SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The sentence uses the transition word "likewise" to establish a parallel relationship of similarity between the two clauses. Since the first clause expresses a feeling of fear toward snakes ("I am scared of snakes"), the second clause must express a similar sentiment of fear toward lizards to maintain this parallel structure. The word "fearful" is synonymous with "scared" and logically completes the comparison.

Explanation

The idiom "a piece of cake" is used to describe a task, action, or situation that is very easy to do or achieve without requiring much effort. In this context, finding a table in a crowded restaurant "without any difficulty" directly conveys the idea of a task being extremely easy and effortless, which perfectly matches the meaning of the idiom.

Explanation

The word bliss refers to a state of supreme happiness, utter joy, or complete contentment. Similarly, pleasure denotes a feeling of happy satisfaction, enjoyment, or gratification. Both terms share a core meaning of experiencing high-quality positive emotion and happiness, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The word agitated means feeling or appearing troubled, nervous, or uneasy. The word serene means calm, peaceful, and untroubled. Since serene represents a state of complete peace and calmness, it serves as the direct antonym to the state of being agitated.

Explanation

In English grammar, an adverb of manner like quickly should be placed after the direct object of the verb it modifies. In this sentence, finished is the transitive verb, and her breakfast is the direct object. Placing the adverb quickly after the direct object her breakfast maintains the standard verb-object-adverb word order, making the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The sentence requires a noun to complete the noun phrase modified by the adjectives proper and natural. The noun light fits this context perfectly, referring to the natural illumination from the sun that is characteristic of summer mornings, making the sentence grammatically correct and semantically meaningful.

Explanation

The word "there" is used incorrectly in the sentence. In this context, the possessive determiner "their" should be used instead to indicate possession over the noun "journey", meaning the journey that belongs to them. The word "there" refers to a place or position, making its use here a homophone error.

Explanation

The word Condimnation is misspelled. The correct spelling is condemnation, which refers to the expression of very strong disapproval or censure. The spelling error lies in the use of the letter i instead of e in the second syllable dem.

Explanation

The phrasal verb call out means to summon someone for help or to critically address someone's behavior. In the context of cancelling or ending an event like a strike, the correct phrasal verb is call off. Therefore, the segment contains an error and should be corrected to The workers called off.

Explanation

The grammatical structure for showing equality or similarity in comparison is "as + positive degree adjective + as". In this sentence, the positive degree of the adjective is "smart". Using the comparative form "smarter" within this structure is incorrect, making "as smart as" the correct substitute.

Explanation

In English grammar, the negative form of a verb in the simple past tense is constructed using the auxiliary verb "did" followed by "not" and the base form (bare infinitive) of the main verb. Since the auxiliary verb "did" already marks the past tense, the main verb must not take a past tense ending. Therefore, "did not watched" is grammatically incorrect and should be "did not watch".

Explanation

In English grammar, a preposition like "by" must be followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb) when it is used to show the method or means of doing something. In the given sentence, the base verb "obtain" should be changed to the gerund "obtaining" to be grammatically correct, resulting in "by obtaining resources".

Explanation

The sentence compares conversation with all other arts, as indicated by the phrase "of all arts". This comparison requires a superlative modifier to precede the adjective "teachable". The adverbial phrase "most easily" correctly modifies "teachable" to indicate that conversation is the art that can be acquired with the greatest degree of ease. This completes the superlative construction "the most easily teachable of all arts" both grammatically and semantically.

Explanation

In the context of conversation, the speaker needs to find a topic or theme of discussion that is of mutual interest to both themselves and their listeners. The word subject refers directly to a topic of discussion, making it the most appropriate fit for the blank to complete the meaning of the sentence.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, which discusses the art of conversation, the phrase "the other fellow" is a common idiomatic expression used to refer to another person or one's conversational partner. Selecting "fellow's" for blank 3 correctly expresses the principle that to be a good conversationalist, one must show interest in and talk about the other person's hobby rather than one's own. This fits the friendly and social tone of the text regarding interpersonal relationships and communication.

Explanation

Correct Answer: C

The context of the passage focuses on how to become a good conversationalist and gain a favorable reputation among friends. The sentences surrounding the blank explain that talking about other people's interests rather than your own is the key to gaining a reputation for good fellowship, charming wit, and a brilliant mind. This positive social reception and acceptance by others directly define one's popularity, making it the most logical fit to complete the phrase "the secret of your popularity".

