SSC CHSL Tier 1 2025 English Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The relative pronoun which is used to refer to non-living things, inanimate objects, or institutions, making it the correct choice to refer to colleges instead of whom, which is reserved for people. Additionally, since ten is a plural pronoun representing ten colleges, it requires the plural auxiliary verb are to maintain subject-verb agreement. The phrase are properly maintained correctly uses the plural verb and passive voice to describe the state of the colleges.

Explanation

An interrogative sentence in the simple future tense active voice following the structure "Will + subject + base verb + object?" is transformed into the passive voice using the structure: Will + new subject (original object) + be + past participle of the verb + by + new object (original subject)?

Applying this structure to the active sentence: Active subject: the company Active verb: approve Active object: the proposal

Substituting these elements into the passive formula yields: Will the proposal be approved by the company?

Explanation

In the prompt sentence, "close" is used as a verb meaning to shut, cover, or block an opening. In the sentence "Remember to close the gate after entering," the word "close" is used in this exact same grammatical category as a verb, carrying the identical meaning of shutting or securing a barrier.

Explanation

The word obsolete refers to something that is out of date, no longer produced, or no longer in use. Its direct antonym is current, which refers to something that belongs to the present time, is modern, or remains in active use.

Explanation

A progressive is defined as an individual who advocates for or implements social, political, and economic reform and change. This term specifically denotes someone who supports progress, reform, and the advancement of society through continuous improvement and policy reforms.

Explanation

The word abolish means to formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution. Similarly, abrogate means to repeal, annul, or officially do away with a law, right, or formal agreement. Both words share the core meaning of formally canceling or terminating something established.

Explanation

In the passive voice sentence, the agent performing the action of reviewing is the panel. To convert this construction into the active voice, the agent becomes the subject of the infinitive phrase. The passive infinitive to be reviewed by the panel is changed to the active infinitive to review, with the proposal becoming the direct object of the verb. This maintains the main verb tense is scheduled and yields the active sentence where the panel is scheduled to review the proposal tomorrow.

Explanation

The idiom beat around the bush means to discuss a matter without coming directly to the point, often because the topic is uncomfortable, difficult, or unpleasant. It originates from the practice of beating bushes to flush out birds during a hunt, which was a preliminary step before the actual capture of the game. Thus, it describes the act of speaking in an indirect, roundabout, or evasive manner instead of addressing the core issue directly.

Explanation

A meteorologist is a scientist who specializes in meteorology, which is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere, weather processes, and climate patterns. They analyze atmospheric data, develop forecasting models, and study phenomena such as storms, precipitation, and temperature variations to understand and predict weather conditions.

Explanation

When converting from indirect to direct speech, the tense, pronouns, and time expressions are adjusted back to their original direct forms.

The reporting verb phrase told her changes to said to her.

The third-person pronouns they and he in the indirect speech change to the first-person pronouns we and I to reflect the direct speakers.

The past perfect verb forms had visited and had thought revert to the simple past tense forms visited and thought.

The time expression the previous day converts back to yesterday.

The past tense was and the conditional auxiliary would be remain consistent with the past-framed recollection of the statement.

Explanation

When converting direct speech into indirect speech, if the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), the tenses in the reported speech change to their corresponding past forms.

The first person plural pronoun "we" changes to the third person plural pronoun "they" to match the perspective of the reporter.

The present perfect continuous verb phrases "have been wandering" and "have been searching" shift to the past perfect continuous forms "had been wandering" and "had been searching".

The simple present verb "are" shifts to the simple past "were".

The modal verb "will" shifts to its past form "would".

Explanation

The idiom "on a tight budget" means to live or operate within a very strict, limited amount of money. The sentence describes a scenario where an organisation is facing severe budget cuts and reduced financial support from its stakeholders. These financial constraints directly necessitate operating under highly restricted monetary limits, making this phrase the contextually and logically correct choice to complete the sentence.

Explanation

According to the first sentence of the passage, the term mandala originates from a Sanskrit word that translates directly to "circle." This Sanskrit root gives the art form its name, which describes the intricate circular designs representing both the cosmos and an individual's journey.

Explanation

The term epistemic relates to knowledge, its structure, and the validation of belief. Cognitive refers to the mental processes of comprehension, perception, memory, and reasoning, which are directly involved in the acquisition and application of knowledge, making it the closest synonym.

Explanation

According to the passage, the center of the mandala design represents the origin of everything, specifically symbolizing one's identity, the genesis of life, or a divine essence.

Explanation

According to the passage, monks carefully create these elaborate patterns using coloured sand and, once they are completed, brush them away. This acts as a symbolic gesture to represent the fleeting nature of life and the rejection of earthly possessions, which directly corresponds to illustrating the temporary nature of life.

Explanation

The passage explicitly states that drawing the geometric patterns of a mandala in a systematic and repetitive way offers therapeutic benefits, which include reducing stress, improving focus, and calming the mind. This directly corresponds to reducing tension and calming the mind.

