SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word seasoned is a direct synonym for experienced, meaning someone who has acquired a wealth of knowledge, skill, and practical wisdom through long involvement in an activity or profession. In the context of a surgeon performing a delicate procedure, seasoned perfectly captures the depth of experience and expertise required to handle the task with care and precision.

Explanation

The word ghastly is used to describe something that is extremely unpleasant, shocking, or causing great horror and dread. Its direct antonym is pleasant, which refers to something that is agreeable, enjoyable, or giving a sense of happy satisfaction and comfort.

Explanation

The word revolution refers to the movement of an object in a circular path or orbit around a central point, or a single complete turn or rotation. Similarly, gyration is defined as a rapid movement in a circle or spiral, or a whirling motion. Thus, in the context of rotational or circular movement, gyration is a highly appropriate synonym for revolution.

Explanation

Discretion refers to the quality of behaving or deciding with careful judgment, prudence, and attentive consideration. In contrast, inattention means a lack of care, focus, or mindfulness, which represents the opposite of being careful and discerning.

Explanation

The segment contains a subject-verb agreement error. The noun friends is plural, so it requires the plural verb come instead of the singular verb comes to ensure grammatical agreement between the subject and the verb.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The phrasal verb wind out is grammatically incorrect in this context. The appropriate phrasal verb to use when referring to closing down a business, resolving its financial matters, and liquidating its assets is wind up. Replacing wind out with wind up makes the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The phrasal verb call off means to cancel an event, action, or proceeding. In this sentence, the workers have decided to cancel their strike, making called off the grammatically correct and meaningful choice to replace the incorrect spelling of in the original sentence.

Explanation

The phrasal verb asked for means to request something or to express a desire for something. In the given sentence, Samita is requesting a favor of going early, making asked for the grammatically correct and contextually appropriate choice to replace the incorrect phrase.

Explanation

The context of the passage discusses multiple significant and diverse positive effects on health, such as protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer. The adjective numerous correctly describes a great number of these health benefits attributed to antioxidants.

Explanation

The verb "attribute" followed by the preposition "to" means to credit or assign a cause or quality to something. In this context, health benefits such as protection from cardiovascular disease and cancer are being ascribed or credited to antioxidants. The passive construction "have been attributed to" perfectly fits the sentence to show that antioxidants are regarded as the source of these health benefits.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The sentence discusses how the health benefits of antioxidants depend on how the body processes them. The conjunction "and" connects two passive verbs that must be parallel in structure. Since the first verb "absorbed" is a past participle, the second verb must also be a past participle. The word "utilised" fits both the grammatical requirement and the context, as the body must absorb and make use of the antioxidants to derive their health benefits.

Explanation

The passage describes a scientific study conducted by dietitian Vinson to analyze and compare the antioxidant levels of various foods and beverages. In the context of a scientific research study, the items being analyzed are subjected to laboratory analysis, meaning they are evaluated or tested. Therefore, the term tested is the most appropriate word to describe the foods and drinks evaluated in this research.

Explanation

The idiom "comes out on top" means to end up in the leading, dominant, or most successful position. In the context of the passage, although dates contain more antioxidants per serving, the significantly higher consumption of coffee means that coffee ultimately wins or leads as the primary contributor of antioxidants in the diet, making this phrase the most appropriate fit.

Explanation

The word "Occassion" is incorrectly spelled; the correct spelling is "Occasion", which contains a double 'c' but only a single 's'.

Explanation

The word barren refers to land that is unproductive, sterile, and completely unable to support the growth of crops or plants. The direct antonym is fertile, which describes land that is rich in nutrients, highly productive, and fully capable of producing abundant crops or vegetation.

Explanation

The main clause of the sentence uses the past tense verb leaped. To maintain grammatical agreement and tense consistency throughout the sentence, the subordinate clause introduced by as soon as must also be in the past tense. The past tense form of the verb touch is touched, making the ship touched the shore the grammatically correct phrase.

Explanation

The word competent means having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully. The word qualified is its synonym, as it refers to having the practical skills, knowledge, or credentials required for a specific task or position.

