SSC CHSL Tier 1 2022 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The idiom "to shake in one's shoes" is a figurative expression that describes a physical reaction of trembling or shaking caused by extreme fear, anxiety, or nervousness. It is used to convey that someone is deeply afraid or terrified of a person, event, or impending situation.

Explanation

In the context of keeping a diary or journal, each individual recorded piece of writing is referred to as an entry. Since the author is describing specific, discontinuous records written in their childhood diaries, the word entry is the most appropriate and semantically correct choice to fill the blank.

Explanation

The passage describes the writer's struggle with journaling, highlighted by the massive time gaps between consecutive diary entries. The phrase "the very next" is a standard English idiom used to refer directly to the entry immediately following the previous one. In this context, it emphasizes the abrupt and humorous jump in time from being an eight-year-old visiting her aunt in one entry to experiencing puberty in the immediately succeeding entry.

Explanation

The relative pronoun who is used to refer to people when the pronoun functions as the subject of the relative clause. In this sentence, the antecedent is the kid, and it acts as the subject of the verb sits in the clause sits behind me in biology.

Explanation

The phrase "keep in touch" is a standard English idiom that means to maintain contact or communication with someone. In the context of the passage, the author describes their relationship with their journal as being like "estranged acquaintances" who check in on each other occasionally simply to maintain a basic level of contact, making "touch" the correct word to complete this idiomatic expression.

Explanation

The phrase hope all is well with you is a standard, idiomatic English expression commonly used to convey polite wishes for someone's general well-being and health. In the context of the passage, where the narrator describes casual, superficial exchanges with their journal as if they are estranged acquaintances, this conventional greeting fits perfectly to complete the friendly yet distant tone of the conversation.

Explanation

The word anxious refers to a state of feeling uneasy, worried, or nervous about an upcoming event or something with an uncertain outcome. Apprehensive means being anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen. Both words share the core meaning of feeling uneasy or worried about the future, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The idiom "slack off" originates from the physical act of loosening a tight rope or cable, which directly reduces or eases the tension and pressure on it. In a broader and figurative sense, it means to reduce the level of effort, energy, or active pressure applied to a task, work, or situation, thereby making it less intense or demanding.

Explanation

The sentence requires the present perfect tense in the passive voice because the subject (this heap of rubbish) is the receiver of the action. The grammatical structure for the present perfect passive is subject + has/have + been + past participle (V3) of the verb. Therefore, the verb "remove" must be changed to its past participle form, "removed". Additionally, the preposition "for" is correctly used to indicate a specific duration of time (6 months).

Explanation

When converting direct speech into indirect speech, several grammatical changes occur. Since the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), the tense of the reported speech changes from present continuous (am meeting) to past continuous (was meeting). The first-person pronoun (I) changes to the third-person pronoun (she) to agree with the subject (my mother). The possessive pronoun (your) changes to (my) based on the implied listener. Additionally, the adverb of time (today) is updated to (that day). Therefore, the sentence becomes: My mother said that she was meeting my father that day.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The error lies in the incorrect usage of the verb raise. The verb raise is transitive and requires a direct object to receive its action. In contrast, rise is an intransitive verb that does not take a direct object and means to move upward or ascend. Since the sulphide molecules are moving upward by themselves, the correct intransitive verb to use in this context is rise, making the grammatically correct phrase molecules rise into the air.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the introductory phrase If a product placement, which requires a verb to complete its thought. Part S provides this verb with appears at the climax, the moment when. This refers to a specific time, which must be described by a relative clause starting with when, leading directly to part Q, our attention is fixated on what will happen next.

Following this dependent clause, the main consequence of the conditional If statement must be presented, which begins in part P with we are either less likely to notice the placement. The use of the correlative conjunction either in part P must be paired with or, which is found at the start of part R, or more likely to be annoyed by it if we do notice it. This completes the logical structure of the sentence in the sequence SQPR.

Explanation

The phrase "late thirties" is a standard idiomatic expression in English used to describe the portion of a decade toward its end, specifically referring to a person's age from 37 to 39. In this context, "late" is the grammatically correct adjective to modify the decade of life.

Explanation

In English grammar, individual mountain peaks (such as Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya) do not take the definite article 'the' before them. Option B correctly removes 'the' from both mountain names while maintaining the parallel preposition 'on' for both locations.

Explanation

The term convalescent refers to a person who is recovering from an illness, injury, or medical treatment. It originates from the Latin verb convalescere, which means to grow strong or regain health. During this phase, known as convalescence, an individual gradually recuperates and rebuilds their strength and health after a period of sickness or medical intervention.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the introductory phrase "There were two final", which grammatically requires a plural noun to complete its meaning. Part C, "gifts the sorceress gave me", directly follows and completes this opening statement by specifying what the final items were.

After identifying the gifts, part B, "a story and a parchment.", lists and defines the two specific gifts that were given.

