SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The phrase "more quicker" is grammatically incorrect because it uses a double comparative. The word "quicker" is already in its comparative form, making "more" redundant. Additionally, because this phrase modifies the verb "completed", it requires an adverb rather than an adjective. The correct comparative adverb form to use in this context is "more quickly".

Explanation

The indefinite article a is used before singular countable nouns that begin with a consonant sound. Since the adjective successful begins with the consonant sound /s/, it must be preceded by the article a rather than an to be grammatically correct.

Explanation

The phrasal verb come over means to visit someone at their house. In this sentence, the friend is unwell and requests the speaker to visit her home to help take care of her, making come over the semantically and grammatically correct expression to use.

Explanation

The word haughty means arrogantly superior, disdainful, or proud. Its most direct antonym is modest, which means humble, unassuming, and lacking in vanity or arrogance.

Explanation

The word generous describes someone who is willing to give money, help, or kindness freely. The word mean, in this context, refers to someone who is stingy, selfish, or unwilling to share or spend money. Therefore, mean is the direct antonym of generous.

Explanation

The word injustice refers to an instance of unfairness, bias, or the violation of the rights of others. Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, which represents a direct form of systemic or individual injustice, making it the most appropriate synonym because both terms denote unfair treatment and a lack of equity.

Explanation

The sentence requires parallel grammatical structure because the coordinating conjunction "and" connects two action phrases that are both governed by the modal auxiliary verb "may". A modal verb must be followed by the base form of the verb. Thus, the base form "manage" is parallel to the base form "help". The prepositional phrase "in reducing" correctly follows "help" to describe the activity being assisted, completing a grammatically correct and parallel sentence structure.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The word forbidden means prohibited, not allowed, or banned by law or rule. The exact antonym of this is allowed, which means permitted, authorized, or given consent.

Explanation

The verb like is followed by either a gerund (verb-ing) or a to-infinitive to express a general preference, hobby, or habitual activity. In this sentence, playing is a gerund that functions as the direct object of the verb like, making the sentence grammatically correct and natural.

Explanation

The word erudite is an adjective used to describe someone who has or shows great knowledge, learning, or scholarship. It originates from the Latin word eruditus, which means instructed or polished. An erudite person is highly intellectual and well-read. The word educated is a direct synonym, as it refers to a person who has received a high level of schooling, instruction, and mental training, thereby possessing extensive knowledge and learning.

Explanation

The preposition "by" is used to indicate proximity, meaning "near", "next to", or "beside". In this sentence, it correctly specifies the physical location of the hospital in relation to the river, indicating that the hospital is situated next to the river.

Explanation

The sentence is a third conditional sentence, which is used to express a hypothetical situation in the past and its imaginary result. The standard grammatical structure for a third conditional sentence requires the past perfect tense in the if-clause (if + subject + had + past participle) and "would have" followed by the past participle form of the main verb in the consequence clause (subject + would have + past participle).

The original sentence incorrectly uses the base form of the verb "allow" after "would have". Using the past participle form "allowed" satisfies this conditional structure, making the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The idiom bells and whistles refers to extra, attractive features or embellishments added to a product, device, or system to make it more appealing to consumers. While these features make the product look more sophisticated or exciting, they are not essential to its primary function or core utility.

Explanation

The word weather refers to the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, including characteristics such as temperature, cloudiness, humidity, and wind. In this sentence, the description cloudy and humid refers to these atmospheric conditions, making weather the correct noun to fit the context.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The compound adjective good-hearted should be written as a single hyphenated word without any space after the hyphen. In the given sentence, the insertion of a space between the hyphen and the word hearted makes the spelling and formatting of the compound word incorrect.

Explanation

In English grammar, to compare two people or things to an equal degree (or unequal degree in the negative), the correlative conjunction as... as is used with an adjective in between. The structure is subject + verb + not + as + adjective + as + noun/pronoun. The phrase such as is used to introduce examples rather than to make a comparison of degree. Replacing such as with the correct comparative structure as... as creates a grammatically accurate sentence.

Explanation

The phrase "a lot of" is a standard English idiomatic expression used as a quantifier to denote a large quantity or number of something. In this expression, the indefinite article "a" is grammatically required before the noun "lot" when it is followed by "of" and a plural or uncountable noun. This makes the sentence grammatically accurate and natural.