Explanation

The word dearth refers to a scarcity, lack, or shortage of something. Its direct opposite is abundance, which means an extremely large, plentiful, or overflowing quantity of something. Therefore, abundance serves as the appropriate antonym in this context.

Explanation

The word wonderful is an adjective used to describe something that inspires delight, admiration, or extremely high approval. Similarly, amazing is an adjective that means causing great surprise, wonder, or admiration. Both words share the core meaning of being exceptionally good, marvelous, or impressive, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The word aroma refers specifically to a pleasant, distinctive, and appetizing smell, typically associated with food, cooking, or beverages. In the context of expressing love for a mother's cooking, it carries the most appropriate positive connotation of warmth, comfort, and delicious food.

Explanation

The word enemy refers to a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone. The direct antonym is friend, which refers to a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection and support, representing the exact opposite relationship of hostility and opposition.

Explanation

The phrase feel warmly about is an idiomatic expression used to indicate having strong, positive, or affectionate feelings and opinions regarding a particular topic or subject. In this context, the adverb warmly modifies how one feels, and the preposition about correctly connects the feeling to the subject.

Explanation

The word fertile refers to land or soil that is highly productive, rich in nutrients, and capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops. Its direct antonym is barren, which describes land that is sterile, unproductive, and completely incapable of supporting plant growth or producing crops.

Explanation

The sentence requires the passive voice because the subject, the plum tree, is receiving the action of being enveloped by blossoms. The passive voice is formed using the helping verb be followed by the past participle of the main verb. Since the subject is singular, the singular helping verb is is paired with the past participle covered. Additionally, the preposition in is used standardly with covered to describe a surface completely blanketed or decorated by something, making is covered in the grammatically correct phrase.

Explanation

The word equivocal means open to more than one interpretation, ambiguous, or uncertain. Its antonym is explicit, which means stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt. Replacing equivocal with explicit changes the meaning of the sentence by describing the Prime Minister's tone as clear and unambiguous instead of vague.

Explanation

The idiom "put in mind" (often used as "put someone in mind of") means to cause someone to remember or think of something. It is used when one thing evokes a memory or resemblance of another, thereby serving to remind someone of that thing.

Explanation

The verb order follows the grammatical pattern of verb + object + to-infinitive when expressing a command. In this sentence, the traitor is the object receiving the action. To express this action in the passive voice, the passive infinitive form to be is required before the past participle jailed.

Explanation

The idiom dog eat dog is used to describe a situation, environment, or industry that is ruthlessly competitive. It conveys a cutthroat scenario where individuals or groups are willing to harm others or act selfishly to succeed or survive, signifying a brutal struggle for success where only the strongest or most aggressive prevail.

Explanation

Illusion is the correct spelling of the noun that refers to a deceptive appearance, a false impression, or a misconception. Derived from the Latin word illusio, which means to mock or trick, the word is formed with a double l and the suffix -sion.

Explanation

The sentence is grammatically correct and free of any errors. The phrasal verb "called off" is used correctly to mean cancelled. The prepositional phrase "due to" is used appropriately to introduce the reason for the cancellation. The phrase "a medical emergency of the manager" is grammatically sound, as the preposition "of" correctly establishes the association between the medical emergency and the manager. Therefore, the sentence contains no grammatical errors.

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error because the auxiliary verb did (or did not) must always be followed by the base form of the main verb. In this sentence, went is the past tense form of the verb go. Since the auxiliary verb did already indicates the past tense, using went creates a double past tense error. The correct form is did not go to.

Explanation

The adverb of time yesterday refers to a specific completed point in the past. In English grammar, specific past time markers cannot be used with the present perfect tense. Instead, the simple past tense must be used. Replacing has broken with the simple past form broke provides the grammatically correct sentence.

Explanation

The subject pronoun I is first-person singular and requires the base form of the verb go in the simple present tense. The verb form goes is third-person singular and cannot be used with the subject I. The correct grammatical construction is I go to.