Part A, "the story was the tale of Kunti", logically follows part B as it immediately elaborates on the first of the two mentioned gifts, which is the story.

Part D begins with "mother of Arjun", which acts as an appositive noun phrase identifying Kunti from the end of part A, and then concludes by explaining the second gift: "The parchment was a map of Bharat's many kingdoms".

This sequential arrangement of C, B, A, and then D creates a grammatically precise and logically coherent narrative flow.

Explanation

The correlative conjunction neither must always be paired with nor to connect two negative alternatives. In this sentence, the use of or with neither in the phrase neither gun or spear is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with nor to form the correct pairing neither gun nor spear.

Explanation

Gallivant means to wander or travel around in pursuit of pleasure or entertainment, which is closest in meaning to meander, which means to wander aimlessly or take a winding course. None of the other options (grave, gall, brave) share a similar meaning with gallivant.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the present perfect tense, which follows the structure: Subject + has/have + past participle (V3) + Object.

To convert a present perfect sentence into the passive voice, the structure changes to: New Subject + has/have + been + past participle (V3) + by + New Object.

Here, the object "all the cash" is an uncountable noun and functions as a singular subject, which takes the singular auxiliary verb "has". Applying this rule, the passive voice form is "All the cash has been taken by Meghna."

Explanation

The word glib refers to something spoken or written in a smooth, fluent, and effortless manner, but which is often superficial, insincere, or overly simplified. In the context of arguments, excuses, or explanations, a glib statement is slick and lacks genuine depth or substance, which often makes it ring hollow and sound implausible because it fails to address the actual complexities of the situation. Thus, glib is closely synonymous with implausible when describing superficial and unbelievable assertions.

Explanation

The idiom "pig in a poke" refers to something that is purchased or accepted without being examined or assessed beforehand. Therefore, option C is the correct meaning.

Explanation

The word fiend refers to an extremely wicked, evil, or cruel person, often associated with demonic or malevolent qualities. In contrast, a saint is a person who is exceptionally virtuous, holy, kind, and morally pure, representing the ultimate standard of goodness and righteousness.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the subject "The researchers", which must be followed by a verb that describes their action. Part P ("performed experiments and developed a model") serves as the main predicate of the sentence. The noun "model" in part P is then naturally qualified by the relative clause in part Q ("which explains how the worm's taste sensors"). This clause contains the subject "the worm's taste sensors", which requires a corresponding verb to complete its meaning. Part S ("process information from the environment") provides this verb, "process". Finally, part R ("to direct its foraging behaviour") acts as an infinitive phrase of purpose, explaining why the sensors process that information, completing the sentence in a grammatically correct and logical sequence: PQSR.

Explanation

The sentence describes two actions happening in quick succession, which is correctly expressed using the correlative conjunction pair no sooner... than. When no sooner is placed at the beginning of a sentence, it triggers subject-verb inversion where the auxiliary verb precedes the subject. The grammatically correct structure is No sooner + auxiliary verb (had) + subject (the news) + past participle verb (leaked) + than + second clause (my telephone started ringing).

Explanation

The word in option C is incorrectly spelt; the correct spelling is PERCEIVE following the rule of 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'. All other options are spelt correctly.

Explanation

The word Vacillate is correctly spelt and means to waver between different opinions or actions. The correct spellings for the other options are Stilettoes (or Stilettos), Obsequious, and Maintenance.

Explanation

The word long is the most appropriate adjective to modify lonely years, emphasizing the prolonged and difficult nature of the childhood described. The other options do not grammatically or contextually fit the tone of the passage.

Explanation

The correct word to fill in blank (2) is "seemed" as it fits grammatically and contextually with the infinitive verb phrase "to tighten its grip", expressing how the narrator perceived the palace during their childhood. The other options are either grammatically incorrect in this context or do not make sense.

Explanation

The preposition around is used here to complete the phrase tighten its grip around me. In this context, around indicates encirclement or enclosing from all sides, effectively conveying the suffocating and restrictive environment of the palace that held the speaker.

Explanation

The auxiliary verb "couldn't" must be followed by the base form of the verb, which is "breathe". The other options are either nouns or inflected verb forms that do not grammatically fit after a modal verb.

Explanation

The context of the sentence establishes that the narrator would ask their nurse for a story from her repertoire of wondrous and edifying tales. Since tales are synonymous with stories, the word story fits cohesively to describe the narrative of the narrator's birth that they wanted to hear over and over.

Explanation

Fauna refers to the collective animal life found in a particular region, habitat, or geological period. It is the standard ecological term used to describe all animal species present in a specific geographic area.

Explanation

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the reporting verb said to is changed to told when followed by an object. The conjunction that is used to introduce the reported clause. The pronoun I (first person) changes to he/she to agree with the subject of the reporting verb, which is the student. The present simple tense don't remember changes to the past simple did not remember because the reporting verb is in the past tense. Additionally, the possessive pronoun your changes to her to match the object of the reporting verb.

