SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The original sentence contains a grammatical error due to the omission of the indefinite article before the singular countable noun phrase type of. The singular noun type requires the article a to introduce it as one category among others. Inserting the indefinite article a before type of fossilised wood corrects this syntactical error and ensures proper sentence structure.

Explanation

The adverb hardly means scarcely or almost not at all, which contradicts the intended meaning of putting effort into achieving good marks. To express that Ramya is putting a great deal of effort into her studies, the adverb hard must be used instead of hardly. The correct phrasing is Ramya is working hard to get good marks.

Explanation

The noun déjà-vu refers to the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time. It is idiomatic to describe this experience as a feeling of déjà-vu. This is directly supported by the very next sentence in the passage, which explicitly defines déjà-vu as the feeling that a person has seen or experienced an event before. Therefore, feeling is the grammatically and contextually correct word to fill blank (i).

Explanation

The context of the sentence refers to the immediate dissemination of information about the shooting of President Ronald Reagan across television and radio stations. The word news is the standard term used to describe newly received or noteworthy information about recent events, especially when broadcast to the public.

Explanation

The verb whisked is the most appropriate choice to fill in blank (iii) because to whisk someone into a place means to move them there with great speed, suddenness, and urgency. In the context of a high-security emergency such as an assassination attempt, the Secret Service agents had to react instantly to rapidly transfer the President into the vehicle to secure his safety and rush him to the hospital, which is perfectly conveyed by this term.

Explanation

The context describes the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was shot and killed while riding in an open limousine. The phrase "rang out" is typically used to describe loud, sudden sounds, particularly gunfire. Since the passage details an assassination attempt where the President collapsed immediately after this sound, the word "shots" is the logically and historically correct term to describe the gunfire that came from the nearby building.

Explanation

In medical and legal contexts, the verb pronounced is the standard term used to officially declare that someone has passed away. The phrase pronounced dead is a well-established collocation used when a doctor or official formally confirms and announces a person's death at a hospital.

Explanation

The word adverse refers to conditions or situations that are unfavorable, harmful, hostile, or contrary to one's interests and success. The direct antonym of this is favourable, which describes circumstances that are advantageous, helpful, encouraging, or auspicious for a positive outcome.

Explanation

The preposition in is used to denote being inside an enclosed, three-dimensional space such as a room, building, or container. Since a room is a physical space that one enters and occupies, the correct preposition to pair with the verb work in this context is in.

Explanation

The word hazard is a direct synonym of danger, defined as a potential source of harm, risk, or difficulty. In the context of environmental health and safety, substances like lead paint that pose a threat to human well-being, especially children, are referred to as environmental hazards.

Explanation

The original sentence is grammatically incorrect because the singular third-person subject Gulliver requires either the singular present tense verb hears or the past tense verb heard. Since narrative passages are typically written in the past tense, the simple past tense form heard is the correct and appropriate substitution to ensure grammatical correctness and proper subject-verb agreement.

Explanation

The word abscond means to depart suddenly and secretly, especially to escape from custody, arrest, or a difficult situation. The word flee shares this exact meaning, as it means to run away from danger, capture, or a difficult circumstance, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The idiom "ace in the hole" originates from poker, where a card dealt face down is said to be "in the hole." Having an ace—the highest value card—as this concealed card gives a player a powerful, unseen strength that can be revealed at a crucial moment to win. In general usage, it refers to any valuable resource, plan, or advantage kept hidden and in reserve until it is needed to secure success.

Explanation

The word lenient describes someone who is tolerant, merciful, or relaxed in enforcing rules and discipline. The direct antonym is strict, which refers to someone who demands close conformity to rules, is rigid, and is uncompromising in discipline.

Explanation

The correct spelling is scandalous. It is an adjective derived from the noun scandal by adding the suffix -ous. The word refers to something that causes public outrage or shock due to a violation of moral or legal standards.

Explanation

The word vivacious is an adjective used to describe someone, typically a woman, who is attractively lively, animated, and full of life. Energetic is a direct synonym as it refers to possessing or exhibiting great energy, activity, and enthusiasm, which perfectly aligns with the quality of being vivacious.

Explanation

The correct sentence structure requires the subject "women" to be followed by the linking verb "are" and the noun phrase "the primary caregivers of". This sequence establishes a grammatically sound and logically coherent statement where "women" is the subject, "are" is the verb, and "the primary caregivers of" functions as the subject complement that correctly links the caregivers to the recipients of their care, namely "children and elders".