Explanation

The sentence is written in the passive voice, indicated by the auxiliary verb structure "must not be". In passive voice constructions, the main verb that follows "be" must be in its past participle form. The past participle of the verb "see" is "seen", which correctly completes the passive verb phrase "must not be seen".

Explanation

The conjunction "when" is used to introduce a temporal clause, establishing the time frame or condition under which the event in the main clause occurs. In this sentence, it correctly indicates that the increased susceptibility to health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes will happen at the time that these obese children grow up into adults.

Explanation

The adjective prone is grammatically paired with the preposition to when indicating a susceptibility, vulnerability, or likelihood of experiencing something undesirable, such as health problems. The collocated phrase prone to means likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something.

Explanation

The coordinating conjunction or is used to connect alternative terms or items in a list. In this sentence, high blood pressure and diabetes are presented as examples of health problems that obese children are prone to developing. The conjunction links these two specific medical conditions as alternative possibilities within the category of health problems.

Explanation

In the given sentence, the phrase "common sight" is a standard idiomatic expression in English that refers to something that is frequently seen, encountered, or observed in a particular place or situation. Using "sight" in blank 5 correctly conveys that overweight children are increasingly being seen or noticed in many countries today.

Explanation

In the sentence, the word smooth is used incorrectly as an adjective to modify the phrasal verb went on. Since it describes the manner in which the action of the competition proceeding occurred, the adverb smoothly must be used instead of the adjective smooth. Therefore, the correct phrase is the competition went on smoothly.

Explanation

The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will be completed before a specified point of time in the future. The standard grammatical structure for the future perfect tense is subject + will have + past participle form of the verb. In this sentence, the action of revising the course is expected to be completed before another future event, which is the final examination. Using "will have revised" correctly establishes this chronological relationship in the future.

Explanation

The word amenable means cooperative, easily persuaded, or open to influence and suggestion. This is the direct opposite of being stubborn, dogmatic, or inflexible, which describe someone who is rigid, unyielding, and unwilling to change their mind or compromise.

Explanation

The sentence describes a recurring, habitual situation that happens every year during the winter season. For general facts, habits, or repeated actions, the simple present tense must be used instead of the present continuous tense. Therefore, the present continuous verb phrase "are not running" is grammatically incorrect and should be replaced with the simple present tense "do not run" to properly express this regular occurrence.

Explanation

The simple present tense verb "comes" indicates a habitual or regular action. The adverb of frequency "daily" fits grammatically and semantically to describe how often this recurring action takes place, denoting an everyday routine.

Explanation

The context of the passage describes a society characterized by an enormous variety of industries, professional branches, specializations, and diverse domains of human activity. This high degree of division, differentiation, and specialization makes the structure of society highly intricate and multifaceted. The word complex perfectly describes this state of having many interconnected and diverse parts, which necessitates hierarchy and specialized competence to ensure normal functioning.

Explanation

The sentence describes the vast range and multi-faceted nature of various sectors in the United States, mentioning an enormous variety of industries, professional branches, and specialisations. The phrase "a great diversity of" perfectly complements "enormous variety of" in this context, as "diversity" refers to the state of having many different forms, types, or elements, which aligns with the description of multiple varied domains of human activity and interest.

Explanation

The sentence discusses the necessity of leadership in various realms of human activity and thinking. The clause following the blank, "where more people are involved", presents a specific condition under which this necessity is particularly strong. The adverb "especially" is used to single out and place intense focus on this specific circumstance, indicating that while leadership is necessary in almost any realm, it is particularly or exceptionally crucial when a larger group of people is involved. This makes "especially" the most grammatically and contextually appropriate choice for blank 3.

Explanation

The term accepting fits contextually and grammatically in the sentence to mean acknowledging, understanding, or recognizing as true. Since the preceding sentences establish that leadership naturally emerges as a necessity in almost all areas of human activity, it is easy to understand or accept the reason why academic institutions assign leadership essays to students.

Explanation

The term familiar is the most appropriate fit for blank 5 because it forms the standard English collocation becoming familiar with, which means getting to know or gaining a good understanding of something. In the context of the passage, because students will eventually take on leadership roles, it is essential for them to acquire knowledge and understanding of the typical challenges, solutions, and skills associated with leadership.

