SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word defeat means to be overcome or to lose a battle, contest, or struggle. Its direct antonym is victory, which denotes triumph, success, or winning a battle or contest. In the given sentence, victory is used to describe the successful outcome of the battle for Babur, making it the most appropriate antonym for defeat.

Explanation

The main clause of the sentence is in the past tense, as indicated by the verb lived. To maintain tense consistency, the relative clause describing the river must also be in the past tense. Additionally, the noun being modified, river, is singular, which requires the singular past tense verb was. The relative pronoun which correctly refers back to the singular noun river, followed by the past continuous construction was always silently rolling.

Explanation

The word important refers to something that is of great significance, value, or consequence. Its direct antonym must represent something of little value, meaning, or worth. The word trivial precisely defines something that is of very little importance or value, making it the correct antonym.

Explanation

The verb sailing refers to the action of traveling on water in a ship or boat. In this context, it perfectly describes the action of a sailor navigating a vessel through high tides.

Explanation

The word knot refers to a fastening made by tying a piece of string, rope, or shoelace. In this context, a tight or tangled fastening in the shoelace caused difficulty or trouble, making it the grammatically and semantically correct choice for the blank.

Explanation

In the given sentence, the word calculating is used to describe someone who schemes, plans, and plots selfishly to achieve a specific end, which is power. The word manipulative shares this exact meaning, as it refers to a person who cleverly and deviously controls or influences situations and people to their own advantage. Therefore, manipulative serves as the most appropriate synonym for calculating in this context.

Explanation

The word content is an adjective that means satisfied, pleased, or at ease with one's situation or achievements. In the context of the sentence, it expresses a state of peaceful satisfaction with the work completed during the day. The correct spelling of this word is c-o-n-t-e-n-t.

Explanation

The word merit refers to a commendable quality, virtue, or excellence that deserves praise or recognition. Its direct antonym is fault, which denotes a defect, flaw, imperfection, or failing.

Explanation

The verb phrase "make sense" uses the base form of the verb "make". In English, the auxiliary verb "does" or its negative contraction "doesn't" is required to form questions with a bare infinitive verb. Substituting the underlined segment with "doesn't it" correctly completes the rhetorical question as "doesn't it make sense", which is grammatically accurate and conveys the intended meaning in the present tense.

Explanation

The verb bear means to endure, tolerate, or carry a heavy emotional or physical burden. In this sentence, it correctly conveys that Namita is unable to tolerate or cope with the emotional suffering caused by her cat's death.

Explanation

The phrase "a round of applause" is a standard English idiom and collocation used to describe a burst of clapping from an audience to show appreciation or approval. In this context, "round" functions as a noun denoting a single outburst or volley of cheering and hand-clapping, making it the grammatically and semantically correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The subordinating conjunction "As" at the beginning of the sentence introduces a dependent clause of reason. In standard grammar, when a dependent clause is introduced by "as", "since", or "because", it is incorrect to use "so" to introduce the subsequent main clause, as this results in a redundant conjunction error. Therefore, the word "so" must be omitted to connect the clauses properly. Furthermore, since the noun "email" begins with a vowel sound, it must be preceded by the indefinite article "an" instead of "a". Omitting the redundant conjunction and correcting the article results in the grammatically precise clause "I wrote an email to her".

Explanation

The word Advertisment is incorrectly spelt. The correct spelling is Advertisement, which includes an e after the s.

Explanation

The word Aquire is spelling incorrectly. The correct spelling is Acquire, which requires the letter c before the q. It means to buy or obtain an asset or object, or to learn or develop a skill, habit, or quality.

Explanation

In business English, the standard idiomatic phrase used to describe successfully finalizing or concluding a negotiation or agreement is to close a deal. This collocation is widely used to indicate that all terms have been agreed upon and the transaction is officially completed.

Explanation

The sentence correctly uses the simple future tense to express a hope or prediction about a state or event occurring in the future. The helping verb "will" combined with the base form of the verb "get" is the standard grammatical construction for the future tense, which perfectly aligns with the future time marker "by next week".

Explanation

The sentence uses the adverb melodiously to correctly modify the verb plays, describing the manner in which Ragini performs the action. In English grammar, adverbs of manner are placed after the verb or after the direct object, which is the guitar in this sentence, making the construction grammatically correct and natural.

