SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word precise means marked by exactness and accuracy of expression, detail, or execution. The word accurate is defined as correct in all details or conforming exactly to truth or to a standard, making it the most appropriate synonym for precise.

Explanation

The word benevolent is defined as being well-meaning, kindly, and characterized by a desire to do good to others. In the given sentence, it describes a person with a gentle and kind nature who is incapable of causing harm to any living creature. The word compassionate, which means showing sympathy, concern, and active kindness toward others, carries the same meaning and is the most appropriate synonym in this context.

Explanation

The idiom "making a quick buck" means to earn money quickly and easily, often with little effort and sometimes by taking risks or using opportunistic methods. This perfectly aligns with the meaning of the underlined phrase describing a fast but risky way to earn money.

Explanation

The word predicament refers to a difficult, perplexing, or unpleasant situation from which it is hard to extricate oneself. In the context of the sentence, having two offers at the same time creates a state of indecision or a difficult choice between two alternatives. A dilemma is defined as a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, making it the most appropriate synonym for predicament in this scenario.

Explanation

Regicide is the specific term used to describe the act of killing a king or monarch. The word originates from the Latin roots regis, meaning of a king, and the suffix cide, which signifies the act of killing.

Explanation

The singular countable noun wave is preceded by the adjective unusual, which begins with a vowel sound. A singular countable noun in this context requires an indefinite article. Therefore, the indefinite article an must be placed before unusual to form struck by an unusual wave. The omission of the article an in the segment was struck by unusual constitutes a grammatical error.

Explanation

The standard idiomatic expression in English is "with reference to" rather than "with reference of". The preposition "to" is required after the noun "reference" to correctly link it to the object of the reference, which in this case is "your letter". Replacing "of" with "to" makes the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is "incidentally". This adverb is formed by adding the suffix "-ly" to the adjective "incidental" (incidental + ly), which means by the way or as a chance occurrence.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the simple future tense, which follows the structure: Subject + will + base verb + Object.

To convert a simple future tense sentence into the passive voice, the rule is to use the formula: Object + will + be + past participle of the verb + by + Subject.

Applying this rule, "the coffee" becomes the new subject, the active verb "will bring" changes to the passive form "will be brought", and the original subject "the boy" is placed after the preposition "by". This yields "The coffee will be brought by the boy."

Explanation

The correct spelling is "recommend", which means to present as worthy of confidence, acceptance, or use. It originates from the Latin prefix "re-" (meaning again) combined with "commend" (meaning to entrust or praise), resulting in a word spelled with a single "c" and a double "m".

Explanation

The given passive voice sentence is in the simple past tense, indicated by the auxiliary verb was followed by the past participle run over. To convert this sentence into the active voice, the agent of the action, a truck, becomes the subject of the active sentence. The simple past tense form of the verb run is ran, and the original subject, the dog, becomes the direct object. This structure yields the active voice sentence where the subject directly performs the action.

Explanation

The word rapidly means happening at a fast rate or with great speed. Promptly means quickly, without delay, or swiftly. Both words convey the concept of speed and quickness, making promptly the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The segments, when arranged in the sequence C, B, D, A, construct a grammatically precise and logically coherent sentence: "The principal difference between Indian and other types of feudalism was the relation between lord and vassal, established in this case by conquest, rather than by economic contract."

Part C opens the sentence by initiating a comparison with "The principal difference between Indian and", which immediately requires a noun phrase to complete the coordinate structure. Part B provides this completion with "Other types of feudalism was the relation", where the singular verb "was" agrees with the singular subject "difference".

Part B ends with the word "relation", which naturally pairs with the prepositional phrase in Part D, "Between lord and vassal, established in this case", to define the nature of that relation.

Finally, Part D ends with "established in this case", which is logically qualified by Part A, "By conquest, rather than by economic contract", explaining the specific mechanism of how that relationship was established.

Explanation

The idiom "United we stand, divided we fall" means that people are much stronger and more successful when they work together, whereas if they remain divided, they will fail or be defeated. This perfectly matches the premise of the statement, which emphasizes the need for collective unity to overcome a common danger and warns of the inability to fight when separated.

Explanation

The term novice refers to a person who is new to and inexperienced in a job, trade, profession, or situation. It is derived from the Latin word novus, which means new, perfectly describing someone who is just beginning to learn a particular skill or trade.

Explanation

The jumbled segments form a coherent and grammatically correct sentence when arranged in the order CADB: "Our country gave birth to a mighty soul and he shone like a beacon not only for India but also for the whole world."

Segment C acts as the opening clause, introducing the main subject, "a mighty soul". Segment A follows naturally to add further information about this soul using the coordinating conjunction "and". Segments D and B complete the sentence by using the correlative conjunction pair "not only... but also..." to show the widespread impact of his light, linking "India" to "the whole world".

