SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The idiom a piece of cake is used in English to describe a task, activity, or job that is very easy or simple to complete. In the context of the sentence, it means that riding a horse was very easy for him, making a very easy task the most appropriate substitute.

Explanation

The word respect means to feel or show deep admiration for someone or something due to their abilities, qualities, or achievements. Honour is a direct synonym as it means to regard with high respect, esteem, or reverence. Both words are used to express high regard and appreciation for a person, institution, or principle.

Explanation

The word fearless is a direct synonym of brave, meaning showing a lack of fear in the face of danger. In the given sentence, substituting brave with fearless maintains the original meaning and context of a firefighter performing a heroic rescue under dangerous conditions.

Explanation

The word scrawny refers to being lean, bony, and unattractively thin. In the context of describing someone's physical stature, the word thin serves as the most appropriate synonym to replace scrawny while maintaining the original meaning of the sentence.

Explanation

The subject "The company" is a singular third-person noun. In standard English grammar, singular third-person subjects in the simple present tense require the auxiliary verb "does" for negation, followed by "not" and the base form of the main verb "break". This satisfies the rule of subject-verb agreement.

Explanation

The noun carrot refers to an orange-colored root vegetable that is commonly known as a favorite food of rabbits. In this context, it is the only homonym that makes sense as something edible that Sonu would consume like a rabbit.

Explanation

The word bold characterizes someone who is brave, confident, courageous, and daring, showing a willingness to take risks. Conversely, the word timid describes someone who lacks courage or confidence, and is easily frightened, hesitant, or shy. Therefore, timid serves as the direct antonym of bold.

Explanation

The segment "like good" is grammatically incorrect because the singular countable noun "cup" requires the indefinite article "a" before the modifying adjective "good". The correct phrasing is "like a good", which makes the sentence grammatically complete as "In this cold weather, there's nothing like a good cup of coffee."

Explanation

The indefinite article "an" is used before words starting with a vowel sound, whereas "a" is used before words starting with a consonant sound. Since the word "quiet" begins with the consonant sound /k/, the correct article to use is "a" instead of "an", making "There's a quiet street" the grammatically correct phrasing.

Explanation

Shame refers to a painful feeling of humiliation, guilt, or embarrassment arising from the consciousness of improper or dishonorable behavior. Pride represents the polar opposite emotional state, denoting a feeling of deep pleasure, self-respect, and satisfaction in one's own achievements, qualities, or worth. This makes it the direct antonym.

Explanation

The segment "was applauds" is grammatically incorrect because the sentence is written in the passive voice. The passive voice structure requires the auxiliary verb "was" followed by the past participle form of the main verb, which is "applauded". The word "applauds" is the third-person singular present tense form and must be replaced with "applauded" to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The use of the indefinite article "a" before "part" is grammatically incorrect in this context. When referring to an indefinite portion or fraction of a single whole object, the word "part" functions as an uncountable noun and does not take an article. The sentence should correctly begin with "Part of" instead of "A part of", or alternatively use "A piece of" to refer to a physical segment.

Explanation

The context of the passage focuses on positive environmental actions taken to protect the Earth, combat climate change, and support biodiversity. In the sentence, the blank is paired with the word "restore" to describe what should be done to critical forests. The word "conserve" means to protect and preserve natural resources, ecosystems, and habitats from harm or destruction, making it the most appropriate and logically consistent choice for this context.

Explanation

The context of the sentence is about taking active steps to protect, maintain, and support the health and ecological balance of the Earth. The verb sustain means to strengthen, support, or keep something in existence or continuation. In this imperative sentence, sustain correctly instructs the reader to preserve the planet's life-supporting systems by planting a tree, which aligns with the overall theme of environmental protection and forest restoration mentioned in the passage.

Explanation

The word logical refers to something that is characterized by or capable of clear, sound reasoning. The prefix il- means not or the opposite of, which is added to words starting with the letter l. Therefore, illogical directly means lacking sense or clear, sound reasoning, making it the exact antonym of logical.

Explanation

The idiom "where the shoe pinches" refers to the true source of trouble, worry, or difficulty in a particular situation. It originates from the physical experience of wearing a shoe that is too tight, where only the person wearing it knows exactly where it hurts. Figuratively, it denotes the exact point where a problem or hardship lies.

Explanation

The pronoun "He" indicates a male subject. In standard English usage, the adjective "handsome" is the conventional term used to describe an attractive male, whereas "beautiful" is typically used for females. Additionally, the phrasal verb "grow into" is the correct idiomatic expression to denote developing or maturing into a specific state or person. This makes "into a handsome youth" the grammatically and collocationaly correct substitution.