Explanation

The pronoun another is used to refer to an additional person or thing of the same type already mentioned. In this sentence, it refers to another single individual out of the group of six, following the mention of one being Indian. This establishes a grammatically correct parallel structure to describe the population distribution among the global population.

Explanation

The sentence compares the population size of Pakistan to those of China and India, stating that it is roughly one-tenth of either nation. The adjective "small" is the grammatically and contextually appropriate term to describe a population of this relative size, indicating its lesser magnitude in comparison to the two demographic giants.

Explanation

In geographical and spatial contexts, the verb occupy is standardly used to describe a country or nation taking up, filling, or holding a specific physical space or territory. Therefore, saying that China geographically occupies the largest area accurately conveys that its landmass spans the greatest physical extent among the three nations.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the blank refers to the official government-mandated rule commonly known as the one-child policy, which was introduced by China in the late 1970s. The word statute means a written law, rule, or decree passed by a legislative or governing body. Therefore, it is the most appropriate term to describe this official legal measure implemented to control population growth.

Explanation

The noun decline fits both grammatically and contextually in the blank. Grammatically, the article "a" preceding the blank requires a noun, and "decline" functions as a noun in this context to indicate a downward movement or decrease. Contextually, China's one-child policy, introduced in the late 1970s, led to a preference for male offspring, which resulted in a significant decrease or decline in the sex ratio, meaning the proportion of females per 1000 males decreased.

Explanation

The word implicate means to show or suggest that someone is involved in a crime or wrongful act. It is synonymous with accuse, as both terms involve pointing to someone's connection or culpability in a wrongdoing.

Explanation

Beet refers to the beetroot, which is the taproot portion of the beet plant, widely known for its vibrant dark red color and sweet, earthy flavor, making it a common root vegetable consumed globally.

Explanation

The phrase "enjoy yourselves" correctly completes the sentence because the verb "enjoy" in its base form aligns with the subject pronoun "you", and "yourselves" is the correct reflexive pronoun that corresponds to "you". In English, the construction "I hope you..." is naturally followed by the simple present tense to express a wish or hope about a future event, making "enjoy yourselves" the grammatically accurate and semantically appropriate choice for this context.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is rehabilitation, which means the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy. It is spelled with a single l after the bi (re-ha-bil-i-ta-tion), originating from the Latin root habilitare, meaning to make fit.

Explanation

Lethargic is defined as feeling clinically lazy, sluggish, slow, or lacking in energy and vitality. Active represents the direct opposite, denoting a state of being energetic, busy, lively, or moving with agility and vigor.

Explanation

The idiom "slip your mind" is a common figurative expression used to describe the act of forgetting something. When an idea, task, or piece of information slips your mind, it means it has escaped your memory or you have failed to remember it.

Explanation

The antonym of the word cowardice is courage. Cowardice refers to a lack of bravery or the state of being easily frightened. Conversely, courage denotes the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, which perfectly fits the context of a firefighter rushing into a burning building to save lives.

Explanation

The word tourists is the most appropriate synonym for visitors in this context because it refers to people who travel to and visit a place for pleasure, culture, or leisure, particularly during a peak season when travel and tourism activity is at its highest.

Explanation

The conjunction and connects words of similar grammatical category and meaning. The adjective brutal, meaning extremely ruthless, savage, or violently cruel, aligns in tone and meaning with cruel, making it the most logically consistent word to describe the nature of the criminals.

Explanation

The sentence requires the existential pronoun there to introduce the existence of the snake, rather than the possessive determiner their. The singular past tense verb was correctly agrees with the singular noun phrase a large snake that follows it to describe an event that happened in the past.

Explanation

The idiomatic phrase "in the middle of" is used to describe being in the process of doing something or during the course of an activity. In this context, it indicates that the speaker was actively participating in the meeting when the interruption occurred.

Explanation

The correlative construction as... as is used to compare or express a degree or quantity. When referring to an uncountable quantity, the structure as much is paired with the conjunction as to form the complete phrase as much as. Substituting as much into the sentence completes this grammatical pattern, yielding the standard English expression Please take as much as you want.