SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Conceit refers to an excessively high opinion of one's own worth, importance, or abilities, manifesting as vanity or self-importance. Egotism is characterized by an inflated sense of self-worth, self-centeredness, and an overvaluation of one's own importance. In the context of the sentence, an overabundance of pride and self-importance prevents a person from accepting constructive criticism, making egotism the direct synonym for conceit.

Explanation

The word glimpse is the most appropriate fit because it collocated naturally with the preposition into to form the common English idiom glimpse into, which means a brief or partial view of something. In this context, ancient coins serve as a medium that allows people in the present to catch a brief but fascinating look into the lives, culture, and history of past civilisations. This meaning is also reinforced later in the passage, which refers to coins as providing a window into the past.

Explanation

A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag. Since the main clause uses the affirmative auxiliary verb "will", the corresponding question tag must use the negative contraction of the same auxiliary, which is "won't", followed by the subject pronoun "we".

Explanation

The word intricate means highly detailed, complex, and finely crafted. In the context of the passage, ancient civilizations minted unique coins with highly detailed and complex designs and symbols to represent their culture and values. This choice is further supported later in the text, which highlights the high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail in these coins, pointing directly to the sophisticated and complex nature of the designs.

Explanation

The term "reign" refers to the period of rule of a sovereign or monarch. In the context of the passage, ancient coins feature images and inscriptions of rulers, which directly serve as historical evidence of their period of governance and the values they promoted during their rule. Thus, "reign" is the most contextually and grammatically fitting word for blank 3.

Explanation

The word testament is used in the standard English idiom a testament to, which means serving as clear proof or evidence of a fact, quality, or event. In this context, the high quality of craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail in ancient coins serve as direct evidence or a tribute to the exceptional skill and creativity of ancient artists.

Explanation

The context of the final sentence refers to how the durability of ancient coins allows them to survive for centuries, serving as a valuable historical record. The verb appreciate fits perfectly in this context, meaning to recognize the full worth, significance, and artistic value of these ancient artifacts. This aligns with the overall theme of the passage, which highlights the craftsmanship, historical importance, and beauty of ancient coins for future generations to study and value.

Explanation

The idiom "to add fuel to the fire" means to make a bad situation even worse, more intense, or more difficult. In the given sentence, arresting the opposition leader worsened an already difficult or tense situation, which is precisely the meaning conveyed by this idiom.

Explanation

The word compel means to force or pressure someone to do something, typically by making it necessary or using authority. Similarly, obligate means to bind or constrain someone to a particular course of action, either legally or morally. Both terms carry the core meaning of forcing, requiring, or constraining someone to perform an action, making them synonyms.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The active sentence is in the simple present tense, which follows the structure: Subject + base verb with -s/-es + Object.

To convert a simple present tense sentence into the passive voice, the structure is: Object + is/am/are + past participle (V3) of the verb + by + Subject.

Applying this rule: The object "the food" becomes the new subject. Since "the food" is singular, the auxiliary verb "is" is used. The past participle form of "prepares" is "prepared". The original subject "the chef" is introduced by the preposition "by".

This results in the passive structure: "The food is prepared by the chef in the kitchen."

Explanation

The idiom "hit the nail on the head" means to do or say something that is precisely right, accurate, or effective. In the given sentence, Bharath is described as a skilful achiever, which indicates his ability to perform tasks with great precision and success. Substituting the incorrect phrase with "hits the nail on the head" correctly completes the sentence with the appropriate idiomatic expression.

Explanation

The word "deride" means to express contempt for, mock, or scoff at someone or something. In the context of the sentence, the critics are mockingly dismissing the new fashion trend as merely a temporary phase, making "ridicule" the precise synonym as it also denotes the act of subjecting someone or something to contemptuous language or behavior.

Explanation

The sentence begins with the main subject and verb in S, which introduces what the name Madurai evokes. This action of evoking occurs in the minds of the Tamils, represented by Q. The direct object of what is being evoked is the golden era described in P. The verb flourished at the end of P is logically completed by the prepositional phrase under the patronage of successive Pandian kings in R, which explains how and under whose support the language, culture, and arts flourished. This sequence creates a grammatically correct and cohesive sentence.

Explanation

A directory is a systematic book, booklet, or digital database that lists names, addresses, and other contact details of people, households, or businesses living or operating within a specific geographic area or community.

Explanation

The verb try is followed by a to-infinitive when expressing an attempt to perform an action. In this sentence, the subject is making an attempt to perform the action of arguing, which requires the infinitive form to argue after the past tense verb tried to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word that means having many different skills or talents, or being able to adapt to many different functions, is versatile. It is derived from the Latin word versatilis, which means turning or adaptable.

Explanation

The idiom rub someone the wrong way, which is presented as rub in the wrong way, means to annoy, irritate, or offend someone, often through one's behavior or attitude. This directly fits the context of the sentence, which warns against irritating or annoying Raghav.

Explanation

The word repel means to drive away, push back, or cause a feeling of dislike or aversion. Its direct antonym is attract, which means to draw closer, appeal to, or arouse interest and admiration. In the context of the sentence, her bright blue eyes drawing the positive attention and interest of everyone at the party fits the meaning perfectly.

