SSC CHSL 26 November 2025 · Shift 3 · English Language — questions with answers

1

Choose the option that has an error in the sentence. The more the population grow, the less resources remain available for each individual.

A.The more the population grow,
B.the less resources
C.remain available for each individual.
D.No correction required

Solution

Subject-verb agreement The double-comparative pattern 'the more … the less …' does not suspend the ordinary rule that every verb must agree with its own subject. 'Population' is a collective noun treated here as one single body, so it takes the singular verb 'grows' and not the plural 'grow'.

Part (a) must therefore read 'The more the population grows,' and that is where the error lies. The verbs in the other parts already agree with their subjects, so option (a) is correct.

2

Choose the sentence with correct usage of "less" and "fewer".

A.He has less pens than you do.
B.There are fewer salt in the container.
C.They want fewer workers this time.
D.You have fewer wealth than his brother.

Solution

Less versus fewer 'Fewer' is used with plural countable nouns, while 'less' is used with singular uncountable nouns. 'Workers' can be counted one by one, so 'fewer workers' in option (c) obeys the rule.

'Pens' is also countable, so (a) needs 'fewer pens'; 'salt' and 'wealth' are uncountable, so (b) and (d) need 'less'. Hence option (c) is correct.

3

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate preposition: The student is under suspicion

____

cheating in the exams.

A.in
B.around
C.for
D.upon

Solution

Preposition with 'suspicion' The blank has to join the state of being suspected to the act that caused it. The fixed structure is 'under suspicion for + the act', so the sentence reads: The student is under suspicion for cheating in the exams.

'In', 'around' and 'upon' never combine with 'suspicion' in this sense, so they are ruled out. Hence option (c) is correct.

4

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate idiom: The company's presentation was full of bold claims but in the end it was just

____

.

A.beating around the bush
B.barking up the wrong tree
C.smoke and mirrors
D.adding fuel to the fire

Solution

Idiom in context The word 'but' shows that the bold claims were not backed by anything real, so the blank must name an impressive but empty display. 'Smoke and mirrors' means a showy deception that hides the absence of real substance — exactly that idea.

'Beating around the bush' is avoiding the point, 'barking up the wrong tree' is following a mistaken line, and 'adding fuel to the fire' is making a quarrel worse. None of those describes an empty display, so option (c) is correct.

5

Select the part that contains an incorrect spelling. A. The weather forcast predicts B. heavy rain tomorrow C. afternoon, so we must D. cancel our plans immediately.

A.A
B.B
C.C
D.D

Solution

Spelling error Part A carries the word 'forcast', which is not an English spelling. The correct form is 'forecast' — 'fore' (beforehand) + 'cast' (to throw), that is, to tell in advance.

Parts B, C and D contain no spelling mistake, so the error lies in part A. Hence option (a) is correct.

6

Select the part that contains an incorrect spelling. A. That retro style is back B. in vougue, appearing everywhere C. from fashion D. runways to street wear.

A.A
B.B
C.C
D.D

Solution

Spelling error Part B carries 'vougue', which has an extra 'u' in it. The correct spelling is 'vogue', a French loan word for current fashion, used in the phrase 'in vogue'.

The remaining parts are spelt correctly, so the error lies in part B. Hence option (b) is correct.

7

Choose the best option to replace the underlined part to improve the given sentence. If no substitution is required, select No substitution. She noticed a big yellow leaf float on the river towards the sea.

A.down the river
B.into the river
C.above the river
D.No substitution

Solution

Preposition of movement The leaf is not resting on the surface; it is travelling along the water 'towards the sea', so a preposition of movement is needed. 'Down the river' means carried along with the current, from the upper course towards the mouth — precisely that journey.

'Into the river' would mean entering the water from outside, and 'above the river' would place the leaf in the air, so both contradict the sentence. Hence option (a) is correct.

8

Select the sentence containing the homonym of the highlighted word: They repaired the well near the farmhouse to store water.

A.She did not feel well after the long journey.
B.The villagers gathered water from the well every morning.
C.A stone well stood at the center of the old courtyard.
D.The farmer cleaned the well to ensure safe drinking water for his family.

Solution

Homonyms In the given sentence 'well' is a noun — a deep pit dug in the ground to hold water. A homonym is a word written and pronounced the same way but carrying a different meaning, so the right sentence must use 'well' in another sense altogether.

Option (a) uses 'well' to mean 'in good health', which is a completely different sense. In (b), (c) and (d) 'well' is again the water source, i.e. the same meaning repeated, so they are not homonyms. Hence option (a) is correct.

9

Choose the correct indirect narration of the following statement from the given alternatives: The manager said, "The new policy will be implemented across all departments after a week."