Explanation

The word confidential refers to information that is intended to be kept private, restricted, or not shared publicly. The word secret directly shares this meaning, as it describes something that is kept hidden from others or known only to a select few. Both terms are used to denote information or matters that require discretion and privacy.

Explanation

The idiom last resort refers to a final course of action, option, or alternative that is adopted or turned to only after all other possibilities, plans, or attempts have failed. It represents the ultimate strategy or solution used when no other viable choices remain.

Explanation

Interpret means to explain the meaning of information, actions, or words, or to make something clear and understandable. Clarify means to make a statement or situation less confused and more comprehensible. Both words share the core meaning of explaining and making something clear, making them synonyms.

Explanation

The word smiled is the most appropriate fit for the sentence because it aligns with the respectful and formal context of greeting an interview committee. A smile is a natural, polite, and universally positive facial expression that can be performed gracefully, reflecting professionalism, courtesy, and respect in a professional setting.

Explanation

The quantifier "much" requires the preposition "of" when it precedes a determiner like the possessive pronoun "her" before a noun. This construction is used to denote a large part or proportion of a specific entity. Therefore, "much of her body weight" is the grammatically correct and idiomatic way to express that the woman lost a significant portion of her total weight.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is Omission, which is written with a single m and a double s. It refers to the act of excluding or leaving out something, or a failure to perform a duty or action.

Explanation

The segment contains an error in the use of the phrasal verb. The context of the sentence refers to urgent activities that must be done immediately and cannot be delayed or postponed. The correct phrasal verb for postponing or delaying something is "put off", not "put on". Replacing "put on" with "put off" makes the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The grammatical error lies in segment 2 "grew out". The phrasal verb "grow out" is incorrect in this context. The appropriate phrasal verb to describe a child maturing into an adult is "grow up". Therefore, "grew out" must be replaced with "grew up" to make the sentence grammatically correct and semantically appropriate, resulting in "When Christy grew up, he turned out to be a gentleman."

Explanation

The auxiliary modal verb "will" must be followed by the base form of the verb (bare infinitive) to express the simple future tense, or by "be" and a present participle to express the future continuous tense. The combination "will taking" is grammatically incorrect and must be corrected to either "will take" or "will be taking" to be grammatically sound.

Explanation

The grammatical error lies in the use of the present participle adjective amusing instead of the past participle adjective amused. The adjective amusing is used to describe someone or something that causes entertainment or laughter in others. In contrast, amused describes the state of feeling entertained, pleased, or finding something funny. Since the sentence refers to Rashmi's personal reaction and how she felt upon hearing the news, the past participle amused is required to correctly express her state of mind. The segment should correctly read quite amused when.

Explanation

The passage describes a scenario where an individual sits down with the sincere intention to study but is unable to focus and complete the task due to wandering thoughts. This mismatch between one's intentions and actual performance leads to feelings of annoyance, disappointment, and helplessness, which is best described as frustrating.

Explanation

The context of the passage describes a situation where a person sits down to study but loses focus. The phrase "thoughts wandering" is a standard English collocation used to describe a mind that is distracted, unfocused, or drifting away from the task at hand. This directly contrasts with the "sincere of intentions" to study and "being able to finish the task at hand", making "wandering" the most appropriate word to describe the state of one's thoughts in this scenario.

Explanation

The sentence discusses techniques that can be used to improve one's focus and attention while studying. The verb enhance means to intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or strength of something. In this context, it is the most appropriate fit as it refers to improving or boosting your concentration.

Explanation

In this sentence, the context involves taking action to establish a study space that is helpful for focusing. The verb "attempt" followed by the infinitive "to create" fits both grammatically and contextually, as it means to make an effort or try to establish the desired physical environment.

Explanation

The passage discusses the challenges of maintaining concentration while studying and suggests creating a physical environment that supports this objective. In this context, the word focussed is the most appropriate fit because a proper study environment should facilitate concentrated, deep, and undivided attention, which is represented by focussed thought. This directly aligns with the central theme of enhancing concentration and academic productivity.

Explanation

The word litrature is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is literature, which contains an additional letter e after the t, making it l-i-t-e-r-a-t-u-r-e. It refers to written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.