Explanation

The sentence is framed in the past tense, established by the main verb "was". To maintain grammatical parallelism and tense consistency across the coordinating conjunction "and", all verbs in the subordinate clause must be in the past tense. Since the first action "gave up" is in the simple past tense, the second connected action must also be in the simple past tense, which is "lived".

Explanation

The segment contains an error in the compound adjective high-level. When a compound adjective consisting of an adjective and a noun or two adjectives precedes the noun it modifies, it must be hyphenated. Therefore, high level should be written as high-level to correctly modify the noun committee.

Explanation

The phrase "at the moment" indicates that the action is happening in the present, requiring the present continuous tense. The structure for the present continuous tense with the plural subject "We" is "subject + are + present participle (verb-ing)". Therefore, "We are decorating" is the grammatically correct form to complete the sentence.

Explanation

The correct spelling of the word is rated, which is the past tense of the verb rate, meaning to estimate the value, quality, or character of something. The spelling ratedd is incorrect because it contains an unnecessary additional letter d at the end.

Explanation

The word callous is defined as having or showing an insensitive and cruel disregard for others. It characterizes someone who is unfeeling, cold, and indifferent to the suffering of other people. The word cruel directly shares this meaning, as it describes a person or behavior that willfully causes pain or distress to others without any feelings of pity or remorse, making it the most appropriate synonym.

Explanation

The present perfect tense is used to describe an action that has occurred multiple times up to the present moment. The structure of the present perfect tense requires the auxiliary verb has or have followed by the past participle form of the main verb. Since the subject Rohit is third-person singular, it takes the auxiliary verb has, and the past participle of write is written. This correctly forms the clause Rohit has written to them three times.

Explanation

Venom refers to a toxic fluid secreted by animals such as snakes, scorpions, or bees, which is typically injected into prey or enemies through a bite or sting. The word poison is the most accurate synonym, as it refers broadly to any substance that causes illness, injury, or death when introduced into a living organism.

Explanation

The blank requires a possessive determiner to modify the plural noun arguments and indicate ownership by the plural subject Rosy and Nicky. The word their is the third-person plural possessive determiner used to show that something belongs to two or more people.

Explanation

The word compulsory means required by law or a rule, making it mandatory. The direct antonym of compulsory is voluntary, which describes something done of one's own free will or choice, without any coercion or legal obligation.

Explanation

The collocation "strong commitment" is a standard and natural English expression used to describe a firm, dedicated, and deeply-held pledge to a cause or principle. In this context, having a powerful and durable dedication to sustainability is a positive and commendable quality, which makes it highly appropriate to describe such a commitment as admirable.

Explanation

The word baffle means to bewilder, perplex, or frustrate someone, making it highly difficult for them to understand or solve a situation. Confuse is a direct synonym, as it also means to cause someone to feel baffled or to make a situation unclear and difficult to comprehend. Both terms describe the state of being mentally disoriented or unable to think clearly about something.

Explanation

The word integral means necessary to make a whole complete, or being an essential and indispensable part of something. The antonym of integral must refer to something that is non-essential, supplementary, or additional. The word extra means added, additional, or more than what is necessary, which directly opposes the meaning of being an indispensable, core part of a whole.

Explanation

The idiom "hit below the belt" means to act unfairly, behave dishonorably, or violate the established rules of conduct. This expression originates from boxing, where striking an opponent below the waist is illegal. In the given sentence, Mala cheated on her exam to win a bet, which is a dishonest and unfair action, making this idiom the most appropriate fit for the blank.

Explanation

The sentence describes a sequence of completed actions in the past, as indicated by the past tense verbs was finished and patted. To maintain grammatical consistency and parallel structure throughout the sentence, the verb smile must also be in the simple past tense, which is smiled.

Explanation

The word scent refers to a distinctive, typically pleasant smell or fragrance. In the context of the sentence, it is the appropriate noun to describe the aroma of a perfume.

Explanation

The sentence requires two different homonyms of the word written as does.

In the first blank, the auxiliary verb does (Alternative B) is used to add emphasis before the base verb imitate, forming the construction He does imitate.

In the second blank, the plural noun does (Alternative A), which is the plural of doe (female deer), fits as the object of the preposition of, referring to the playful movement of the female deer.