A.The manager said that the new policy is implemented across all departments after a week.
B.The manager said that the new policy must be implemented across all departments after a week.
C.The manager said that the new policy would be implemented across all departments after a week.
D.The manager said that the new policy should be implemented across all departments after a week.

Solution

Direct to indirect speech The reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense, so the verb inside the quotation must be back-shifted one step. 'will be implemented' therefore becomes 'would be implemented', and the quotation marks give way to 'that'.

Option (a) keeps the present tense, while (b) and (d) replace the future marker with 'must' and 'should', which turn a statement of fact into an obligation. Hence option (c) is correct.

10

Change the following sentence into the Active form: The assignment is being checked by the teacher.

A.The teacher checks the assignment.
B.The assignment is checking the teacher.
C.The teacher is checking the assignment.
D.The teacher had checked the assignment.

Solution

Passive to active voice In the active form the agent becomes the subject, so 'the teacher' moves to the front and 'the assignment' becomes the object. 'is being checked' is the present continuous passive, whose active counterpart is 'is checking'.

The active sentence is therefore: The teacher is checking the assignment. Option (a) shifts to the simple present and (d) to the past perfect, while (b) makes the assignment do the checking. Hence option (c) is correct.

11

Choose the option that is the most appropriate conversion of the following sentence into Direct Speech: She requested me to help her with the project.

A.She said, "Please help me with the project.'
B.She requested me, "Can you help me with the project?"
C.She requested, "I need your help with the project please."
D.She said to me, "You should help me with the project."

Solution

Indirect to direct speech 'Requested … to' reports a polite command, so in direct speech it becomes an imperative sentence beginning with 'Please'. The reporting verb becomes 'said', and the pronouns are seen from the speaker's own side, so 'her' turns into 'me'.

That gives: She said, "Please help me with the project." Option (b) turns the request into a question, (c) keeps 'requested' before a plain statement, and (d) uses 'should', which reports advice rather than a request. Hence option (a) is correct.

12

Which sentence contains a misspelled word?

A.The criteria set by the committee must be followed strictly.
B.These criteria help in evaluating the performance accurately.
C.The teacher explained that the criteriya for the assignment were clear.
D.One of the criteria used for grading was punctuality.

Solution

Plural spelling The singular is 'criterion' and its plural, borrowed from Greek, is 'criteria'. Option (c) writes 'criteriya', a form that does not exist in English, so that sentence contains the misspelt word.

The other three sentences spell 'criteria' correctly. Hence option (c) is correct.

13

Choose the most suitable option to replace the highlighted part of the sentence: The weather is nice but it will be safe to play outside.

A.when
B.so
C.although
D.thus

Solution

Conjunction of result Pleasant weather and safe outdoor play support each other, so there is no contrast to be shown. The second clause is the result of the first, and the conjunction that joins a cause to its result is 'so'.

'But' and 'although' express contrast and 'when' expresses time, while 'thus' is an adverb that cannot by itself join two clauses. Hence option (b) is correct.

14

Choose the correct passive voice transformation of the sentence: The final report on the project will have been completed by the research team.

A.The research team will have completed the final report on the project.
B.The research team will complete the final report on the project.
C.The research team has completed the final report on the project.
D.The research team will be completing the final report on the project.

Solution

Future perfect voice change The given sentence is in the future perfect, with 'will have been completed by the research team' as its verb group. On turning it round, the agent 'the research team' becomes the subject and the verb takes the matching form 'will have completed'.

That gives: The research team will have completed the final report on the project. Option (b) drops the perfect aspect, (c) shifts to the present perfect and (d) uses a continuous form, so none of them keeps the original tense. Hence option (a) is correct.

15

Directions (Qs. 15-19): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In today's fast-paced society, physical fitness has become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health. Busy schedules, sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits often result in fatigue, obesity, and other health complications. Unfortunately, despite widespread awareness, many people neglect regular exercise due to lack of motivation or time. Health experts claim that maintaining fitness requires consistent effort and discipline. Simple habits such as daily workouts, balanced diets, and adequate rest can greatly improve physical well-being. Additionally, communities and workplaces that promote fitness programs and encourage participation tend to see healthier, more energetic individuals. Ultimately, recognizing the value of physical health and adopting proactive habits can enable people to lead more active and rewarding lives, both personally and professionally.

*Physical fitness has become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health." Rewrite the sentence as a negative sentence without changing its meaning.

A.Physical fitness has not failed to become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health.
B.Physical fitness has not become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health.
C.Physical fitness doesn't become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health.
D.Physical fitness never became a vital aspect of an individual's overall health.

Solution

Affirmative to negative The meaning has to survive the change, so the sentence must be made negative with two negatives that cancel each other out. 'Has become' therefore becomes 'has not failed to become', where 'not' and 'failed' together restore the original positive sense.

