SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The plural subject "their direction and intensity" requires a plural verb that describes how these characteristics differ or change based on specific conditions. The verb "vary" means to differ in size, amount, degree, or nature from one situation to another, which perfectly fits the context of wind characteristics changing depending on the region and season.

Explanation

The noun impact means a marked effect or influence on something. In the given sentence, the blank is followed by the preposition on, which forms the standard English collocation to have an impact on something. This fits the context of how seasonal winds affect agricultural practices and crop yields, especially in regions with limited rainfall.

Explanation

In the given context, the sentence discusses the negative impacts of climate change on wind patterns and seasonal rains, which leads to severe consequences like crop failures and food shortages. The verb disrupt means to interrupt an event, activity, or process by causing a disturbance or problem. Therefore, disrupt is the most appropriate word to describe how climate change interferes with and alters the regular cycle of seasonal rains.

Explanation

The context of the passage discusses how seasonal winds like monsoons, harmattan, and mistral actively impact weather patterns, agriculture, and daily life in different regions of the world. The word felt is the most appropriate choice for the blank because it means to be experienced, perceived, or realized. It correctly conveys that the widespread consequences and impacts of these winds are experienced by people and ecosystems all over the globe.

Explanation

The passage is written in the simple present tense, as shown by verbs such as comes, sees, shouts, and lifts. Since the subject she is third-person singular, it requires a singular verb. Contextually, the woman was already running towards the desk, so when she sees her daughter, she naturally runs up to her to lift her into her arms, maintaining both grammatical consistency and narrative coherence.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the mother has just reunited with her lost daughter and is speaking reassuring words to her. Since the daughter is deaf, visual communication, lip-reading, and facial expressions are crucial for her to understand her mother. Looking at her daughter's face allows the mother to establish direct eye contact and convey her emotions, love, and reassurance effectively, making this the most appropriate fit for the blank.

Explanation

An announcement refers to a formal public statement about a fact, occurrence, or intention, typically made to a wide audience. In the context of a public space with a loudspeaker system, broadcasting a message to find a lost child is referred to as making an announcement over the speakers. This aligns with standard English usage and the context of the passage.

Explanation

The passage describes a situation involving a young girl who is deaf, meaning she cannot hear spoken words or auditory cues. To get her attention, physical contact is necessary. The verb touched is the most natural and contextively appropriate fit for this sentence, as it accurately describes the physical action of making contact with someone's shoulder to gently alert them of one's presence. This physical interaction explains why the girl did not look at the man until he made direct contact with her.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice using the past perfect tense, which follows the structure: Subject + had + been + past participle (V3) + by + Agent.

To convert this into the active voice, the agent (two masked intruders) becomes the subject, the receiver of the action (the agency) becomes the object, and the auxiliary verb "been" is omitted. This changes the verb structure to the active past perfect form: Subject + had + past participle (V3) + Object. This conversion results in "Two masked intruders had robbed the agency".

Explanation

The word intensive means involving concentrated, deep, and thorough effort, detail, or focus. Its antonym must denote something that lacks depth, thoroughness, or detail. Superficial refers to something that is shallow, concerned only with the surface, or lacking in-depth analysis, making it the direct antonym of intensive.

Explanation

The grammatical error in the original sentence is the incorrect use of the indefinite article "an" before the noun "range". Since "range" begins with a consonant sound, it must be preceded by the article "a" instead of "an". Option D rectifies this grammatical error by changing "to an range of health problems" to "to a range of health problems".

Explanation

The prepositional phrase in front of is used to denote a position directly ahead of someone or in their presence. While at the front of refers to the foremost part of a physical object or location, in front of him correctly indicates that the action of exchanging notes was happening directly ahead of the invigilator, within his line of sight.

Explanation

The word meticulously means to perform an action with extreme care, precision, and great attention to detail, implying a highly organized and orderly process. Its antonym is chaotically, which refers to doing something in a completely disorganized, confused, and disordered manner, lacking any systematic planning or care.

Explanation

The word bewitching is used to describe something or someone that is highly attractive, enchanting, or fascinating, as if casting a spell. The word alluring similarly means powerfully and mysteriously attractive or captivating. Both words convey the concept of pulling in or enticing others through charm and beauty, making them direct synonyms.

Explanation

The sentence is structured in indirect speech with the reporting verb "murmured" in the past tense. The reported clause correctly employs the past perfect tense "had been" to refer to a state that existed prior to the moment of speaking. Additionally, the dummy pronoun "it" is grammatically appropriate as the preparatory subject introducing the extraposed subject clause "to live far from human civilisation". Thus, the original sentence is grammatically sound and error-free.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the subject and verb in Q, which states that the lotus has always enjoyed. The transitive verb enjoyed requires a direct object, which is provided by P, namely an unparalleled popularity. This forms the main clause of the sentence. This is followed by S, which provides the spatial and temporal context for this popularity, spanning throughout the length and breadth of India from the earliest times down to the present day. Finally, R concludes the sentence by offering supporting evidence for this claim, as shown by its pre-dominance in literature and art. This sequence creates a grammatically correct and logically coherent sentence.