Explanation

The word "promote" means to encourage, support, or actively contribute to the growth, development, or progress of something. In the context of fostering prosperity, it signifies driving economic and social well-being. "Boost" is a direct synonym that means to help, encourage, or cause something to increase, improve, or become more successful, making it the most appropriate choice to replace "promote" in this sentence.

Explanation

The phrase pounding against means striking heavily and repeatedly. In the context of a raging storm, it is the most idiomatic and descriptive expression to convey the intense force and sound of heavy rain striking the windowpanes.

Explanation

The passage is written in the past tense, as indicated by verbs like kept, asked, loved, and said throughout the narrative. Therefore, the past tense form of the verb have, which is had, is the grammatically correct choice to complete the sentence starting with Once.

Explanation

The noun advice is uncountable in English. To express a specific quantity of an uncountable noun, a partitive noun phrase is required. The standard partitive measure for advice is pieces of. Therefore, three pieces of advice is the grammatically correct phrasing to quantify the advice given by the parrot.

Explanation

The sentence compares two distinct things: the king's love for the parrot and his love for money. When making a comparison between two preferences, the comparative adverb more is used to indicate that one exceeds the other in degree. Therefore, loved money more correctly expresses that the king's greed or love for wealth was greater than his affection for his pet bird.

Explanation

The simple past tense verb advised is correct here because the parrot is referring to an action that was completed in the past—specifically, the advice he had already given to the king. The use of the past tense maintains chronological consistency with the rest of the narrative, which is written in the past tense using verbs like said, echoed, and was.

Explanation

The sentence poses a question about a past possibility under a hypothetical condition. In English grammar, the modal verb "could" is used with "have" and a past participle ("could I have survived") to express or question the possibility of an event in the past that did not actually happen. Here, the parrot is asking about the possibility of its survival under the unreal condition of having two gems in its stomach, making "Could" the correct modal verb to complete the conditional question.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is "additives". Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste, appearance, or other qualities. The word is derived from the verb "add", followed by the suffix "itive" to form the noun "additive", which is pluralized by adding "s".

Explanation

The subject of the sentence, "The newly admitted students", is plural. Therefore, it requires a plural verb to maintain subject-verb agreement. In the present perfect passive voice, which is required here because the action is performed on the students by the management, the correct plural auxiliary verb form is "have been given". This properly aligns with the plural subject and correctly structures the passive construction.

Explanation

The phrase "you have go to" is grammatically incorrect. To express past necessity or obligation, the past tense form "had to" is required. Substituting this phrase with "you had to go to" makes the sentence grammatically sound and meaningful, indicating a past obligation to go for the purpose of dropping someone at the airport.

Explanation

The word survey means to examine, inspect, or look at something closely and carefully to gather information or make a judgment. Similarly, to scrutinise means to examine or inspect something very thoroughly and closely. Both words share the core meaning of close, detailed inspection, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The idiom "to get in someone's hair" means to annoy, bother, or irritate someone persistently, especially by being constantly present or interfering. In the given sentence, Rohit is described as mischievous and someone who constantly irritates or bothers his teachers, making this idiom the perfect replacement for the phrase "annoys his teachers."

Explanation

The phrasal verb build up means to increase in intensity, strength, or quantity over time. When referring to emotions such as anger, tension, or excitement, they are said to build up inside someone as they gradually accumulate and become stronger.

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error in article usage. The definite article "the" is used to refer to a specific, previously mentioned, or unique noun. In this context, the speaker is referring to an indefinite state of the weather for the day, which requires the indefinite article "a". The correct phrasing is "a cold day today".

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The phrase at the moment is a standard English idiom meaning at the present time or right now. It correctly uses the definite article the with the singular noun moment to indicate the current period of transition.

Explanation

The arrangement BACED forms a grammatically correct and coherent sentence: "Collecting data on vulnerable population groups such as migrants and persons with disabilities is crucial in identifying the challenges they face and understanding who are being left behind."

In this sequence, segment B introduces the core subject "collecting data on vulnerable population", which connects with segment A to complete the term "vulnerable population groups such as migrants and". Segment C completes the compound subject by adding "persons with disabilities" and introduces the main verb phrase "is crucial". Segment E then explains the purpose with "in identifying the challenges they face and", which leads to segment D as a parallel clause, "understanding who are being left behind", to complete the sentence logically.

Explanation

In the given sentence, the verb stalk is used alongside the adverb furiously to describe the physical movement of leaving a room. In this context, stalk means to walk with a stiff, haughty, or angry gait, which perfectly matches the description of walking in an angry or proud way.

Explanation

The word "demonstrating" means to show, exhibit, make clear, or prove something by giving evidence. The direct opposite of showing or making something visible and known is to conceal it or keep it out of sight. The word "hiding" means to prevent something from being seen, found, or known, making it the most appropriate antonym for demonstrating in this context.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the passive voice in the simple present tense, which follows the structure "Subject + is/am/are + past participle (V3) + by + Object". To convert this into the active voice, the object of the preposition "by" (the judge) becomes the singular subject of the active sentence, the verb is conjugated in the simple present tense (punishes) to agree with the singular subject, and the passive subject (the guilty) becomes the direct object. This yields the active construction: "The judge punishes the guilty."

