clause. The noun phrase "employees who work" in part P requires a modifier to specify their work environment, which is provided by the prepositional phrase "in front of a computer" in part Q. The verb phrase "and work beyond" at the end of part Q naturally connects to a specific limit or duration, which is supplied by "4.6 effective hours a day" in part R. The plural subject "employees" then connects to the plural verb "produce" and its modifier "smaller" in part R, which requires a direct object, completed by "quantities of output per hour due to fatigue" in part S. This sequential flow establishes a grammatically complete and logical statement in the order PQRS.

Explanation

In chemistry and food science, a homogeneous mixture created by dissolving a solute like sugar into a solvent like water is scientifically defined as a solution. Rock candy is produced by dissolving a high concentration of sugar in hot water to create a supersaturated sugar-water solution, from which sugar crystals precipitate and grow on a string or stick as the liquid cools and evaporates.

Explanation

In the scientific context of crystal formation, molecules align themselves in a highly structured, organized, and systematic arrangement. The adjective orderly perfectly describes this neat, non-random arrangement of particles, which works in conjunction with repetitive to describe the predictable geometric pattern characteristic of solid crystals. Grammatically, the use of the article an before the blank also correctly precedes the vowel sound of the word orderly.

Explanation

The correct word for blank 3 is arranging because it refers to how the molecules organize themselves to form a crystal structure. This choice directly parallels the previous sentence, which mentions that molecules arrange themselves in a repetitive pattern. Therefore, describing molecules as moving around and arranging themselves provides the necessary contextual and thematic continuity in the passage.

Explanation

The passage describes a physical analogy where marbles or spheres are placed into a shallow tray to demonstrate how molecules arrange themselves to form a structured pattern. In this context, the action of putting more spheres into the tray to cover the bottom and build layers on top is represented by the verb add, which means to join or put something with another thing to increase the quantity.

Explanation

The reciprocal pronoun "one another" is used to describe a mutual relationship or action involving more than two entities. In this context, the passage describes multiple spheres representing sugar molecules that accumulate in a tray. As the quantity of these spheres increases, they stack vertically to form layers. The phrase "on top of one another" is the standard English idiom to describe multiple objects stacked or piled together in this manner, illustrating how the physical structure of the crystal builds up.

Explanation

The word ponderous is derived from the Latin word pondus, meaning weight. It is used to describe something that is very heavy, massive, or clumsy and slow-moving due to its great weight. Therefore, heavy is the correct synonym.

Explanation

A volunteer is a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task, providing their services of their own free will without compulsion or force.

Explanation

The idiom "take your eye off the ball" originates from sports like cricket, baseball, and tennis, where a player must keep constant focus on the ball to play effectively. In general usage, it means to lose focus or stop paying attention to what you are doing, even if only for a brief moment, which can lead to making a mistake or losing control of a situation.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the present perfect tense, following the structure: Subject + has/have + past participle + object. To convert a present perfect active sentence into the passive voice, the structure becomes: New Subject (original object) + has/have + been + past participle + by + New Object (original subject).

Since the new subject "The President" is singular, it takes the auxiliary verb "has been" followed by the past participle "assassinated" and the agent "by the extremists", resulting in "The President has been assassinated by the extremists."

Explanation

Illusions are misinterpretations of sensory stimuli by the brain. Among the various sensory modalities, optical or visual illusions are the most common and extensively studied in psychology. They occur when the visual system processes information in a way that leads to a perception that differs from objective reality, making the phenomenon primarily associated with the visual process.