Explanation

The verb hear is a stative verb of perception and is typically not used in the continuous or progressive tense. Instead of the present continuous form I am hearing, the simple present tense I hear or the present perfect tense I have heard should be used to express that someone has received information. This makes part A of the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Explanation

The segment contains an incorrect preposition because the preposition "for" is used incorrectly before the event. When referring to delivering a presentation, speech, or talk at a specific event, seminar, or conference, the grammatically appropriate preposition to use is "at". Therefore, "for" should be replaced with "at" to correctly read as "to give a presentation at our Jobs and Careers Conference".

Explanation

The relative pronoun who is used to refer to a person as the subject of the verb that follows in a relative clause. In this sentence, the noun phrase a man acts as the subject performing the action used to tell, which makes who the grammatically correct pronoun to connect the clauses.

Explanation

The indefinite pronoun somebody is grammatically singular and requires a singular verb. The sentence is written in direct speech, and the second part of the coordinate structure uses the present perfect tense with has stolen. To maintain tense consistency and parallel structure, the first verb phrase must also be in the present perfect tense. Therefore, the singular auxiliary verb has is used with the past participle broken to form has broken.

Explanation

In the given sentence, the blank requires an adverb of degree to modify the adjective shocked. The word quite functions as an adverb of degree meaning to a significant degree or very. When placed in the blank, it correctly intensifies the adjective shocked to show the intense emotional state of the fortune teller upon hearing the sudden bad news, making the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful.

Explanation

The narrative of the story is written in the simple past tense, as indicated by past tense verbs throughout the passage such as was, came, said, ran, and saw. In the clause under consideration, the coordinating conjunction and connects two actions performed by the customer in the past. To maintain parallel structure and tense consistency with the verb saw, the verb in blank 4 must also be in the simple past tense, which is commented.

Explanation

The sentence describes a regular, habitual action, as indicated by the frequency adverb phrase "Every day". Habitual actions and routines are expressed using the simple present tense. Since the subject of the clause is "he", which is third-person singular, the verb must also be in its third-person singular form, which is "tells".

Explanation

In English grammar and vocabulary usage, the verb "make" is the standard collocated verb that naturally pairs with the noun "decision". The idiomatic phrase "to make a decision" means to reach a conclusion, decide on a course of action, or resolve a choice after deliberation. Therefore, "make" is the correct collocate to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The word juvenile refers to a young person who is not yet old enough to be regarded as an adult, or characteristics relating to youth and childhood. The term adult refers to a person who is fully grown or developed, or someone who has reached the legal age of majority, making it the direct antonym of juvenile.

Explanation

The word lousy is used to describe something of very poor quality, bad, or miserable. Similarly, pitiful means miserably inadequate, very poor, or of extremely low quality, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The word resourceful refers to someone who is clever, capable, and highly skilled at finding quick and creative ways to solve problems or overcome difficulties. Its direct antonym is incompetent, which describes someone who lacks the necessary skills, ability, or effectiveness to perform tasks successfully.

Explanation

The word produsing in the sentence is misspelled. The correct spelling is producing, which is the present participle form of the verb produce, meaning to make, manufacture, or create something.

Explanation

The word ascend means to rise, go upward, or advance to a higher social status, rank, or position of authority. In the context of attaining power, climb is the most appropriate synonym as it similarly denotes the act of rising or progressing upward to a higher level.

Explanation

The word plight refers to a difficult, distressing, or unfortunate situation. In the context of endangered species, which face the threat of extinction, their condition is highly critical and precarious. Substituting the underlined word with plight accurately conveys the struggles and dangers these species encounter in the rainforest.

Explanation

The word peice in the sentence is misspelled. The correct spelling is piece, which follows the standard English spelling rule of i before e except after c when producing the long ee sound. In this context, a piece of cake is a common idiomatic expression used to describe a task that is very simple or easy to accomplish.

Explanation

The word alluring refers to something that is highly attractive, charming, or tempting. Its direct opposite is repulsive, which means causing intense distaste, disgust, or driving others away.

Explanation

The idiom "on the condition that" is used to introduce a stipulation or requirement. This construction triggers the subjunctive mood in the clause that follows, which requires the use of the base form of the verb regardless of the subject. Therefore, the base form "return" is used with the third-person singular subject "she", making "on the condition that she return" the grammatically precise phrasing.