Explanation

The phrase "in danger of" is a standard idiomatic expression in English used to indicate that someone or something is at risk of experiencing a harmful or unpleasant event. In this sentence, the preposition "of" is correctly followed by the gerund "catching" to form a grammatically precise and complete clause. Since the original phrasing is entirely correct, no improvement is required.

Explanation

The error lies in the use of the possessive pronoun "yours" before the noun phrase "impromptu performance". A possessive adjective is required to modify a noun. The correct possessive adjective to use in this context is "your", which directly modifies the noun phrase, making the correct sentence "I will never judge you for your impromptu performance." Possessive pronouns like "yours" are used to replace nouns and cannot be placed directly before them.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "carries out" means to perform, execute, or complete a task or duty. In this sentence, it grammatically agrees with the third-person singular subject "she" and contextually fits the action of executing tasks with ease and speed.

Explanation

In the human circulatory system, veins and arteries are the primary blood vessels that transport blood throughout the body. Because of their closely related and complementary functions, they are commonly paired together in English collocations to describe the vascular system.

Explanation

The chronological sequence of the narrative from the Ramayana determines the correct order. Sentence P sets the premise by introducing Rama, his marriage to Sita, and their subsequent 14-year banishment to the forest. Sentence S logically follows, describing the abduction of Sita by Ravana during their forest exile and Rama's assembly of an army. Sentence Q continues the storyline with the military campaign against Lanka, the defeat of Ravana, the rescue of Sita, and her trial by fire. Sentence R concludes the narrative with the triumphant return of the couple to Ayodhya and the beginning of Rama's golden reign.

Explanation

The word incredible means impossible to believe, extraordinary, or difficult to accept as true. Its prefix in- denotes negation, modifying the root credible, which means capable of being believed. Therefore, the direct antonym of incredible is believable, which refers to something that is credible, realistic, and easy to accept as true or factual.

Explanation

The word vain means producing no result, useless, or unsuccessful, as in a vain attempt. The opposite of vain is productive, which means achieving or producing significant, useful, or successful results.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the simple past tense, following the structure Subject + V₂ (past tense verb) + Object, where She is the subject, ate is the verb, and the last slice of pizza is the direct object.

To convert a simple past tense sentence into the passive voice, the structure is Object + was/were + past participle (V₃) of the verb + by + Subject. Applying this rule, the object the last slice of pizza (singular) takes the auxiliary verb was, followed by the past participle eaten, and the agent by her. This directly yields the sentence: The last slice of pizza was eaten by her.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the introductory contrast in Q, which sets up the main subject: rather than being seen as one target among many, it is. The pronoun-verb combination it is at the end of Q directly links to the noun phrase in P, completing the clause with my belief that UHC should be seen as the linchpin of the health development agenda. This is followed by the correlative conjunction structure not only... but... which is split between R and S. The prepositional phrase ending with achievement of at the end of R requires an object, which is seamlessly provided by the other health targets at the start of S, completed by the parallel clause but allowing for a balance between them. This establishes the logical and grammatically coherent sequence QPRS.

Explanation

The word forthright means being direct, honest, and outspoken in manner or speech. Its opposite is uncandid, which describes someone who is not frank, open, or sincere, but is instead evasive or misleading.

Explanation

The noun domicile refers to a person's permanent residence or legal address. It represents the country or place that a person treats as their permanent dwelling and to which they intend to return when absent. In both legal and everyday contexts, it is directly synonymous with the word home.

Explanation

The indefinite article "a" is used exclusively with singular countable nouns. In the original sentence, the plural noun "diagrams" incorrectly follows the article "a". Changing "diagrams" to the singular noun "diagram" ensures proper grammatical agreement, making "studied a diagram" the correct phrasing.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "embark on" means to start, begin, or undertake a new project, journey, or enterprise, especially one that is significant, challenging, or adventurous. In this sentence, the verb "embarked" correctly collocates with the preposition "on" to convey the meaning of starting a new travel venture.

Explanation

The idiom water under the bridge refers to events that occurred in the past and cannot be altered, meaning they are no longer important, significant, or worth worrying about. It represents the idea of letting go of past conflicts or issues, acknowledging that just as water flows past a bridge and cannot be retrieved, past events are gone and should no longer influence the present.

Explanation

The idiom "to keep an eye on" means to monitor, supervise, or watch over someone or something closely. It is commonly used when expressing the need to observe, guard, or take care of a person, object, or situation to ensure safety, proper behavior, or to prevent any problems from arising.

Explanation

The segment patterns are made more scarcer, other contains a grammatical error due to the use of a double comparative. The adjective scarce has its own comparative form, which is scarcer. Using more before scarcer is redundant and grammatically incorrect. To correct the sentence, either more scarce or simply scarcer should be used.

Explanation

The sentence is completely free of spelling errors, with all words including "devices", "perform", "specific", and "functions" written in their correct standard English forms.