SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word tranquil means free from disturbance, calm, quiet, and serene. Peaceful directly shares this definition, as it refers to a state of tranquility, quietness, and freedom from activity or noise, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The adjective clever forms its comparative degree by adding the suffix -er, making it cleverer. Using both more and cleverer together creates a grammatically incorrect double comparative. The correct sentence uses the single comparative adjective cleverer followed by the conjunction than to make a proper comparison between the young pirate and the captain.

Explanation

The error lies in the prepositional phrase In course by time. The standard idiomatic expression in English is in course of time or in the course of time, which means eventually or as time passes. The preposition by is incorrect in this context and must be replaced with of to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

Numismatics is the systematic study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. The term is derived from the Greek word nomisma, which means coin or currency. Scholars in this field analyze the historical, economic, and artistic aspects of physical money to gain insights into past civilizations, trade networks, and political transitions.

Explanation

The context of the passage indicates a difference of opinion between Daniel and the people he is talking to. Daniel asserts his belief about the right to live in freedom and safety, but the people do not share or support this view. The intransitive verb agree fits grammatically and semantically in this blank to show that the people do not hold the same opinion as Daniel, which is further supported by their subsequent counterargument about the necessity of war and government decision-making.

Explanation

The relative pronoun "what" is used to introduce the noun clause "what is best", which functions as the direct object of the verb "decide". In this context, the clause refers to the thing or things that are most suitable or advantageous, making "what" the grammatically correct choice to complete the sentence structure.

Explanation

The context of the passage is about avoiding war and finding solutions through agreements instead of fighting. Solving a conflict without fighting means resolving it in a non-violent manner, which makes the adverb peacefully the logically and contextually appropriate choice to describe how the government should solve the situation.

Explanation

The verb speak is the most appropriate word to fill the blank because the preposition to immediately follows it, forming the standard phrase speak to. This expression means to address, communicate with, or voice one's opinions to someone, which directly aligns with Daniel's intention to contact the officials in his government and let them know what he thinks through writing.

Explanation

The adverb probably is used to indicate that something is highly likely to happen or be true. In this context, Daniel believes that if everyone in his country and on the opposing side takes action by writing to their governments, it is highly likely that there will be no more wars. This fits the speculative but optimistic tone of his reasoning about the future.

Explanation

An orchard is defined as a piece of land, often enclosed, that is specifically dedicated to the planting and cultivation of fruit-producing or nut-producing trees.

Explanation

The idiom "make up one's mind" means to make a decision or reach a definite conclusion about something after a period of consideration.

Explanation

When comparing exactly two items or individuals, the comparative degree of an adjective or adverb must be used instead of the superlative degree. In this sentence, only two puppies (Mac and Matt) are being compared. The word "better" is the comparative form of "well", which is grammatically correct when comparing two things, whereas "best" is the superlative form reserved for comparing three or more things.

Explanation

The idiom "break a leg" is a traditional theatrical slang used to wish performers good luck before they go on stage to perform. This phrase is rooted in the old superstition that directly wishing someone good luck would actually bring them bad luck, so saying the opposite was thought to produce a favorable outcome.

Explanation

The word liberal refers to someone who is open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values, often supporting social progress, equality, and reform. Its direct antonym is conservative, which refers to someone who holds traditional values, is cautious about change, and typically supports established social structures and traditional hierarchies.

Explanation

The verb enjoy is transitively followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun) rather than a bare infinitive or a prepositional phrase. Therefore, the verb learn must be changed to the gerund learning to serve as the direct object of enjoy, making the sentence grammatically correct as I enjoy learning languages.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The word squabble is defined as a noisy, loud quarrel or argument about something petty, trivial, or unimportant. This matches the given description of arguing loudly about unimportant things.

Explanation

The word hostile describes someone or something that is unfriendly, antagonistic, or showing ill will. Hospitable is the direct antonym, as it means being friendly, welcoming, and generous to guests or strangers.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the simple present tense. To convert a yes or no question in the simple present tense into the passive voice, the structure is Is/Are + subject + past participle of the main verb + by + agent.

Here, the object of the active sentence is the plural noun the Shuklas, which becomes the subject of the passive sentence and takes the plural auxiliary verb Are. The main verb visit changes to its past participle form visited. This yields the correct passive construction.

Explanation

The correct spelling is occasion, which is spelled with a double c and a single s. Derived from the Middle English and Old French word occasioun, which in turn comes from the Latin occasionem, it refers to a particular event, time, or opportunity.