Explanation

The word Perecution is misspelled. The correct spelling is persecution, which refers to the systematic mistreatment or harassment of an individual or group by another.

Explanation

The word vain is an adjective that means producing no result, useless, or futile. The phrase in the vain hope is a standard idiomatic expression used to describe a hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled or is bound to be disappointed. In this context, it perfectly fits the sentence to indicate that the doctors gave him more powerful drugs despite knowing there was little to no chance of recovery.

Explanation

The word efface means to erase, obliterate, or wipe out completely. In the context of the sentence, the spy needs to completely remove or wipe out all traces of his identity from his documents to protect himself. Therefore, destroy is the most appropriate synonym as it carries the meaning of eliminating or wiping out something so that it no longer exists.

Explanation

The word comprehend means to grasp mentally, understand, or take in the meaning of something. Similarly, assimilate means to absorb, integrate, and fully understand information or ideas into the mind. In the context of cognitive processing, both terms refer to the act of thoroughly understanding and incorporating new knowledge, making them synonyms.

Explanation

Correct Answer: C

The error lies in the phrase "a black and a white shawl". Since the noun "shawl" is singular and the context of wearing it with "her new dress" implies a single accessory, the indefinite article "a" should not be repeated before the second adjective "white". Repeating the article "a" before both adjectives ("a black and a white") implies two separate items, which contradicts the singular noun "shawl". To correct the sentence, the second article "a" should be omitted, making it "a black and white shawl" to represent a single shawl of two colors.

Explanation

The idiom "like a cat on a hot tin roof" refers to someone who is extremely nervous, restless, or unable to remain still. It vividly describes a state of intense anxiety, uneasiness, or agitation, similar to how a cat would jump around frantically if it were standing on a hot metal surface.

Explanation

The idiom "pay lip service" means to express approval, agreement, or support for something in words without taking any significant action to back it up. In the given sentence, people say they fight for the cause but do not actually support it through their actions, which perfectly matches the meaning of paying only lip service.

Explanation

The word valuing is the correct spelling of the term. In English orthography, when adding the suffix -ing to a verb ending in a silent -e, the silent -e is dropped. Therefore, value becomes valuing, and the spelling valueing is incorrect.

Explanation

Jurisprudence refers to the theoretical study, systematic knowledge, and philosophy of law. Derived from the Latin term jurisprudentia, where juris means of law and prudentia means knowledge or skill, it focuses on understanding the nature of law, legal reasoning, and the structure of legal systems.

Explanation

Livestock is the collective term used to describe domesticated animals, such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats, that are raised in an agricultural or farm setting. These animals are kept to produce labor and commodities like meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool, which makes them valuable economic assets for the farm and the owner.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice of the past continuous tense, which follows the structure: object + was/were + being + past participle of the verb + by + subject.

To convert this into the active voice, the structure of the past continuous tense is used: subject + was/were + present participle (verb-ing) + object. Applying this rule, "each candidate" becomes the subject, which is singular and takes the auxiliary verb "was", followed by the present participle "making", and the object "tall promises". This yields the active voice sentence: "Each candidate was making tall promises."

Explanation

The verb crossed is the most appropriate fit for the blank because it correctly describes the action of traversing from one side of the stream to the other before starting to climb the hill. In the context of navigating natural landscapes, moving across a body of water like a stream to continue a journey on the opposite bank is standardly referred to as crossing.

Explanation

The word poised means balanced, suspended, or positioned in a state of prepared readiness. In this context, it describes the leopard sitting alertly, balanced, and ready to spring on the rock, which perfectly fits the description of a wild predator in its natural habitat before it leaps into the thicket.

Explanation

The adverb absolutely is used as an intensifier to emphasize the complete absence of something. In this context, pairing absolutely with no sound forms a common English collocation that highlights the complete and total silence of the leopard as it retreated into the thicket.

Explanation

The context of the passage indicates that the narrator's sudden appearance caused the leopard to look briefly at them and immediately spring into a dense thicket to hide in the shadows. By causing the leopard to abandon its position on the rock and retreat, the narrator interrupted or interfered with the predator's active hunt. The word disturbed precisely conveys this sense of interrupting the quiet or natural course of the leopard's search for prey.

Explanation

An encounter refers to an unexpected, sudden, or brief meeting with someone or something, particularly a wild animal. In this context, the narrator unexpectedly runs into a leopard in the forest. This brief and spontaneous sighting of the wild cat is a classic example of a wildlife encounter, making this word the most appropriate choice to describe the event.

Explanation

The idiom head in the clouds refers to a person who is daydreaming, lost in thought, or not paying attention to what is happening around them. It describes a state of being absent-minded or unrealistic, where an individual is disconnected from reality and absorbed in their own imaginations.

