SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The definite article "the" must be used before the names of unique celestial bodies, such as the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. Additionally, since the word "earth" begins with a vowel sound, the indefinite article "a" is grammatically incorrect and would have to be "an" even if a non-specific reference were possible. Therefore, "a earth" is the incorrect part of the sentence and should be written as "the Earth" or "the earth".

Explanation

The sentence is structured by starting with the subject noun phrase, the recent political incident (C), which is naturally modified by the prepositional phrase between the two countries (A) to clarify which incident is being referred to. This is followed by the modal verb phrase will inevitably count (B) acting as the predicate, and completed by the prepositional phrase against the peace process (D), which functions as the object of the phrasal verb count against. This order creates the grammatically correct and coherent sentence: The recent political incident between the two countries will inevitably count against the peace process.

Explanation

The correct order of the jumbled parts forms a meaningful and grammatically correct sentence: "It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual or brave man to make money the chief object of his thoughts."

In this structure, the introductory clause starts with the dummy pronoun and verb "it is physically impossible" (D). This is followed by the prepositional phrase defining the subject, starting with "for a well-educated, intellectual" (C) and connecting to "or brave man to make" (A). The sentence concludes with the object of the infinitive phrase, "money the chief object of his thoughts" (B). This flow perfectly aligns with the standard English syntax of subject-adjective-object modifier.

Explanation

The phrasal verb blow up means to suddenly lose one's temper or become extremely angry. In this context, Mahesh's annoying attitude triggered a sudden outburst of anger from the speaker, making this phrasal verb the grammatically correct and contextually appropriate substitution.

Explanation

The word pervasive describes something that is widespread, far-reaching, or existing and spreading through every part of something. Similarly, extensive means covering or affecting a large area, scope, or scale. Both terms convey the idea of being broad, far-reaching, and widespread in nature, making extensive the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The first blank requires a noun meaning a temporary stop or rest, which is pause. The second blank requires a noun referring to the feet of an animal, which is paws. Both words are homophones as they share the same pronunciation but have different spellings and meanings suitable for their respective positions in the sentence.

Explanation

The context of the passage emphasizes the importance of documenting discussions and decisions rather than relying on mental recall. The subsequent sentence advises against trusting your memories and instead urges writing down conclusions, decisions, and assignments. Therefore, leaving hard work to memory fits the blank perfectly, as it directly contrasts with the recommended practice of taking written notes.

Explanation

The sentence functions as an imperative sentence, which is used to give advice, instructions, or commands. Negative imperative sentences in English are constructed using "do not" followed by the base form of the verb. In this context, "do not" is the grammatically correct choice to precede the base verb "fritter" to instruct the reader not to waste the meaning they have created.

Explanation

The passage emphasizes the importance of documenting discussions and decisions rather than relying on memory. In this context, writing down the details of conclusions, decisions, and assignments ensures that all specific information and nuances of the dialogue are accurately preserved for future reference and action.

Explanation

The pronoun who functions as the subject of the verb does in the noun clause who does what by when. In this sentence, the entire clause acts as the direct object of the transitive verb record. Since the pronoun represents the person performing the action of doing, it must be in the subjective case, making who the grammatically correct choice. This structure is a standard professional phrase used to describe assigning specific tasks to specific individuals with designated deadlines.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the author advises keeping track of assignments and revisiting notes at key times to assess the progress and status of those tasks. The verb review means to formally assess, examine, or look over something again, which perfectly fits the action of evaluating assignments to ensure they are being completed as planned.

Explanation

The grammatical structure "no sooner... than" is used to show that one event happens immediately after another. When a sentence begins with "no sooner", it triggers subject-auxiliary inversion, where the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. When the past auxiliary verb "did" is used, it must be paired with the base form of the main verb. Therefore, "did" is correctly followed by the base form "shout" instead of the past tense "shouted" to maintain correct grammatical syntax.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice of the simple present tense, which follows the structure: Object + is/am/are + past participle + by + Subject.

To convert this to the active voice, the subject and object are interchanged, and the verb is changed to the active simple present form: Subject + verb (s/es) + Object.

The object of the preposition "by him" becomes the subject "He" in the active voice. The simple present passive verb "are never solved" converts to "never solves" to agree with the third-person singular subject "He", with the adverb of frequency "never" placed directly before the main verb. The passive subject "Mathematical problems" becomes the direct object, followed by the adverb "daily". This gives the active sentence: "He never solves mathematical problems daily."

Explanation

The word colleagues is the correct spelling for associates or co-workers in a professional context. In spelling error questions, this word is commonly misspelled as collegues or colleages, making it the source of the error in the sentence.

Explanation

The sentence describes a future event, as indicated by the verb phrase "shall go" in the main clause. In sentences containing subordinate clauses of time introduced by conjunctions like "when", "as soon as", or "until" that refer to the future, the verb in the subordinate clause must be in the simple present tense, not the past tense. Therefore, the past tense verb "came" is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with the simple present tense verb "comes" to maintain correct tense harmony.