The tense of the original, the present perfect, is also preserved in this form. Options (b) and (c) simply deny the statement and (d) denies it in the past, so all three reverse the meaning instead of keeping it. Hence option (a) is correct.

16

Directions (Qs. 15-19): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In today's fast-paced society, physical fitness has become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health. Busy schedules, sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits often result in fatigue, obesity, and other health complications. Unfortunately, despite widespread awareness, many people neglect regular exercise due to lack of motivation or time. Health experts claim that maintaining fitness requires consistent effort and discipline. Simple habits such as daily workouts, balanced diets, and adequate rest can greatly improve physical well-being. Additionally, communities and workplaces that promote fitness programs and encourage participation tend to see healthier, more energetic individuals. Ultimately, recognizing the value of physical health and adopting proactive habits can enable people to lead more active and rewarding lives, both personally and professionally.

"Health experts claim that maintaining fitness requires consistent effort and discipline." Rewrite the sentence in passive voice.

A.Consistent effort and discipline are claimed by health experts to be required for maintaining fitness.
B.Maintaining fitness is claimed by health experts to require consistent effort and discipline.
C.Maintaining fitness has been claimed by health experts as requiring consistent effort and discipline.
D.Consistent effort and discipline require to be claimed by health experts for maintaining fitness.

Solution

Passive of a that-clause Only the main verb 'claim' is to be changed; the clause it reports keeps its own words. When a reporting verb such as say, claim, believe or think is made passive, the subject of the that-clause moves up to become the subject of the new sentence and its verb becomes an infinitive.

So 'maintaining fitness' becomes the subject and 'requires' becomes 'to require'. The passive sentence is: Maintaining fitness is claimed by health experts to require consistent effort and discipline. The other options either turn the inner clause into the passive as well or recast 'claim' altogether, so they do not preserve the original statement. Hence option (b) is correct.

17

Directions (Qs. 15-19): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In today's fast-paced society, physical fitness has become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health. Busy schedules, sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits often result in fatigue, obesity, and other health complications. Unfortunately, despite widespread awareness, many people neglect regular exercise due to lack of motivation or time. Health experts claim that maintaining fitness requires consistent effort and discipline. Simple habits such as daily workouts, balanced diets, and adequate rest can greatly improve physical well-being. Additionally, communities and workplaces that promote fitness programs and encourage participation tend to see healthier, more energetic individuals. Ultimately, recognizing the value of physical health and adopting proactive habits can enable people to lead more active and rewarding lives, both personally and professionally.

Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of "improve" as used in the passage.

A.Worsen
B.Relieve
C.Alleviate
D.Enhance

Solution

Word meaning in context In the passage simple habits 'greatly improve physical well-being', that is, they raise it to a better level. 'Enhance' means to increase the quality or value of something, so it carries exactly that sense.

'Worsen' is the opposite, while 'relieve' and 'alleviate' mean to lessen pain or a burden, not to raise quality. Hence option (d) is correct.

18

Directions (Qs. 15-19): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In today's fast-paced society, physical fitness has become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health. Busy schedules, sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits often result in fatigue, obesity, and other health complications. Unfortunately, despite widespread awareness, many people neglect regular exercise due to lack of motivation or time. Health experts claim that maintaining fitness requires consistent effort and discipline. Simple habits such as daily workouts, balanced diets, and adequate rest can greatly improve physical well-being. Additionally, communities and workplaces that promote fitness programs and encourage participation tend to see healthier, more energetic individuals. Ultimately, recognizing the value of physical health and adopting proactive habits can enable people to lead more active and rewarding lives, both personally and professionally.

In the sentence: "...adopting proactive habits can enable people to lead more active and rewarding lives." Choose the word that is opposite in meaning to "proactive" as used in the passage.

A.Reactive
B.Positive
C.Aggressive
D.Responsible

Solution

Antonym in context 'Proactive' describes habits adopted in advance, before any health problem appears. The word opposite to it must describe action taken only after the problem has arisen, and that word is 'reactive'.

'Positive' and 'responsible' are close to proactive in tone and 'aggressive' refers to hostility, so none of them is its antonym. Hence option (a) is correct.

19

Directions (Qs. 15-19): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In today's fast-paced society, physical fitness has become a vital aspect of an individual's overall health. Busy schedules, sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits often result in fatigue, obesity, and other health complications. Unfortunately, despite widespread awareness, many people neglect regular exercise due to lack of motivation or time. Health experts claim that maintaining fitness requires consistent effort and discipline. Simple habits such as daily workouts, balanced diets, and adequate rest can greatly improve physical well-being. Additionally, communities and workplaces that promote fitness programs and encourage participation tend to see healthier, more energetic individuals. Ultimately, recognizing the value of physical health and adopting proactive habits can enable people to lead more active and rewarding lives, both personally and professionally.

