SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The word deflate means to release air or gas from a container, such as a balloon, causing it to shrink or collapse. The word inflate means to fill a container with air or gas so that it distends or expands. Therefore, inflate is the direct opposite or antonym of deflate.

Explanation

The idiom wrapping one's head around something means to find a way to understand, process, or accept a concept, event, or situation that is complex, unusual, or difficult to comprehend. In the sentence, the speaker is stating that they cannot discuss the situation immediately because they are still in the process of trying to comprehend its complicated nature.

Explanation

The noun career refers to a person's journey through learning, work, and other aspects of life, representing their professional path or progress. In the context of the sentence, focusing on one's long-term professional development and life goals is contrasted with wandering aimlessly. The correct spelling for this meaning is career.

Explanation

The word "affirm" means to state as a fact, assert strongly, or validate the truth of something. The word "confirm" similarly means to establish the truth, correctness, or validity of a statement, belief, or fact, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The word calendar is spelled correctly with an a in the last syllable, not an e. It refers to a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. The common misspelling of this word is celender, making calendar the correct spelling.

Explanation

The word fertile refers to land or soil that is highly capable of producing abundant vegetation, crops, or fruit, or more broadly, anything that is highly creative, inventive, or generative. The word productive similarly denotes the ability to yield, create, or bring forth abundant goods, crops, or results, making it the closest synonym in meaning.

Explanation

The adverb quite is used to modify the adjective well to mean completely, entirely, or to a considerable degree. In the context of describing someone's health or state of being, the phrase quite well is a standard idiomatic expression. Replacing the incorrect phrase almost quiet with the adverb quite makes the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful.

Explanation

The word refuge refers to a place that provides safety, protection, or shelter from danger, trouble, or difficult conditions, such as the harsh weather of the winter season. Therefore, shelter is the most appropriate synonym that captures this meaning of safety and protection in the given context.

Explanation

The word marigold is the correct spelling of the flower. In this type of question, this option corresponds to the word that was misspelled in the original test sentence, which commonly appears with typographical errors such as maregold or marigolde, identifying it as the incorrectly spelt word in the context of the exam query.

Explanation

The word boisterous means noisy, energetic, and rowdy. Its antonym is placid, which means calm, peaceful, quiet, and undisturbed. Replacing boisterous with placid successfully reverses the meaning of the sentence, changing the description of the students' behavior at home from loud and unruly to calm and quiet.

Explanation

An epoch is defined as a distinctive, notable, or significant period in history, typically marked by important events, developments, or changes. In the context of the sentence, the revolt of the labourers is highlighted as a major historical milestone, making "important period" the most appropriate substitution.

Explanation

The compound adjective high-paying is the grammatically correct form used to describe a job that yields a large income. When forming compound adjectives that describe an ongoing action or characteristic of a noun, the structure typically combines an adjective or adverb with a present participle (verb ending in -ing). Therefore, high-paying correctly modifies the noun job in this context.

Explanation

The word cheap means low in price or costing little money. The word expensive is its direct antonym, meaning costing a lot of money or high in price. In the context of purchasing dresses, expensive represents the opposite financial value of cheap.

Explanation

The word towed is the past participle of the verb tow, which means to pull or drag a vehicle away using another vehicle, a rope, or a chain. In the context of mechanics removing a damaged vehicle from an accident scene, this is the correct spelling and term to describe the action of transporting the car.

Explanation

The grammatical structure many a is always followed by a singular countable noun and a singular verb, even though it conveys a plural meaning representing many individuals of a group taken one at a time. Therefore, many a must be followed by the singular noun woman and the singular present tense verb works to maintain correct grammatical agreement.

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error because the sentence refers to a completed action at a specific, definite time in the past, indicated by the adverbial phrase last night. For actions that were completed at a specific time in the past, the simple past tense is grammatically appropriate rather than the past continuous tense. Therefore, the past continuous verb phrase was singing should be replaced with the simple past tense verb sang to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

Correct Answer: C

The phrasal verb sort out means to resolve a problem, clarify a confusing situation, or organize things into order. In the context of a police inspector dealing with contradicting stories at an accident scene, the inspector is attempting to clarify, reconcile, and make sense of the conflicting accounts, which makes sort out the grammatically and contextually correct phrasal verb to use.