Explanation

The word jealous refers to feeling or showing resentment, anger, or bitterness toward someone else's success, possessions, or advantages. In the given sentence, the individual feels this resentment because someone else was chosen for the job. Envious is a direct synonym as it specifically means feeling or showing a desire to have what someone else possesses or has achieved, perfectly matching the context of resentment over another person's selection.

Explanation

Despondency refers to a state of low spirits, sadness, and a complete loss of hope or courage. Cheerfulness, which denotes a state of being bright, happy, optimistic, and full of good spirits, serves as its direct antonym.

Explanation

The word placid is a direct synonym of calm. It is derived from the Latin word placidus, meaning gentle or quiet. When used to describe a body of water like the ocean, placid indicates that the water is peaceful, serene, and free from disturbance or agitation, which perfectly matches the context of a calm ocean being lit up by the setting sun.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is indisputably, which ends with the suffix -ably, meaning in a way that cannot be challenged or denied. The spelling Indisputebly is incorrect as it uses the letter e instead of a.

Explanation

The idiom "hit the sack" is a common colloquial expression that means to go to bed or go to sleep. The origin of this phrase dates back to a time when mattresses were typically made of large sacks stuffed with straw, hay, or feathers. To "hit the sack" literally referred to the act of lying down on one's sack mattress to sleep at the end of the day.

Explanation

The word grumpy describes someone who is bad-tempered, irritable, and easily annoyed. The word amiable describes someone who is friendly, pleasant, and warm in disposition, making it the direct antonym of grumpy.

Explanation

The idiom "sell like hot cakes" means to be bought or disposed of quickly and in large quantities. The phrase originates from the high demand for freshly made hot cakes (such as pancakes or griddle cakes) at social gatherings, church sales, and fairs in the 19th century, where they would sell out almost as fast as they could be prepared. Today, it is used metaphorically to describe any product or item that is highly popular and sells out rapidly.

Explanation

The preposition "by" is idiomatically correct when asking for or telling the time according to a specific timepiece. In English, a watch or clock is treated as the standard or authority of measurement, so one refers to the time shown "by" that watch rather than "in" or "on" it.

Explanation

The word gaudy means excessively bright, showy, or tastelessly ornamented. The word sober, when describing appearance or clothing, means quiet, subdued, plain, and serious in color or style, making it the direct antonym.

Explanation

The idiomatic expression used to denote giving consideration or mind to something is pay attention. In this sentence, the auxiliary verb hasn't (has not) indicates the present perfect tense, which requires the past participle form of the verb. The past participle of pay is paid, making it the grammatically correct choice to complete the collocation.

Explanation

The word morose describes someone who is sullen, gloomy, ill-tempered, and unsocial. The word jovial is its direct antonym, as it characterizes a person who is cheerful, friendly, and full of high-spirited good humor.

Explanation

The word Agressive is spelt incorrectly. The correct spelling of the word is aggressive, which requires a double g. It is an adjective that describes behaving in an angry, forceful, or threatening manner.

Explanation

The correct spelling is amalgamate, which means to combine, blend, or unite multiple elements, such as different businesses or ideas, into a single unified body or structure. It is derived from the noun amalgam, which historically refers to an alloy of mercury with another metal.

Explanation

The noun promotion begins with a consonant sound, which requires the indefinite article a instead of an. The article an is only used before words that begin with a vowel sound. Therefore, the phrase must be corrected to a promotion.

Explanation

The idiom blowing smoke originates from the practice of magicians using smoke to create illusions and obscure the truth from the audience. In modern English, it is used to describe the act of speaking dishonestly, exaggerating, or fabricating information to mislead, deceive, or perplex others, often to create a false impression of competence or to cover up a lack of real substance.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is today, which functions as a singular noun in this context. According to the rules of subject-verb agreement, a singular subject must be paired with a singular verb. The plural verb Are is grammatically incorrect when paired with today and must be replaced with the singular verb Is to make the question grammatically correct.

Explanation

The sentence requires a finite verb phrase to complete the predicate after the singular subject "She". The present perfect continuous tense "has been developing" is grammatically correct as it uses the singular auxiliary verb "has" followed by "been" and the present participle "developing" to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

Explanation

The word humble refers to someone who is modest, meek, or showing a low estimate of their own importance. The direct antonym of humble is proud, which describes someone who has an excessively high opinion of themselves, their achievements, or their status, behaving in a self-important or arrogant manner.