Which of the following inferences can be most reasonably drawn from this statement?

A.Health levels in communities are determined only by individual efforts.
B.Encouraging participation in fitness programs can have a positive effect on overall health and energy.
C.People will always stay fit if they live in supportive environments.
D.Communities that ignore fitness programs are still likely to have healthy individuals.

Solution

Inference from a passage The passage states that communities and workplaces which promote fitness programmes and encourage participation tend to see healthier, more energetic individuals. A safe inference only restates that link, so encouraging participation can have a positive effect on health and energy.

Option (a) narrows it to 'only individual efforts' and (c) makes it an absolute guarantee with 'always', both of which the passage never claims. Option (d) says the opposite of the passage, since it expects healthy individuals even where fitness programmes are ignored. Hence option (b) is correct.

20

Rearrange the following sentence parts to form a meaningful and grammatically correct paragraph: P. He heated a glass rod in the furnace until it became soft and pliable. Q. He carefully shaped the molten glass into a delicate vase using specialized tools. R. After cooling, he polished the vase to bring out its clarity and shine. S. The final glass vase was elegant, transparent, and finely crafted.

A.P, Q, R, S
B.R, Q, S, P
C.Q, P, S, R
D.S, P, Q, R

Solution

Para jumble The paragraph describes one continuous process, so the parts must follow the order in which the work is actually done. P opens it: the glass rod is heated until it turns soft, and nothing can be shaped before that. Q comes next, because the 'molten glass' it shapes is the very glass that P has just softened. R must follow Q, since polishing happens 'after cooling', that is, after the vase has been shaped.

S describes the finished vase and so closes the paragraph, giving the order P, Q, R, S. Hence option (a) is correct.

21

What is the antonym of "Unflagging"?

A.Relentless
B.Fatigued
C.Indefatigable
D.Persistent

Solution

Antonym 'Unflagging' is built from 'flag' in its verb sense - to droop or lose strength - with the negative prefix 'un-', so it means never weakening, never tiring. Its opposite must therefore express loss of strength, and 'Fatigued' means worn out with tiredness. Relentless (never letting up), Indefatigable (that cannot be tired out) and Persistent (continuing firmly) all carry the same tireless sense as 'unflagging', so they are synonyms, not antonyms. Hence option (b) is correct.

22

Select the word that is closest in meaning to climax. The music built up in a climax of excitement.

A.Silence
B.Drop
C.Murmur
D.Crescendo

Solution

Synonym In the sentence the music 'built up', so 'climax' here means the peak of intensity that is reached by a steady rise. 'Crescendo' is the musical term for exactly that - a gradual growth in loudness rising to its highest point. Silence (no sound at all), Drop (a fall) and Murmur (a low, indistinct sound) all describe a decrease, which is the reverse of a build-up. Hence option (d) is correct.

23

Select the word that is closest in meaning to tried. She tried to complete the challenging puzzle before sunset.

A.Evaded
B.endeavoured
C.Ignored
D.Postponed

Solution

Synonym In the sentence 'tried' means that she made an effort to finish the puzzle before sunset. 'Endeavoured' means made an earnest, sustained effort to achieve something, which is exactly the same idea in a more formal register. Evaded (dodged), Ignored (paid no attention to) and Postponed (put off to a later time) all say that she did not attempt the puzzle at all, so none of them can replace 'tried'. Hence option (b) is correct.

24

Which of the following describes water that is safe for drinking?

A.Sterile
B.Potable
C.Contaminated
D.Polluted

Solution

Vocabulary in use 'Potable' comes from the Latin potare, 'to drink', and is the standard word for water that is fit and safe to drink. 'Sterile' only means free from living micro-organisms; distilled laboratory water is sterile yet is not recommended as drinking water, so it does not answer the question. 'Contaminated' and 'Polluted' both mean that harmful matter has got into the water, which is the opposite of safe. Hence option (b) is correct.

25

Choose the correct one-word substitution for the phrase in italics. "A person who always expects the worst in human behavior.'

A.Pessimist
B.Cynic
C.Optimist
D.Altruist

Solution

One-word substitution The phrase fixes the distrust on people - the man in question assumes that human beings will always act from the worst motives. 'Cynic' is precisely that word: one who believes that people are moved only by self-interest and therefore expects the worst of them. A pessimist expects the worst of events and situations in general, not of human behaviour in particular, so it is the wider and less exact choice here. An optimist is the very opposite, and an altruist is one who works selflessly for the good of others. Hence option (b) is correct.