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error in the use of the indefinite article. Since the speaker mentions hearing someone knocking, they are referring to a specific door that is currently being knocked on. Therefore, the definite article should be used instead of the indefinite article, making the correct phrase open the door.

Explanation

The word turbulence is a noun that means a state of conflict, confusion, instability, or strong, uneven movement. In the context of the sentence, emotional turbulence refers to a state of severe emotional disturbance, confusion, and distress experienced after a tragic event like the loss of a spouse. The spelling turbulence is the correct English spelling of this word.

Explanation

The correct arrangement forms a grammatically coherent and logical sentence: "Although many scholars believe that the painting depicts Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, no records of such a commission from Francesco exist, and the sitter has never been conclusively identified."

In this structure, the subordinate conjunction "although" in A introduces a concession that connects directly to the noun clause in C ("believe that the painting depicts..."). This is followed by the contrasting clause in B ("no records of such a commission... exist"), which logically refers back to "Francesco" mentioned in C. Finally, the coordinating conjunction "and" in D links the final clause about the identity of the sitter to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The word hysterical describes a state of being affected by wild, uncontrolled, and extreme emotion. The term controlled refers to being calm, restrained, and under self-regulation, which is the direct opposite of being hysterical.

Explanation

The idiom "to one's heart's content" means to do something as much as one desires or until one is fully satisfied. In the context of the sentence, playing the video game "as much as he wanted to" corresponds directly to playing it "to his heart's content", which perfectly captures the sense of unlimited enjoyment and complete satisfaction.

Explanation

The active voice sentence contains a main clause "We hope" and a subordinate clause "that we shall win the match against Australia". To convert a complex sentence with a reporting verb like "hope" into the passive voice, the main clause is changed to the passive structure using a dummy pronoun, becoming "It is hoped". The subordinate clause "we shall win the match against Australia" is also converted to the passive voice, where the object "the match against Australia" becomes the subject, the future auxiliary "shall win" changes to "shall be won", and the agent is introduced as "by us". Combining these two passive structures yields the correct passive sentence.

Explanation

The word rapid is defined as moving or happening with great speed. The antonym of rapid is slow, which refers to moving, acting, or occurring at a low speed or pace. In the context of the flow of a river, slow is the direct opposite of rapid.

Explanation

The word flung is the past tense of fling, which means to throw, cast, or hurl something with force, or to push something rapidly and forcefully. Similarly, propelled means to drive, push, or cause to move forward or onward with significant force. Both words share the core meaning of forcefully driving or projecting something forward, making propelled the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The term social structures is a well-established sociological concept that refers to the distinct, stable, and patterned arrangements of institutions, relations, and social groups that make up a society. In the context of discussing the complexity of societies, social structures is the most appropriate collocation to describe the organized systems of relationships, roles, and hierarchies that primitive societies may lack in comparison to advanced ones.

Explanation

The adjective worth is uniquely followed directly by a gerund (verb-ing form) to indicate that something is deserving of a particular action. In the context of the sentence, "studying and preserving" are gerunds, making "worth" the only grammatically correct and semantically appropriate choice to express that these unique ways of life deserve attention and preservation.

Explanation

The term intimate is the most appropriate fit for the blank because it describes a detailed, deep, and close personal understanding of something that is developed through long-term association, experience, and connection. In the context of the passage, indigenous cultures have lived in harmony with the Amazon rainforest for generations, allowing them to develop a profound, detailed, and direct understanding of the local flora and seasonal cycles. The collocation intimate knowledge perfectly captures this deep-seated, experiential comprehension of their environment.

Explanation

The noun encroachment refers to the gradual, intrusive, or advance beyond proper limits, typically onto territory or rights belonging to others. In the context of the passage, primitive cultures face external pressures and challenges, specifically the physical and cultural intrusion of modern societies into their traditional lands and ways of life. Therefore, encroachment correctly describes this negative impact of modern societies alongside environmental degradation.

Explanation

The context of the sentence refers to the unique way in which primitive cultures view and understand the world and its complexities. The noun perspective means a particular attitude toward something or a point of view. It fits grammatically and semantically to describe how these cultures offer an alternative viewpoint that can inform and enrich modern lives.

Explanation

To decipher means to succeed in understanding, interpreting, or identifying the meaning of something that is complicated, obscure, or difficult to read. In the context of trying to understand a complex academic theory, to decipher the meaning of the text is to successfully analyze and make sense of its content, which is the exact definition of interpreting it.

Explanation

The past perfect continuous tense "had been doing" is the grammatically correct form to describe an ongoing action that took place before another action in the past. Since the main clause is set in the past tense ("the doctor knew" and "would recover"), the activity Ravindra performed prior to falling ill must be expressed in the past perfect continuous tense to establish the correct chronological sequence of events in the past.