Explanation

The phrase "be study" is grammatically incorrect. In the future continuous tense, the auxiliary verb structure "will be" must be followed by the present participle form of the verb, which is "studying". Therefore, the verb "study" should be changed to "studying" to make the sentence grammatically correct as "I will be studying around 7 o'clock." Alternatively, to use the simple future tense, the auxiliary "be" should be omitted to write "I will study".

Explanation

The subject "My daughter" is third-person singular. According to the rules of subject-verb agreement, a singular subject in the simple present tense requires a singular verb. Therefore, the verb "participate" must be written in its singular form "participates" to maintain correct grammatical agreement.

Explanation

The idiomatic phrase "come to the conclusion" is the standard English expression used to describe reaching a final decision, judgment, or opinion after conducting research or investigation. In this context, nutrition experts have studied the harmful effects of junk food and logically arrived at this deduction based on their findings.

Explanation

The blank requires a verb that denotes the action of presenting or broadcasting advertisements to the public. In this context, junk food manufacturing companies use visual and media campaigns to target consumers, which is appropriately described as showing deceptive advertisements. This aligns with the context of displaying advertisements to mislead people into believing junk food is healthy.

Explanation

The sentence discusses substituting junk food with a better alternative, specifically exemplifying it with fruits and vegetables. Since the passage contrasts the negative health effects of junk food with nutritious options, and later advises readers to look for healthier food alternatives, the comparative adjective healthier is the grammatically and contextually correct choice to describe food like fruits and vegetables in comparison to junk food.

Explanation

The word grabbing is the most appropriate fit for blank 4 because it is a common informal expression meaning to quickly get, buy, or consume food. In the context of impulsive food choices like burgers, hotdogs, and pizzas at restaurants or parties, the action of grabbing depicts the sudden, instinctive desire to obtain and eat these items.

Explanation

The context of the sentence advises the reader to resist the urge to eat junk food and look for healthier alternatives or choices. The word "options" refers to things that can be chosen from a set of possibilities, making "healthier food options" the most grammatically correct and semantically appropriate phrase to suggest alternative food choices.

Explanation

Benevolent means well-meaning, kindly, or expressing goodwill and a desire to help others. Cruel represents the exact opposite, meaning willfully causing pain or suffering to others, devoid of mercy or kindness.

Explanation

The word marriage is correctly spelled as M-A-R-R-I-A-G-E, which refers to the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship. Any other spelling, such as mariage or marriage with single r or incorrect vowels, is incorrect.

Explanation

The verb think is followed by the preposition about when referring to active mental contemplation, recollection, or remembering a past event or concept. In this sentence, the subject is reminiscing on the enjoyable experience shared in the past, making thinking about the grammatically correct and natural phrasing to express this mental action.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is "courageous", which means possessing or characterized by courage. The silent 'e' at the end of the root word "courage" is retained before adding the suffix "-ous" to maintain the soft 'g' sound.

Explanation

The idiom a bolt from the blue refers to a sudden and completely unexpected occurrence or piece of news. This expression draws its imagery from the highly unlikely and surprising event of a lightning bolt striking from a clear, cloudless blue sky, which leaves people entirely unprepared.

Explanation

The word uniform means remaining the same in all cases, consistent, or having a single, homogenous form or character throughout. Its antonym must denote variety, difference, or lack of uniformity. Variegated means exhibiting different colors, patterns, or diverse characteristics in patches or parts. In biological and botanical contexts, such as cell wall growth, variegated directly contrasts with uniform because it signifies unevenness, variation, and diversity rather than a single consistent state.

Explanation

In English grammar, adverbs of frequency such as always, usually, and often are typically positioned directly before the main verb of the sentence. In this sentence, the main verb is takes, so the adverb always must be placed immediately before it, resulting in the correct word order always takes.

Explanation

The phrasal verb "come under" means to experience, undergo, or be subjected to something, typically something negative such as criticism, scrutiny, pressure, or attack. In this context, the construction sites are being subjected to opposition and hostile criticism from environmentalists, making "come under attack" the correct idiomatic expression to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The word dismal is defined as gloomy, dreary, dark, or depressing. Its antonym must convey a sense of brightness, light, or cheerfulness. Luminous means bright, shining, or shedding light, which directly contrasts with the dark and gloomy meaning of dismal, making it the most appropriate antonym.