Explanation

The sentence explains how showing a genuine interest in other people's hobbies and passions makes them feel happy and valued. The verb "pleases" means to give pleasure, satisfaction, or gratification to someone, which fits the context of building a good reputation and charming others during a conversation.

Explanation

The construction "suggest you try calling" is grammatically correct because the verb "suggest" can be followed directly by a clause with the subjunctive or base form of the verb, as in "I suggest (that) you try...". Additionally, the verb "try" is followed by the gerund "calling" to indicate making an attempt or experimenting with an action to achieve a result. This perfectly conveys a polite recommendation to contact the professor the next day.

Explanation

The verb bequeath means to leave property, money, or assets to a person or beneficiary by a will. In English grammar, the standard preposition used with the verb bequeath to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of the legacy is to. Therefore, the phrase bequeathed to the old age home is the grammatically correct and idiomatic substitution.

Explanation

The standard English idiom and collocation for expressing honesty is to "speak the truth" (or "tell the truth"). The verb "speak" is used here because it specifically refers to the act of using one's voice to deliver factual information, making "speaks" the grammatically and idiomatically appropriate replacement in this context.

Explanation

The word "ministir" is misspelled in the given sentence. The correct spelling is "minister", which refers to a member of the clergy or a high-ranking government official who heads a department.

Explanation

The singular noun phrase "The small size of his store" is the subject of the sentence, which correctly agrees with the singular verb "makes" in the present tense. The pronoun "it" functions as a dummy object that dummy-represents the postposed infinitive clause "to stock all the items", while "impossible" serves as the object complement. This structure is grammatically correct and coherent, meaning no substitution is needed.

Explanation

The word meticulous means showing great attention to detail, being very precise, thorough, and careful in one's work or actions. In the context of the sentence, a student who is meticulous takes great care with their studies and exam preparation, which leads to scoring good marks. Therefore, careful is the most appropriate synonym that captures the correct meaning of meticulous.

Explanation

The word reverie refers to a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts, a daydream, or an impractical idea. The antonym of reverie is reality, which refers to the state of things as they actually exist in the real world, as opposed to an imagined or dreamed state.

Explanation

The idiom "a wild goose chase" refers to a pursuit or search that is completely hopeless, foolish, or ultimately useless because the object of the search is either nonexistent or impossible to find. It is used to describe an endeavor that leads to no successful result, making it a fruitless search.

Explanation

The word hasty means done with speed or urgency, making it the most appropriate synonym for rapid in this context. Both words describe an action or event that occurs quickly or is brought to an end in a short amount of time, fitting perfectly to describe a meeting brought to a swift end.

Explanation

The spelling error lies in the word businessman in this segment. The correct spelling of the word is b-u-s-i-n-e-s-s-m-a-n, which is a compound of business and man. Common spelling errors for this word include buisnessman, bussinessman, or buisness. The root word busy changes its y to i when the noun-forming suffix ness is added, resulting in business.

Explanation

The word alleviate means to make suffering, deficiency, or a problem less severe, more tolerable, or easier to bear. In this context, trying to alleviate a problem means attempting to lessen or ease its intensity, burden, or impact. Therefore, reduce is the most appropriate synonym because it directly conveys the action of making something smaller or less in degree, intensity, or amount.

Explanation

In the context of the sentence, the word kind is the most appropriate synonym as it aligns with the theme of benevolence, generosity, and charitable giving. A person who regularly gives alms to the poor exhibits a kind and compassionate nature, making kind the most suitable fit to describe this benevolent behavior.

Explanation

The word squirm means to wriggle or twist the body due to nervousness, discomfort, or embarrassment, representing a state of physical and mental tension. The antonym of this state of unease is relax, which means to become free from tension, anxiety, or discomfort, and to rest in a calm and comfortable manner.

Explanation

The word optimistic means feeling or showing hope and confidence about the future or the success of something. Its appropriate antonym is doubtful, which means feeling uncertain, hesitant, or lacking confidence in a positive outcome.