Explanation

The idiom bite the bullet means to face a difficult, unpleasant, or painful situation with courage and fortitude, especially one that has been delayed or avoided. The phrase historically refers to the practice of having wounded soldiers bite on a lead bullet to cope with the pain during surgical procedures when anesthetics were unavailable. Over time, it came to represent enduring any painful, inevitable, or highly challenging situation with bravery and resilience.

Explanation

The word awkward describes someone or something that is clumsy, uncoordinated, or lacking in elegance and social poise. Its direct antonym is graceful, which refers to showing grace, elegance, and beauty in form or movement.

Explanation

The word jubilant is defined as feeling or expressing great happiness, joy, and triumph, particularly in celebration of a success. The opposite of this state of joy and celebration is represented by the word gloomy, which means feeling distressed, sad, depressed, or lacking in hope and light, thereby serving as the direct antonym.

Explanation

The sentence describes a general truth or a recurring annual weather pattern in April and May. The simple present tense is used to express habitual actions, general truths, and regular occurrences. Since the subject is the third-person singular pronoun "it", it requires the singular verb form "rains". Additionally, the preposition "in" is the standard preposition used before months of the year. This makes the simple present tense phrase "rains a lot in" the grammatically correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The word conformist is used to describe a person who behaves in accordance with socially accepted standards, conventions, or established practices. It originates from the verb conform, which means to comply with rules or laws, combined with the suffix -ist, denoting a person who practices or adheres to a specific principle. A conformist chooses to adapt to the prevailing customs and attitudes of a group or society rather than challenging them.

Explanation

The word barren refers to land that is poor, unproductive, and unable to support vegetation or produce crops. The antonym of barren is fertile, which describes soil or land that is highly productive, rich in nutrients, and capable of supporting abundant plant growth and crops.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is phenomena, which is the plural form of phenomenon. Derived from the Greek word phainomenon, meaning that which appears, it refers to an observable fact, occurrence, or circumstance, especially one that is remarkable or of scientific interest. The spelling begins with the prefix pheno-, which relates to showing or appearing, followed by the suffix -mena.

Explanation

Serendipity is defined as the occurrence of valuable or agreeable findings by chance, representing good luck, a fortunate accident, or pleasant discoveries. Misfortune directly opposes this meaning, as it refers to bad luck, an unfortunate state, or an adverse event. Thus, misfortune serves as the exact antonym of serendipity.

Explanation

The word glad is an adjective that describes feeling pleasure, joy, or delight, representing a state of happiness. The word sad is an adjective that describes feeling or showing sorrow, unhappiness, or grief. Since these two words represent opposite emotional states, sad serves as the direct antonym of glad.

Explanation

Sentence B introduces the main subject, the new policy, establishing the context of the paragraph. Sentence A logically follows B because the pronoun "It" refers back to "The new policy" in B, describing the specific components of the policy, such as the carbon tax and incentives. Sentence D introduces the criticism and opposition to this policy from certain industries and political groups who worry about the economic impact. Sentence C, starting with the contrast connector "However", presents the counterargument from the supporters of the policy, directly addressing the opposition mentioned in D. This creates a cohesive, logical flow from introduction to specific details, followed by opposition, and finally the counter-response.

Explanation

The word joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, making it the precise one-word substitute for the phrase a lot of happiness.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice of the present continuous tense, which follows the structure: Subject + is/am/are + being + past participle (V₃) + by + Agent.

To convert this sentence into the active voice, the agent (our group) becomes the active subject, the verb phrase "is being staged" changes to the active present continuous form "is staging", and the passive subject (a play) becomes the direct object. This results in the active voice structure: Subject + is/am/are + present participle (V-ing) + Object. Using this structure, the sentence becomes "Our group is staging a play this evening."

Explanation

The word grave is defined as serious, solemn, or of great importance. Its direct opposite is frivolous, which means characterized by a lack of seriousness, silly, or of little weight or importance. Since frivolous conveys a lighthearted and non-serious meaning, it serves as the most appropriate antonym for grave.

Explanation

The term Franchise refers to the constitutional or statutory right to vote in public elections. While voting is the act of casting a ballot, the legal right itself is defined as the franchise or suffrage.

Explanation

The idiom catching a tartar means to deal with or try to conquer someone who is unexpectedly troublesome, formidable, or more powerful than oneself. This perfectly describes the situation of Aurangzeb trying to capture the brave and formidable Shivaji.

Explanation

The construction "as + adverb + as" is used to make comparisons of equality. Therefore, "as well as" is the grammatically correct phrase to substitute "as wellest" in the sentence.

Explanation

The passage states that examples of commercial success, innovation, drive, vision, determination, adaptability, and adventure are anchored in the Indian talent for acquiring material wealth. Among the given options, only option C contains traits that are all explicitly listed as being anchored in this talent.