Explanation

The word discreet refers to someone who is cautious, quiet, and careful in their speech and behavior to avoid causing offense or attracting unnecessary attention. Similarly, the term reserved describes a person who is naturally quiet, self-restrained, and hesitant to reveal their thoughts or feelings, making it the most appropriate synonym in this context.

Explanation

The word exhaling means to give off, discharge, or send forth, which in the context of a factory chimney releasing smoke refers to the physical discharge of gases into the air. The word emitting is its direct synonym in this context, meaning to produce and discharge something, especially gas, radiation, or odor. Thus, it is the most appropriate word to describe the continuous release of black smoke from the chimney.

Explanation

An autobiography is a self-written account of a person's own life, combining the Greek roots auto meaning self, bios meaning life, and graphia meaning writing. This term precisely describes a life history written by the subject themselves.

Explanation

The correct arrangement forms the sentence: He constantly complains about all his neighbours and the noise they make.

This structure begins with the subject and verb phrase in C, followed by the prepositional phrase introduced by about in A. This connects logically to the first object of the preposition, neighbours and the in D, which is then completed by the second noun phrase, noise they make in B. This flow creates a grammatically correct and coherent sentence where the subject complains about two linked things: his neighbours and the noise they create.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice, using the simple past tense form was kept. To convert it into the active voice, the agent of the action by the staff becomes the subject of the sentence. The passive verb was kept converts to its simple past active form kept. The subject pronoun I changes to the object pronoun me. The participle waiting and the rest of the prepositional phrase remain unchanged. This gives the active voice structure: The staff kept me waiting for more than an hour to get an appointment.

Explanation

The paragraph follows a chronological and thematic progression. Sentence D establishes the starting point of the author writing the book during the peak of the pandemic. Sentence B naturally follows by transitioning to the completion of the book, contrasting the beginning with the writing of the final chapter as the world enters the third year of COVID-19. Sentence A provides context to this third year by presenting the global death toll accumulated so far. Sentence C concludes the passage with a reflective, philosophical observation on surviving the disease and healing from the grief of those losses over time.

Explanation

The word Hieararchy is misspelled. The correct spelling is Hierarchy, which is a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority. The letters i and e are reversed in the incorrect spelling, violating the correct sequence of i before e in this word.

Explanation

Fame refers to the state of being widely known and esteemed, typically associated with public honor, renown, or a positive reputation. Dishonour represents the loss of honor, disgrace, or a state of shame, which directly contradicts the concept of having a celebrated or respected status, making it the precise antonym.

Explanation

The word imminent refers to an event that is about to happen, forthcoming, or very close in time. Its direct antonym is distant, which describes something that is far away in time, space, or relation, and is not expected to occur soon.

Explanation

The segment "where does" contains a grammatical error because the subject of the dependent clause is "oysters," which is a plural noun. A plural subject requires the plural verb "do" instead of the singular "does." Additionally, in an indirect or embedded question, the word order should follow declarative structure (subject + verb) rather than interrogative structure, making the correct phrasing "where oysters come from."

Explanation

The context of the passage discusses the origin and personification of the Grim Reaper as a symbol of death during the 14th century, coinciding with the devastation of the Black Death. The verb appeared correctly fits both grammatically and contextually to indicate that the personified figure of the Grim Reaper first emerged, became visible, or came into existence in Europe during this historical period.

Explanation

The superlative adjective worst is grammatically correct in this context because the sentence compares the Black Death to all other pandemics in the world up to that point, identifying it as the most severe and devastating. The structure the world's worst pandemic uses the superlative form of bad to indicate the highest degree of negativity among multiple entities.

Explanation

The context of the sentence refers to the massive loss of human lives during the Black Death pandemic, where about one-third of Europe's entire population lost their lives. The verb perished means to die or be destroyed, particularly in a sudden, violent, or untimely manner, such as through a disease, accident, or disaster. This makes it the most appropriate and semantically fitting word to describe the death of a large portion of the population due to a deadly plague.

Explanation

The sentence discusses how the original outbreak of the plague in 1347-51 was followed by subsequent instances of the disease happening again over time. The verb recur means to occur again, periodically, or repeatedly. Therefore, recrued (a variant/typographical form of recurred) is the most appropriate word to describe outbreaks happening multiple times after the initial event.

Explanation

The word conjured means to call an image, idea, or representation to mind, or to create something in the imagination. In the context of the passage, the surviving Europeans, being constantly surrounded by mortality during the devastating Black Death pandemic, created or envisioned a specific personification (the Grim Reaper) to represent death. Therefore, they conjured an image to represent it is the most appropriate and idiomatic expression for bringing this mental representation into existence.