Explanation

Correct Answer: A

The word peak refers to the pointed top of a mountain or hill. In the context of Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain on Earth, reaching its highest point is described as reaching its peak. Thus, peak is the grammatically and contextually correct word to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The idiom "an old head on young shoulders" is used to describe a young person who possesses the wisdom, maturity, and good judgment typically associated with much older, more experienced people. It signifies that the individual acts, speaks, or makes decisions with a level of sensibility and intelligence that is far beyond their actual age.

Explanation

The sentence is written in the past tense, as indicated by the verbs saw and was getting in the subsequent clauses. Therefore, the verb in the second segment must also be in the past tense to maintain tense consistency throughout the sentence. The base form look should be changed to the past tense form looked to make the segment grammatically correct as she looked up.

Explanation

The indefinite article "A" must be replaced with the definite article "The" because the noun phrase "culture of hospitality" is made specific by the following prepositional phrase "of the Spanish". In English grammar, when a noun is modified by a defining prepositional phrase that makes it specific and unique, it requires the definite article "The" rather than the indefinite article "A".

Explanation

The sentence describes an action that started in the past and continues into the present, which is indicated by the time expression "for five years now". This structure requires the present perfect continuous tense. The standard formula for the present perfect continuous tense is Subject + has/have + been + present participle (verb + ing). Since the subject "Alexa" is singular and in the third person, it must be paired with the singular auxiliary verb "has" followed by "been" and the participle "working".

Explanation

The word gang begins with a consonant sound, so it must be preceded by the indefinite article a instead of an. The article an is only used before words that begin with a vowel sound. Therefore, the phrase There was an gang is grammatically incorrect and should be There was a gang.

Explanation

The preposition "through" is used to describe movement from one side of an opening, passage, or entrance to the other. In this sentence, the door represents a physical opening or point of passage. Therefore, passing from the inside of the room to the veranda outside is correctly expressed as going "through" the door.

Explanation

The word "rectify" means to put right, amend, or remedy a mistake, error, or undesirable situation. It is derived from the Latin word "rectus", which means straight or right, combined with "facere", which means to make. Therefore, it is directly synonymous with the word "correct", which also means to set right or make free from error.

Explanation

The idiom bury one's head in the sand means to refuse to face or acknowledge an unpleasant reality, problem, or truth, behaving as if it does not exist. In the context of the sentence, Shantanu avoids confronting the reality of his professional failures when communicating with his father, which is precisely captured by the phrase hides from the truth.

Explanation

The phrase quickest route is the most appropriate and idiomatic collocation in English to describe a path or direction that takes the least amount of time to reach a destination. While quick refers to the duration of the journey, route refers to the course taken, making quickest route the standard term used when discussing travel efficiency and minimizing transit time.

Explanation

The word transient is used to describe something that is temporary, fleeting, or lasting for only a short period of time. Its direct antonym is permanent, which refers to something that is enduring, everlasting, and intended to remain unchanged or exist indefinitely.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is the plural noun "Things", which is modified by the relative clause "that do not come from the ground". A plural subject requires a plural verb to maintain proper subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "are" correctly agrees with "Things" in the present tense, making "are not safe" the grammatically correct phrase to complete the sentence.

Explanation

In this context, the word bright describes colors that are vivid, intense, and full of light, as is characteristic of fresh spring leaves. The antonym of bright is dull, which describes colors that lack vividness, intensity, or luster, accurately reflecting the faded and muted appearance of leaves during autumn.

Explanation

The word weight refers to the measurement of how heavy an object or animal is. Since the sentence specifies a measurement of 2 tonnes, which is a unit of mass or heaviness, weight is the correct noun to complete the sentence meaningfully.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is calamity. It refers to an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress, such as a disaster or misfortune. The word is structured as c-a-l-a-m-i-t-y, derived from the Latin calamitas.

Explanation

The word luminous refers to something that emits, reflects, or glows with light, making it bright or shining. Radiant is the most appropriate synonym because it similarly describes something that sends out light, glows brightly, or is filled with light. Both terms are used to denote brightness, brilliance, and illumination.

Explanation

The adjective quiet means making little or no noise, which appropriately describes the silent and stealthy nature of a cat's entry into a room.

Explanation

The idiom "time after time" is a common English expression that means repeatedly, frequently, or on multiple occasions over a period of time. In the given sentence, it indicates that the individual received medals on numerous successive occasions because he consistently followed his mentor's guidance.

Explanation

The word chariotes in the sentence is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is chariots, which refers to the two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicles used in ancient warfare and racing.