Explanation

The word contaminate means to make something dirty, impure, or polluted by exposing it to or mixing it with a polluting substance. The word clean means to remove dirt, marks, or impurities from something, thereby restoring it to a pure state. Thus, clean is the direct antonym of contaminate.

Explanation

The idiomatic expression "in the heart of" is standard English used to describe a location situated in the center or central part of a specific region, state, or country. Since Hyderabad is centrally located within the state of Telangana, the phrase "in the heart of Telangana" is the grammatically correct and meaningful substitution.

Explanation

The word ghastly means extremely unpleasant, objectionable, or offensive to the senses. In the context of swallowing medicine, it describes something that has a highly repulsive, bad, or disagreeable taste. The word horrible is a direct synonym that conveys the exact same meaning of being extremely unpleasant or dreadful, making it the most appropriate substitution for the underlined segment.

Explanation

Frivolity refers to the state of being frivolous, which is characterized by a lack of seriousness, depth, or importance. Insignificance denotes the quality of being unimportant, trivial, or lacking in weight and consequence. Since both terms describe something that lacks value, gravity, or serious meaning, insignificance serves as an accurate synonym for frivolity.

Explanation

The idiom "have a bee in your bonnet" is used to describe someone who is obsessed with or constantly preoccupied by a particular idea, concern, or issue. The expression evokes the image of a bee trapped inside a person's hat, which would naturally occupy all of their attention and cause them to act in an agitated, single-minded manner.

Explanation

The word fastidious describes someone who is extremely attentive to accuracy, detail, and neatness, often being very meticulous or difficult to please. The word lax means negligent, slack, or careless, showing a lack of strictness or care. Therefore, lax serves as the direct antonym of fastidious as it represents the opposite quality of being unconcerned with precise standards or order.

Explanation

The term vacant is used to describe a seat, room, or space that is unoccupied, empty, and available for use. In the context of finding a place to sit on a bus, vacant seat is the precise and collocated English expression to indicate a seat that is not currently being used by any passenger.

Explanation

The idiom stick to one's guns means to maintain one's position, belief, or course of action in the face of opposition, criticism, or pressure. It originates from the military practice of gunners remaining at their posts and continuing to fire their artillery even when under heavy attack, thereby staying true and loyal to their duty. Thus, it represents remaining faithful to one's standpoint or principles.

Explanation

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are positioned in a straight or nearly straight line. The term alignment specifically describes this straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies. When this straight-line positioning is imperfect, the Moon does not pass entirely through the central part of the Earth's shadow, resulting in a partial lunar eclipse rather than a total one.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is immigrate, which means to come to live permanently in a foreign country. The spelling immigrete is incorrect because the third syllable must be spelled with an a instead of an e.

Explanation

The adjective gifted is idiomatically paired with the preposition with when describing a person who naturally possesses a particular quality, talent, or power. The phrase gifted with means to be endowed by nature with a specific ability, such as the power of eloquence mentioned in the sentence.

Explanation

The word industrious means hard-working, diligent, and constantly active or productive. Its direct antonym is lazy, which describes someone who is unwilling to work or use energy.

Explanation

The phrasal verb took apart means to dismantle, disassemble, or break something down into its pieces. In the given sentence, dismantled refers to the severe destruction and breakdown of the village and its people caused by the cloudburst. Substituting it with took apart maintains the same meaning of complete structural deconstruction and devastation.

Explanation

The word flammable refers to a substance that is easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly. Its direct antonym is non-combustible, which describes a substance that is not capable of catching fire or burning under normal conditions. This term combines the prefix non-, meaning not, with combustible, meaning capable of burning, directly opposing the definition of flammable.

Explanation

The phrase on display is a standard idiomatic prepositional phrase in English which means being exhibited, shown, or made visible to the public. In the context of art, such as paintings in a national museum, objects are kept on display for visitors to view. Therefore, the preposition on is the correct and natural choice to accompany display in this sentence.

Explanation

The segment contains an incorrect preposition because the correct preposition to use when placing or displaying something on a flat surface like a board is on. Therefore, the phrase should be on the bulletin board instead of upon the bulletin board, as upon is overly formal and typically used to indicate movement onto a surface or in abstract expressions.

Explanation

The segment "raining heavy" contains a grammatical error because the verb "raining" requires an adverb to modify it. The word "heavy" is an adjective, whereas the adverb "heavily" must be used to describe how it is raining.