Explanation

The idiom walk a tightrope means to deal with a precarious or highly sensitive situation with extreme care and caution, often because one is trying to balance opposing forces or avoid a major mistake. It draws a comparison to a tightrope walker who must take highly controlled, precise steps to avoid falling, symbolizing the need for tactful and careful action in a difficult or risky scenario.

Explanation

Transparency refers to the state of being clear, open, and easily seen through or understood. Opacity is the direct antonym, denoting the quality of being opaque, obscure, or impenetrable to light and sight, which in a procedural context means a lack of openness or clearness.

Explanation

The word desire refers to a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. Longing is defined as a strong, persistent desire or craving, especially for something that is distant or unattainable, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The word obsolete refers to something that is no longer produced or used, or has become out of date. The word outdated shares this exact meaning, as it describes something that is old-fashioned, superseded, or no longer useful. Replacing obsolete with outdated in the sentence perfectly preserves its meaning, indicating that the old, unusable computer system was replaced by a newer and more effective one.

Explanation

The word noble describes someone of high social rank, aristocratic birth, or possessing superior moral qualities and dignity. The direct antonym of noble is common, which refers to something or someone of ordinary status, lacking distinction, or belonging to the general public rather than the aristocracy.

Explanation

The word vehement is used to describe actions, feelings, or expressions that are characterized by great force, passion, or intense energy. The word mild represents the direct opposite of this intensity, denoting something that is gentle, moderate, temperate, or weak in force.

Explanation

The sentence context involves expressing regret for a blunder, which is a serious mistake. A letter written to express regret and say sorry for a mistake or wrongdoing is standardly referred to as a "letter of apology". Replacing the word mistake with apology forms the correct and idiomatic expression suitable for the situation described.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The phrasal verb "take down" is used incorrectly in this context. For an aircraft, the correct phrasal verb to describe leaving the ground and beginning to fly is "take off". Therefore, the past tense form in the sentence should be "took off" instead of "took down" to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

Explanation

The indefinite article a is used before words that begin with a consonant sound, whereas an is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. Since the word American begins with the vowel sound, the correct article to use before it is an. Using a before American is a grammatical error.

Explanation

The indefinite article "an" must be used before words that begin with a vowel sound. Since "umbrella" begins with a vowel sound (/ʌ/), it should be preceded by "an" instead of "a", making "an umbrella" the grammatically correct phrase.

Explanation

The sentence is written in the future continuous tense, which describes an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. The correct grammatical structure for the future continuous tense is subject + will/shall + be + present participle (verb-ing). In the segment "She shall being", the auxiliary verb "shall" is incorrectly followed by "being" instead of the base verb "be". The grammatically correct phrase is "She shall be" or "She will be".

Explanation

The preposition in is standardly used in English to specify the dimension of a measurement. When expressing size, the structure measurement followed by in and the dimension name, such as in diameter, in length, in width, or in height, is grammatically correct. This indicates that the measurement of 1.4 million kilometres refers specifically to the diameter of the Sun.

Explanation

The sentence structure requires a plural noun to agree with the plural subject "Sunspots" and the plural linking verb "are". The term "regions" fits this grammatical requirement and contextually describes the distinct, localized areas or zones on the Sun's surface that exhibit lower temperatures than the surrounding solar photosphere.

Explanation

The verb appear is followed by a to-infinitive (to travel) to indicate how something seems or is perceived from an observer's perspective. In this context, as the Sun rotates, the sunspot groups seem or appear to travel across the Sun's surface over a period of two weeks.

Explanation

The phrasal verb refers to means to relate to, denote, or describe a particular phenomenon. In this context, the sentence explains that the periodic eleven-year variation in the number of sunspots is called or described as the solar or sunspot cycle. The presence of the preposition to immediately after the blank makes refers the grammatically correct and meaningful choice to complete the expression refers to.

Explanation

Satellites like Nimbus 7 are scientific instruments designed to monitor and gather data about the Earth's atmosphere, climate, and radiation. In scientific contexts, the data and measurements collected by these instruments from space are formally referred to as observations. Therefore, this term correctly fits the context of gathering empirical data on how sunspots affect the amount of heat reaching Earth.

Explanation

The word swap means to give or take one thing in exchange for another. In the given sentence, the word exchange is used in the same context of substituting the tickets for a different date, making it the most appropriate synonym.