Explanation

The verb itemise means to present as a list of individual items or to specify in detail. Similarly, enumerate means to mention a number of things one by one, list, or establish the number of. Both words refer to the act of listing or detailing items systematically, making enumerate the most appropriate synonym in this context to describe detailing the work that needs to be completed.

Explanation

The sequence BADCE forms a grammatically coherent compound sentence consisting of two independent clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction "and".

The first clause begins with the temporal subject "The last two years" (B), followed by the transitive verb phrase "have seen a major blow" (A), which is completed by the prepositional phrase "to the world's economy and" (D).

The coordinating conjunction "and" at the end of part D then links this first clause to the second independent clause. This second clause starts with the compound subject "people and lower-income countries" (C) and concludes with the passive verb phrase "were hit particularly hard" (E). This arrangement ensures correct subject-verb agreement and logical transition of ideas throughout the sentence.

Explanation

The word extract means to remove, draw out, or pull something out by force or effort. Its direct antonym is insert, which means to put, place, or fit something into something else. Thus, insert represents the exact opposite action of extracting.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the subordinate clause "Although he was exhausted from working all day", which establishes the context in the past tense through the verb "was". To maintain grammatical consistency and proper tense agreement throughout the sentence, the main clause must also use the past tense. The verb "continued" correctly matches the past tense established by "was", ensuring the sentence is grammatically correct and coherent.

Explanation

Assuagement refers to the act of easing, soothing, or making an unpleasant feeling less intense. Mollification is the act of appeasing anger, anxiety, or reducing the severity of something. Since both terms denote the process of pacifying, calming, or mitigating distress and harshness, they are direct synonyms.

Explanation

The word prejudices refers to preconceived opinions, biases, or unreasonable feelings that lead to unfair treatment and partiality. Equalities refers to the state of being equal, fair, and impartial, ensuring that everyone is treated with the same respect and rights without any bias. Thus, equalities serves as the direct antonym, representing fairness and impartiality in contrast to bias.

Explanation

The word imitated is correctly spelt and fits both grammatically and contextually into the sentence. Preceded by the indefinite article an, which is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, the adjective imitated means copied, simulated, or mimicked. In this context, it describes the song composed by the choir as one that was modeled after or copied from an existing work.

Explanation

The word "Philolegy" is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is "Philology", which refers to the study of language structure and history. All other options are spelt correctly.

Explanation

The word dignity refers to the state or quality of being worthy of honor, respect, and self-esteem. Grace, in this context, refers to elegance, propriety, and a sense of decency or honor, making it the most appropriate synonym among the choices as both words represent qualities of respectability and noble character.

Explanation

The segment contains a subject-verb agreement error. The subject of the sentence is this boy, which is singular. Therefore, it requires the singular auxiliary verb Was instead of the plural Were to form the past continuous tense question. The correct phrasing is Was this boy.

Explanation

The adverb yesterday refers to a specific, completed time in the past, which requires the use of the simple past tense. In negative sentences in the simple past tense, the auxiliary verb did is combined with not and the base form of the main verb. Therefore, did not call is the grammatically correct phrase to complete the sentence.

Explanation

Certain comparative adjectives of Latin origin ending in -ior, such as inferior, superior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, and posterior, are always followed by the preposition "to" rather than "than" or "of" when making a comparison. Therefore, "inferior to" is the grammatically correct phrasing to express that one object has a lower quality or status than another.

Explanation

The word "predict" means to foretell, estimate, or foresee a future event or behavior. "Prefigure" means to imagine, picture, or project beforehand, making it the most appropriate substitute to convey the sense of anticipating how someone will behave in public.

Explanation

The term bibliophile is derived from the Greek roots biblion, meaning book, and phileein, meaning to love. It is defined as an individual who has a deep love and appreciation for books, and who passionately collects them as a hobby or interest.

Explanation

The idiom green-eyed means to be jealous or envious of someone else. This expression is derived from the famous Shakespearean phrase green-eyed monster, which is used as a personification of jealousy. Thus, green-eyed is the most appropriate idiomatic replacement for the word jealous.

Explanation

The grammatical structure "It is possible to" requires the base form of the verb to complete the infinitive construction. The verb "find" is the base form that correctly follows "to". Additionally, the adverb "everywhere" is the standard and natural term to replace "at everyplace", and the phrase "in a huge amount" correctly expresses the quantity in this context.

Explanation

The active voice sentence "Does she still love you?" is in the simple present tense. To convert a simple present interrogative sentence into the passive voice, the structure Am/Is/Are + subject + past participle (V₃) + by + agent is used. Here, the active object "you" becomes the passive subject, which takes the auxiliary verb "are". The active subject "she" becomes the passive agent "by her", and the verb "love" changes to its past participle form "loved". This results in the passive sentence "Are you still loved by her?".