Explanation

The word ludicrous means foolish, absurd, or ridiculous. Its most appropriate antonym among the given options is wise, which means exhibiting good judgment, sense, or wisdom.

Explanation

To convert a sentence from passive voice to active voice, the agent performing the action becomes the subject of the sentence, and the receiver of the action becomes the direct object.

In the given passive sentence, the agent is the company and the object being acted upon is the car. The verb was manufactured is in the simple past tense in its passive form. When converted to active voice, the simple past passive verb was manufactured changes to the simple past active verb manufactured.

Thus, the subject the company is placed first, followed by the active verb manufactured, the direct object the car, and the remaining adverbial phrase in a factory overseas, resulting in the correct active voice structure.

Explanation

The idiom "Haste is waste" means that when actions are performed too quickly or in a rushed manner, it leads to mistakes, poor quality, and inefficiency, thereby producing unfruitful results and requiring the work to be done again.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the present perfect tense, structured as: Subject (The garment business) + has + past participle verb (made) + Object (Archie) + Object Complement (rich).

To convert a present perfect active sentence into the passive voice, the structure is: Object + has/have + been + past participle + object complement + by + Subject.

Applying this rule, the object Archie becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Since Archie is a singular noun, it is followed by the singular auxiliary has been, the past participle made, the complement rich, and the agent by the garment business. This yields the grammatically correct passive sentence: Archie has been made rich by the garment business.

Explanation

The word chill refers to a sensation of cold or a moderate but penetrating coldness. The direct antonym of chill in this context is warmth, which denotes a state or sensation of moderate and comfortable heat. In the given sentence, the warmth of the sun serves as a natural contrast and a welcome relief to the chilly morning air.

Explanation

The word maintenance is frequently misspelled as maintainance. While it is derived from the verb maintain, the correct spelling requires changing the middle syllable from -tain- to -ten-, resulting in maintenance.

Explanation

The idiomatic phrase is by virtue of, which means because of or by reason of. The preposition off is incorrect in this context, as off typically denotes separation or movement away from a place. Therefore, the correct preposition to use is the single-f of.

Explanation

The word tolerance denotes the capacity or ability to endure, withstand, or bear difficult conditions, hardships, or pain. In this sense of having the capacity to sustain strain or hardship, endurance serves as its synonym, as it refers to the power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. Both terms share the core meaning of having the stamina or fortitude to withstand adverse circumstances.

Explanation

In English grammar, the preposition "for" is used to indicate a duration or period of time. Because "a week" represents a specific length of time rather than a starting point, "for" is the correct preposition to denote how long the speaker has been in Chennai.

Explanation

In a medical context, the word benign is used to describe a tumor or growth that is non-cancerous, harmless, and does not spread to other parts of the body. Its direct opposite is malignant, which describes a tumor that is cancerous, invasive, and harmful to health. Thus, malignant is the most appropriate antonym for benign.

Explanation

The sequence BDCAE forms a grammatically coherent and meaningful sentence: Global health systems have been overwhelmed and many essential health services have been disrupted, posing major threats to progress in fighting other deadly diseases.

In this structure, the subject global health systems in B connects with the passive verb phrase have been overwhelmed and many essential in D. This leads naturally to the noun phrase health services have been in C, which completes the compound subject-verb structure. The participle clause disrupted, posing major threats to progress in A then modifies the preceding clause, and it is completed by the prepositional phrase in fighting other deadly diseases in E, which specifies the area of progress being threatened.

Explanation

The phrase "swept away by the emotive power" is the most appropriate substitution as it aligns with the literary and deeply evocative tone of the sentence. The expression "swept away" captures the intense, immersive experience of the audience being "transported to another world," while "emotive power" elegantly describes the music's capacity to arouse intense feelings and emotional resonance. This substitution elevates the narrative style, conveying a profound artistic impact rather than a clinical observation.

Explanation

A pacifist is a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means. The term is derived from the Latin word pax, meaning peace, and facere, meaning to make, representing someone who actively supports peace and opposes military conflict or violence of any kind.

Explanation

The word intoxication is spelled correctly with the prefix in- meaning into, combined with toxic, which originates from the Latin word toxicum meaning poison, and the suffix -ation, which denotes a state, action, or process. Together, these elements form the standard English noun intoxication, which refers to the state of being under the influence of alcohol or another substance.

Explanation

The correct sequence is QSPR, which forms a grammatically coherent and logically sound sentence. Part Q introduces the main subject, the main target consumers of food companies. Part S immediately follows to complete the core clause by providing the verb and predicate, are children and youth of the country. Part P then uses the conjunction so to present the consequence of this fact, explaining that they design the advertisement of products in such a way, where they refers back to food companies. Finally, Part R completes the correlative structure such a way that with that consumers are stimulated to buy them repeatedly, which explains the outcome of the design. Combining these parts in this sequence results in a seamless flow of ideas.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is the collective noun "team," which is singular. In standard English grammar, a singular collective noun acting as a single unit requires a singular verb to maintain subject-verb agreement. Therefore, the plural verb "were conducting" is grammatically incorrect and must be replaced with the singular verb "was conducting."