Explanation

According to the provided passage, at their core, mandalas are circular patterns that represent the cosmos as well as an individual's journey, defining their central metaphorical purpose in these traditions.

Explanation

Psychiatrist is the correct spelling of the word denoting a medical doctor who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders. It originates from the Greek roots psyche (soul or mind) and iatreia (healing or medical treatment), combined with the agent suffix -ist. The correct sequence of letters is p-s-y-c-h-i-a-t-r-i-s-t.

Explanation

The phrasal verb hand over means to pass control, authority, or responsibility of something to another person. In this context, she transfers some of her workload and responsibilities to her assistant to relieve her stress.

Explanation

The sentence requires parallel structure to maintain grammatical consistency and clarity. When listing multiple items or qualities, they must share the same grammatical form. Here, the adjectives clear, correct, and concise should all parallelly modify the noun manner within the single prepositional phrase starting with in a. Using the coordinated adjectives clear, correct, and concise together under one prepositional phrase establishes this proper parallel structure.

Explanation

The word "accommodate" is spelled with a double "c" and a double "m". It originates from the Latin verb "accommodare", which means to make fit or adapt, where the prefix "ad-" assimilates to "ac-" before "commodare". Therefore, the correct spelling requires both sets of double consonants: a-c-c-o-m-m-o-d-a-t-e.

Explanation

Benevolent is derived from the Latin roots bene meaning well and velle meaning to wish, which translates to wishing well, showing kindness, or being well-meaning. Its direct antonym is malicious, which comes from the root malus meaning bad or evil and describes someone who intends to cause harm, ill will, or mischief.

Explanation

The sentence requires parallel grammatical structure because it uses the correlative conjunction "both... and...". Since "interesting" is an adjective, the word joined to it by "and" must also be an adjective. The verb "entertain" must be changed to the adjective form "entertaining" to maintain parallelism.

Explanation

The sequence Q, S, P, R forms a logical and coherent narrative. Sentence Q establishes the initial context by introducing the old library, its valuable contents, and the effort to protect them during the restoration. Sentence S follows immediately by detailing how this restoration was accurately carried out through the joint work of local historians and conservationists. Sentence P then evaluates this effort, describing the restoration project as a widely praised success of community and expert collaboration, directly referencing the group mentioned in S. Finally, sentence R concludes the paragraph by presenting the successful outcome of the project, which is the library regaining its global acclaim.

Explanation

The grammatical error lies in the incorrect use of the word "it's" instead of the possessive determiner "its". The contraction "it's" stands for "it is" or "it has", which makes the phrase grammatically incorrect. The possessive form "its" must be used to modify "manager" and show ownership.

Explanation

The passage explicitly states in its opening sentence that the expansion of digital surveillance capabilities reveals a clear contradiction between the demands of modern security and the principles of individual liberty. It further reinforces this central theme by describing the core dilemma as the challenge of balancing individual privacy and national security, emphasizing that security must not be achieved at the expense of basic liberties.

Explanation

According to the passage, all-encompassing surveillance creates a chilling effect where citizens start to censor themselves, restrict their political participation, and refrain from expressing dissenting opinions due to constant monitoring. This continuous tracking weakens the fundamental freedoms of expression and dissent, which are crucial for maintaining a healthy democracy. Therefore, the suppression of dissent and freedom of expression is a direct consequence of widespread surveillance.

Explanation

According to the second paragraph of the passage, achieving a balance between national security and the basic right to privacy depends on a robust and transparent legal framework. This framework must place surveillance practices under strict judicial oversight and ensure public accountability to safeguard citizens' privacy while maintaining necessary security.

Explanation

The passage highlights that the continuous and highly detailed surveillance enabled by technologies such as facial recognition, bulk data collection, and algorithmic tracking can be misused by governments and corporations. It explicitly states that the potential misuse of these technologies for political repression, social control, and targeting marginalised communities leads to a surveillance state, eroding democratic values and individual liberties.

Explanation

In the context of the passage, the word "chilling" is used within the phrase "chilling effect" to describe the dampening or discouraging impact that constant surveillance has on citizens. When individuals know they are being monitored, they experience a sense of fear, anxiety, or apprehension that deters them from speaking out or participating in democratic processes. This psychological pressure acts as a form of intimidation, causing people to self-censor and suppress their natural freedom of expression out of fear of potential consequences.

Explanation

Sentence Q introduces the main subject, Dr. Alistair Finch, and establishes his profession as a biologist, making it the ideal opening sentence. Sentence P follows naturally by describing his daily work routine and his focus on laboratory research using a microscope. Sentence R connects directly to the microscope mentioned in P, referencing his colleagues' jokes about his focus on the microscopic world. Finally, sentence S concludes the narrative by transitioning from his general routine to a specific, remarkable discovery he made. This sequence establishes a clear, logical flow from introduction to specific achievement.