Explanation

The standard English idiom is "in lieu of", which means "instead of" or "in place of". The definite article "the" is not used in this fixed phrase. Furthermore, the preposition "of" is correctly followed by the gerund "playing" to serve as the object of the preposition.

Explanation

The idiom make up one's mind means to make a decision or to resolve a doubt. In the context of the sentence, it indicates that Prakash was unable to decide what to do with the project.

Explanation

The idiomatic expression "leave someone in the lurch" means to desert or abandon someone in a difficult, vulnerable, or embarrassing situation, especially when they are in desperate need of assistance or support. In the context of the sentence, the speaker went to their family for support during the challenging and distressing period following a divorce. Their family refusing to help them in this time of distress accurately captures the meaning of the idiom.

Explanation

The preposition at is used to denote a specific, precise point in time. Since 5:00 pm is an exact time of day, it must be preceded by at to indicate the scheduled departure of the flight.

Explanation

The word agile refers to the ability to move quickly, easily, and with coordination. The appropriate antonym is sluggish, which describes a state of being slow-moving, inactive, or lacking alertness and energy.

Explanation

The word peculiar is an adjective used to describe something that is unusual, odd, or out of the ordinary. The word strange directly shares this meaning, referring to something that is unfamiliar, anomalous, or different from what is normal or expected. Both terms are commonly used interchangeably to describe unconventional behaviors, characteristics, or occurrences.

Explanation

The verb arrived is incorrectly paired with the preposition to. In English grammar, the verb arrive is followed by the preposition at when referring to reaching a specific destination, building, or location like a railway station, airport, or hotel. It is followed by the preposition in when referring to cities, countries, or large geographic areas. Therefore, to the is incorrect and must be replaced with at the to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The segment contains an error in the usage of the phrasal verb. The phrasal verb "give in" means to surrender, yield, or capitulate. In the context of distributing prizes to customers, the correct phrasal verb to use is "giving away" or "giving out", which means to distribute something for free or hand something out to a group. Therefore, "giving in" must be replaced with "giving away" or "giving out" to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is This artwork, which is a singular noun phrase. According to the rule of subject-verb agreement, a singular subject must be paired with a singular verb. The plural verb are is grammatically incorrect in this context and must be replaced with the singular verb is to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The phrasal verb chickened out means to decide not to do something because of fear or a lack of courage. In the context of the sentence, since Prateek could not muster up the courage to ask Shreya for a favour, his decision to withdraw out of fear is precisely and correctly described by the term chickened out.

Explanation

The sentence structure requires a passive verb that connects the subject famines with the reasons for their occurrence, introduced by due to. The past participle caused fits grammatically and contextually to indicate that famines were brought about or produced during the British rule by factors such as unemployment, overexploitation of farmers, and lack of access to food.

Explanation

The import of cheap machine-made goods from Britain disrupted the traditional Indian handicraft and handloom industries, leading to massive, widespread unemployment among local artisans and weavers. The term "including large-scale" correctly identifies this widespread unemployment as one of the major reasons contributing to the occurrences of famines during the British colonial rule.

Explanation

The passage describes the colonial policies and economic conditions that led to severe famines in India. Restricted access to food accurately depicts the historical reality where food resources were limited, controlled, and heavily exported by the British administration, leaving the local population with minimal or highly constrained availability of essential food grains.

Explanation

During the mid-1960s, India initiated the Green Revolution, which utilized high-yielding variety seeds, modern irrigation, and chemical fertilizers. This technological breakthrough dramatically increased agricultural productivity, particularly for wheat and rice. By the mid-1970s, these advancements enabled the country to produce enough food grains to meet domestic demand without relying on foreign imports, marking the achievement of self-sufficiency in food grain production.

Explanation

The Green Revolution in India refers to the period when Indian agriculture was converted into a modern industrial system due to the adoption of technology, such as the use of high-yielding variety seeds, tractor technology, irrigation facilities, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. This initiative, which began in the mid-1960s, is often characterized as a seed-water-fertilizer-led strategy that successfully transformed India from a food-deficit nation to a self-sufficient food grain producer by the late 1970s.

Explanation

The idiom fair-weather friend refers to a person who remains a friend only when circumstances are easy and pleasant, which corresponds to times of prosperity. Such individuals lack the loyalty to support someone during difficult times or adversity, making the definition of a friend who is present only during prosperous periods highly accurate.