This gives the complete sentence: He does imitate the playful movement of the does. Therefore, the correct sequence of alternatives to fill the blanks is B followed by A.

Explanation

The phrasal verb blaze up means to suddenly burn more brightly or, when used figuratively, to describe a strong emotion like anger suddenly becoming intense or flaring up. In this context, it perfectly describes Dhruv's anger suddenly intensifying in an uncontrollable manner.

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error in the tense of the verb. When inquiring about the duration of an activity that started in the past and continues into the present, the present perfect continuous tense must be used instead of the present continuous tense. The phrase should be corrected to "How long have you been working" to properly align with the duration indicated by "How long" and the ongoing nature of the employment.

Explanation

The segment "in an east" contains a grammatical error because cardinal directions like east, west, north, and south are specific and unique, requiring the definite article "the" instead of the indefinite article "an". The correct grammatical phrasing is "in the east", which matches the parallel structure used in "in the west".

Explanation

The segment contains a grammatical error in the phrasal verb. The phrase dropped of is incorrect in this context. The correct phrasal verb to use when someone withdraws from a contest, school, or program before completing it is dropped out. Therefore, dropped of should be replaced with dropped out to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Explanation

The distributive pronoun "each" is used to refer to every individual member of a group considered individually. In the phrase "each one of them", it combines with the singular pronoun "one" to emphasize that every single player in the athletic club received a medal individually, making it grammatically correct and contextually appropriate.

Explanation

The word custom correctly fits the context of the sentence to describe a traditional and widely accepted practice or habit of a society during a specific historical period. In this passage, hunting birds with falcons is described as a common, established practice in Europe at that time, making custom the grammatically and semantically appropriate choice to complete the phrase it was the custom in Europe.

Explanation

In the context of the sentence, the blank requires a word that compares falcons to hawks, as both are birds of prey with similar physical characteristics. The word resembling means having a physical likeness or similarity to something else, which accurately describes the physical relationship in appearance between falcons and hawks.

Explanation

In the given sentence, the infinitive marker "to" must be followed by the base form of a verb to complete the infinitive phrase "trained to [verb]". The verb "perch" means to land, settle, or rest on a elevated or narrow support. This perfectly describes the behavior of trained falcons resting on their master's wrist while waiting for instructions, making it the grammatically and contextually correct choice.

Explanation

The modal auxiliary verb would must be followed by the base form of a verb to complete the verb phrase would swiftly [verb]. The word dart is a verb in its base form, which means to move suddenly and rapidly in a particular direction. In this context, it perfectly describes the swift, sudden movement of a trained falcon diving towards its prey.

Explanation

The verb inform is grammatically followed by the preposition of when referring to the subject of the information, forming the standard structure inform someone of something. In this context, the messenger was sent to notify or give news to Henry about the decision to elect him as king, making inform the grammatically and contextually correct choice to fill the blank.

Explanation

The phrase are eligible is grammatically correct and fits the context of the sentence perfectly. In sports and official regulations, being eligible for an event means having the right, qualification, or permission to participate. The structure to be eligible for something is the standard idiomatic expression used to denote that a group meets the requirements to compete, which aligns with the International Olympic Committee's decision to allow men to participate in artistic swimming at the 2024 Paris Games.

Explanation

The blank requires a possessive determiner to modify the noun "skills" and show ownership by the plural subject "These people" (the artists). The word "Their" is the third-person plural possessive pronoun used to indicate that something belongs to or is associated with the people previously mentioned.

Explanation

The word heir refers to a person who is legally entitled to inherit the title, office, or property of another person upon their death. In the context of a monarchy, a prince is the individual designated to succeed the reigning monarch, making him the heir to the throne.

Explanation

The word industrious means diligent, hard-working, and showing dedication and care in one's work. The antonym of industrious is lazy, which means unwilling to work or use energy.

Explanation

The phrasal verb look after means to take care of, tend to, or protect someone. In the context of the sentence, it refers to the lack of anyone to care for the orphan, which forced him to seek shelter in an orphanage. This makes look after the grammatically and semantically appropriate substitution.

Explanation

The word adressed is spelling incorrectly in the given sentence. The correct spelling is addressed, which requires a double d after the letter a. It is the past tense of the verb address, which means to direct a speech or written statement to someone.

Explanation

The idiom right as rain means to feel healthy, well, or in perfect physical condition. Substituting the underlined phrase fit and in excellent health with this idiom retains the exact intended meaning of the sentence, indicating that the player has fully recovered and is in optimal condition to play.