Explanation

The sentence begins with the main subject, which is the route to Badrinath (Q). This is immediately followed by the verb phrase and complement that describe the nature of this route, is one of the most arduous one (R). The prepositional phrase starting with due to (P) provides the explanation for why the route is arduous, mentioning the lofty hilly terrain, curves and cliffs. Finally, the locational description is completed by the adverbial phrase amidst the most scenically beautiful place on the earth (S), which describes where this arduous yet beautiful route is situated. This creates the logical, grammatically sound sequence Q-R-P-S.

Explanation

The word fixation refers to an obsessive attachment, intense focus, or preoccupation with someone or something. Its antonym must represent a complete lack of interest, concern, or enthusiasm. Indifference perfectly conveys this state of being unconcerned or having no interest, care, or sympathy, making it the direct opposite of fixation.

Explanation

The blank requires a verb that accurately describes the physical movement of celestial bodies like planets, moons, asteroids, and comets around a central body like the sun. In astronomy, the circular or elliptical path that an object in space takes around another object is known as an orbit, and the action of traveling along this path is to orbit. Therefore, orbit is the most contextually and scientifically appropriate term to describe this motion.

Explanation

The word colossal means extremely large, immense, or massive in size, extent, or amount. In the context of the sentence, it describes a very large sum of money that has been wasted. The word huge directly shares this meaning of being exceptionally great in size or degree, making it the most appropriate synonym for colossal.

Explanation

The word including is the most appropriate fit for the blank because Earth is one of the eight planets that make up our solar system. Using this word correctly specifies that Earth is being counted as part of the group of eight planets that orbit the sun.

Explanation

The determiner "Some" is grammatically correct here because it forms a standard contrastive pair with "others" later in the sentence. The construction "Some..., while others..." is a common English structural pattern used to divide a group into different categories and contrast their characteristics, in this case distinguishing the small, rocky inner planets from the larger gas giants.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the word classified is the most appropriate fit for blank 4 because it means to arrange or assign things to a particular category based on shared characteristics. In astronomy, planets are categorized into different groups based on their composition and structure. Uranus and Neptune are categorized or grouped under the specific term ice giants because of their distinct chemical makeup, which consists of more water, ammonia, and methane compared to the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. The passive construction are classified as perfectly completes the sentence grammatically and semantically.

Explanation

The context of the passage discusses how smaller celestial bodies like moons, asteroids, and comets help scientists understand the origin and history of the solar system. The word clues refers to pieces of evidence or information that help solve a mystery or find an answer to a complex scientific question. Therefore, these objects provide important clues about the formation and evolution of the solar system, making it the most contextually and grammatically appropriate fit for the blank.

Explanation

The word supersede is the correct spelling of the verb meaning to take the place of a person or thing previously in authority or use. Derived from the Latin roots super meaning above and sedere meaning to sit, it is spelled with the S-E-D-E ending, making it the orthographically correct replacement for supplant in the given context.

Explanation

The word penury refers to a state of extreme poverty or destitution, where one lacks the basic resources for survival. The term opulence refers to great wealth, affluence, or luxuriousness, making it the direct antonym of penury.

Explanation

The noun phrase aspects of human life uses the preposition of to indicate association, connection, or belonging. In English grammar, the preposition of is standardly used after the noun aspect to introduce the noun phrase that specifies what the aspect relates to or is a part of. This completes the sentence in a grammatically correct and meaningful way.

Explanation

The adverb together is the most natural and grammatically correct fit for blank 2 because it forms a standard English collocation with the phrase spending time. In this context, spending time together means sharing one another's company or being in close association with each other, which perfectly aligns with the theme of mutual interaction in a friendship.

Explanation

The context of the sentence refers to personal growth, character development, and the self-improvement of a person through social interaction and friendship. The phrase "grow as individuals" is a standard English collocation used to describe the development of a person's unique identity, personality, and capabilities. In this context, it highlights how friends help each person develop on a personal level and mature as a distinct human being.

Explanation

The sentence preceding blank 4 highlights the positive benefits and support provided by friendships. The sentence starting with blank 4 introduces a constraint or the effort required to sustain these relationships, stating that building and maintaining friendships requires effort, patience, and understanding. The transition word "However" is used to introduce a statement that contrasts with or places a qualification on the preceding points, making it the most grammatically and logically appropriate choice to connect these two ideas.

Explanation

The passage discusses the evolution of friendships and the importance of maintaining mental health and well-being. The term toxic refers to relationships that are emotionally damaging, unsupportive, or harmful to one's mental peace. In the context of learning to let go of relationships that no longer serve a positive purpose in one's life, letting go of toxic friendships is the most appropriate and logical choice to ensure personal growth and emotional well-being.

Explanation

The verb "bear" means to tolerate, endure, or stand a difficult situation or physical state. In this context, it correctly expresses the inability to tolerate or cope with the hot temperature.