Explanation

An escapade refers to an exciting, daring, or unconventional act, incident, or series of events. It is characterized by excitement and a sense of daring, making adventure the most appropriate synonym and replacement in the given context.

Explanation

The word flair refers to a unique style, elegance, originality, or a natural talent and aptitude. In this context, it describes the chef's special, stylish touch and distinctive quality infused into the culinary creations that made them stand out from standard restaurant food.

Explanation

Subject-verb agreement requires a singular verb to agree with a singular subject. In the clause "but it still deny", the pronoun "it" is third-person singular, which requires the singular verb "denies" in the present tense or "denied" in the past tense instead of the plural form "deny".

Explanation

The idiom "bite the bullet" means to face a difficult, painful, or unpleasant situation with courage and fortitude, usually because it is unavoidable. The phrase historically refers to wounded soldiers biting down on a lead bullet to endure the intense pain of surgical procedures performed without anesthesia. In the given sentence, it describes the speaker forcing themselves to overcome procrastination and courageously face the daunting task of asking their boss for a raise.

Explanation

In the context of judicial punishments, a light sentence refers to a punishment that is relatively mild, lenient, or not severe. This corresponds to the definition of light as not serious or profound, indicating that the consequences or weight of the sentence are minimal compared to the maximum possible penalty.

Explanation

The sentence uses the positive degree of the adjective good. The structure so + adjective + that is used to show a relationship of cause and effect, where her being good is the cause and everyone liking her is the consequence. This structure successfully retains the positive degree of comparison while presenting the meaning of the original sentence in a grammatically correct, active, and coherent manner.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The word copious is defined as existing or occurring in large quantities, or being abundant and plentiful. Its antonym must represent a lack of abundance or scarcity. Meagre means deficient in quantity, substance, or quality, signifying a very small or inadequate amount, which is the direct opposite of copious.

Explanation

To convert a passive voice sentence into the active voice, the agent of the action introduced by "by" (the author) becomes the subject of the active sentence, and the subject of the passive sentence (The book) becomes the direct object. The passive verb "was written" is in the simple past tense, which converts to the active simple past verb "wrote". Combining these elements with the adverbial phrase "over a period of two years" produces the active voice sentence: "The author wrote the book over a period of two years."

Explanation

A kennel is a small shelter or house specifically designed for dogs or cats to live in, providing them with a safe and protected environment. In the context of the sentence, the dog requires this structure to stay in, making this the correct definition.

Explanation

The word apprehension refers to anxiety, fear, or unease about future events. Excitement represents a state of eager anticipation, enthusiasm, and positive energy regarding what is to come, which makes it the direct antonym of apprehension.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice, structured as Subject (The test) + was + past participle (passed) + by + Agent (only a few students). To convert it to the active voice, the agent of the action becomes the subject of the sentence, and the original subject becomes the direct object. The simple past tense auxiliary verb "was passed" is converted to the simple past active verb "passed". This results in the active voice structure: Subject (Only a few students) + Verb (passed) + Object (the test).

Explanation

The sentence begins with part B, which introduces the subject and establishes a comparison about the novel's structure. This is followed by part D, which uses the coordinating conjunction "but" to introduce a counterpoint and sets up a "so... that" result clause ("so accurately representational that the reader"). Part C logically completes this clause by providing the verb phrase "can trace Clarissa's and Septimus's movements" that the reader performs. Finally, part A acts as a prepositional phrase modifying "movements", specifying where and when they occur ("through the streets of London on a single day in June 1923"). This sequence forms a grammatically correct and coherent sentence.

Explanation

The word Pronounciation is spelt incorrectly. The correct spelling is Pronunciation, which does not contain the letter o in the second syllable (nun instead of noun). While the verb form is pronounce, the noun form shifts in both pronunciation and spelling to pronunciation.

Explanation

A milestone refers to a significant or important event, stage, or achievement in the progress or development of something, such as a person's life or career. Getting a long-awaited promotion represents a major breakthrough and a key developmental point in her professional journey, making it a highly important event.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "beat up on" means to physically assault, hit, or bully someone. In this context, "accused of beating up on the" is the grammatically correct construction to indicate that Mr. Arvind was accused of physically striking or mistreating the students in the class.

Explanation

The word municipal is used incorrectly in this context. The determiner every must be followed by a singular countable noun rather than an adjective. The correct noun that should be used in this context is municipality, meaning a town or district that has local government. Thus, municipal is the contextually incorrect word in the sentence.