Explanation

According to the provided passage, the weaknesses of traditional Indian firms are explicitly stated as a lack of teamwork and a weakness for quick profit. The text directly identifies these two attributes as perhaps the most debilitating weaknesses of such traditional firms, reflecting ingrained ways of thinking and planning.

Explanation

According to the passage, the desire to succeed is particularly intense in India due to three specific factors explicitly mentioned at the end of the text. These factors are the omnipresent fear of poverty, the cut-throat competition for each opportunity, and the asphyxiating hold of hierarchy. These elements directly match the reasons listed in this option.

Explanation

In the passage, the word asphyxiating is used figuratively to describe the oppressive and stifling nature of the traditional hierarchy, which restricts individual freedom, growth, and opportunity. The word smothering serves as a direct synonym in this context, as it means to suffocate, suppress, or heavily restrict, capturing the exact sense of a choking and overbearing hold.

Explanation

The word bizarre means very strange, unusual, or unconventional. In the given context, odd is the most appropriate synonym because it also describes something that deviates from what is ordinary, expected, or normal.

Explanation

The sentence is spelled correctly in its entirety. The correct spellings of the key words are negotiation, contentious, beneficial, and agreement. Negotiation refers to the discussion aimed at reaching an agreement, contentious means causing or likely to cause an argument, beneficial means resulting in good, and agreement means harmony or accordance in opinion or position. All these words are spelled accurately according to standard English rules in this sentence.

Explanation

Frugality refers to the quality of being careful, sparing, and highly economical in the spending of money or use of resources. Extravagance represents the exact opposite quality, denoting excessive, wasteful, or unrestrained spending and a lack of moderation in using resources. Therefore, extravagance is the direct antonym of frugality.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the present perfect tense, which follows the structure: Subject + has/have + past participle verb + Object. To convert a present perfect active sentence into the passive voice, the structure is: Object + has/have + been + past participle verb + by + Subject. Since the object "the balls" is plural, the plural auxiliary verb "have" is used along with "been" and the past participle "thrown", resulting in "The balls have been thrown by Moti."

Explanation

The phrasal verb knock out means to disable or cause something to stop functioning. In the context of utility services, electricity, or power grids, knock out the power is the standard idiomatic expression used to describe a service disruption or blackout caused by an event such as a storm.

Explanation

The idiom "to end in smoke" means to come to nothing, to fail, or to yield no practical result despite initial effort, anticipation, or talk. In the given situation, Geetika spoke extensively about her new movie, but its ultimate failure in the theatres means all the promotion and expectations came to nothing, which perfectly matches the meaning of this idiom.

Explanation

The idiom "be all ears" means to listen with full attention, eagerness, and concentration. In the given sentence, replacing the underlined segment "very attentively" with this idiom accurately conveys that Raina is extremely focused and listens carefully during her classes.

Explanation

All the words in this sentence are spelled correctly according to standard English orthography. The words Although, persisted, and eventually are spelled correctly with their appropriate vowel and consonant structures, ensuring grammatical and lexical accuracy throughout the entire sentence.

Explanation

The antonym of the word friendly is hostile, which describes someone or something that is unfriendly, antagonistic, or showing ill will.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the simple past tense, following the structure Subject (His brother) + Verb in past tense (needed) + Object (some urgent help) + Adverbs/Other words (at that moment).

To convert this into the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the new subject, followed by the appropriate past tense form of the verb to be (was/were) and the past participle of the main verb (V3), and finally the agent introduced by the preposition by. Since some urgent help is an uncountable noun phrase, it takes the singular helping verb was, resulting in the correct passive structure: Some urgent help (Subject) + was needed (was + V3) + by his brother (agent) + at that moment (adverbial phrase).

Explanation

The adverb fluently modifies the verb speak to describe the action of speaking a language with ease and proficiency. Substituting you are fluent in with you speak fluently maintains the correct grammatical structure and present tense of the sentence while expressing the same meaning in a more concise manner.

Explanation

A monk is a person who withdraws from mainstream society to live a secluded, solitary, or highly disciplined life, typically under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, dedicated entirely to religious contemplation and service.

Explanation

Acclimatise means to adapt, adjust, or conform to a new environment, climate, or situation, establishing a state of harmony, order, and suitability. Disarrange means to disturb the order, arrangement, or organization of something, throwing it into a state of disorder or confusion. Thus, disarrange serves as the most appropriate antonym as it represents the disruption of an established order, adaptation, or alignment.

Explanation

The plural noun coconuts requires a plural verb to maintain subject-verb agreement. Since the action in the main clause is in the simple past tense (reached), the past plural auxiliary verb were is necessary to complete the past passive construction, making were already sold the grammatically correct phrase.

Explanation

The word accommodating means being helpful, cooperative, and willing to please or adapt to the wishes of others. The antonym of this word is disobliging, which describes someone who is uncooperative, unhelpful, and unwilling to accommodate or do favors for others.