Explanation

When a plural noun represents a specific quantity, distance, time, or sum of money regarded as a single collective unit, it takes a singular verb. In this sentence, forty lakhs represents a single collective sum of money, which is further emphasized by the singular noun phrase "the amount" that follows. Therefore, the singular verb "is" must be used to maintain proper subject-verb agreement.

Explanation

The preposition before is used to indicate a time preceding a specific limit or point in time. In this context, submitting the application before the deadline is the necessary condition that allows the candidate to meet the requirements and successfully proceed with the process.

Explanation

The idiom "a red herring" refers to something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue. The phrase originates from the historical practice of using strong-smelling smoked herrings to train hunting dogs, or to throw them off the scent trail of prey, thereby drawing attention away from the main target.

Explanation

The active voice sentence is in the present perfect tense, indicated by the verb phrase "have already documented". When converting a sentence in the present perfect tense from active to passive voice, the construction "has/have + past participle" changes to "has/have + been + past participle". Since the object of the active sentence, "the remarkable results", is plural, it takes the auxiliary verb "have", leading to the passive structure "have already been documented".

Explanation

The word notice ends in a silent e preceded by a soft c. When adding the suffix able to a root word ending in a soft c or soft g, the silent e is retained to preserve the soft sound of the consonant. If the e were omitted, the c would erroneously sound like a hard k. Therefore, notice and able combine to form noticeable.

Explanation

When converting an interrogative sentence starting with a question word like "who" from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb "asked" is retained, and the question word itself acts as the connector. The tense of the verb in the reported speech changes from present continuous ("is singing") to past continuous ("was singing") because the reporting verb is in the past tense ("asked"). Additionally, the word order of the question changes to an assertive sentence layout.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

When converting a sentence from indirect speech to direct speech, the tenses backshift to their original present forms.

The past tense verb were in the first indirect clause that the artifacts were much older becomes the present tense verb are in direct speech, as it describes a state that remains true.

The past perfect continuous tense had been continually proving in the second indirect clause changes back to the present perfect continuous tense have been continually proving in direct speech.

These grammatical adjustments make the direct speech representation grammatically accurate and complete.

Explanation

The sentence presents a clear contrast between a positive outcome (improved efficiency) and a negative consequence (compatibility issues). The conjunctive adverb "nevertheless" is used to connect two independent clauses when the second clause introduces a contrasting or counter-premise point to the first. It functions similarly to "however" or "in spite of that", showing that despite the improvement in efficiency, the policy still brought about compatibility problems. This establishes the correct logical and adversarial relationship between the two clauses.

Explanation

The idiom golden handshake refers to a substantial sum of money or a generous financial package given to an employee, typically a high-level executive, when they retire, are made redundant, or leave their position. It serves as a form of severance pay or compensation agreed upon in their employment contract.

Explanation

The word hostile means showing or feeling active opposition, unfriendliness, or antagonism toward someone or something. The direct antonym of hostile is friendly, which means behaving in a pleasant, kind, helpful, or welcoming manner.

Explanation

The auxiliary verb did (or didn't) is always followed by the base form of the main verb. In this sentence, the past tense form went is incorrectly used after didn't. The correct structure requires the base form go, making the correct phrase didn't go to Paris.

Explanation

An analgesic, commonly known as a painkiller, is a pharmacological agent specifically designed to relieve pain by acting on the peripheral or central nervous system without causing the loss of consciousness or significantly altering sensory perception.

Explanation

The correct logical sequence follows the chronological steps involved in creating and staging a dance performance.

First, in P, the choreographer listens to the music repeatedly to absorb its emotion and beat, which serves as the creative foundation.

Second, in Q, she translates this inspiration into physical form by arranging a series of movements into a seamless routine.

Third, in S, she trains her dance troupe to perform this newly created choreography, focusing on coordination and polishing the steps.

Finally, in R, the process culminates in the actual stage performance where the dancers execute the routine flawlessly, bringing her creative idea to life.

Explanation

In the reference sentence, the word "bow" is used to describe the physical act of bending the head or upper body forward as a gesture of respect, appreciation, or greeting. In the sentence "The guests were asked to bow before entering the hall as a mark of respect," the word "bow" is used in the exact same sense, representing a physical gesture of respect made by bending the body forward.

Explanation

The word "acquit" is a verb that means to free someone from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty, or to conduct oneself in a specified way. The correct spelling of this word consists of a single "c" followed by "qu", a single "i", and a single "t". This spelling is derived from the Old French word "aquiter", which originates from the Latin "acquietare", meaning to quieten or settle a debt.

Explanation

The word plausible means having an appearance of truth or reason, seeming worthy of approval, or being highly believable. Its direct antonym is absurd, which means completely unreasonable, illogical, or utterly ridiculous, representing the exact opposite of what is believable or credible.