SSC GD Constable 12 February 2025 · Shift 3 · English — questions with answers

61

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank. 3D printing is an exciting new technology

____

promises to very quickly create anything people can design.

A.the
B.that
C.than
D.then

Solution

Relative pronoun The part that follows the blank - '___ promises to very quickly create anything people can design' - is a clause with a verb but no subject of its own. A defining relative clause fills that gap with a relative pronoun, so the blank needs 'that': 'a technology that promises to create anything'. 'Than' introduces a comparison and 'then' refers to time, so neither can head a clause; 'the' is an article and cannot take a verb after it. Hence 'that' is the correct option.

62

Select the most appropriate one-word substitute for the underlined segment in the given sentence. She provided a compact and precise summary of her research work.

A.verbose
B.diffuse
C.succinct
D.redundant

Solution

One-word substitution The underlined words describe a summary that is short and yet says exactly what is needed. 'Succinct' means expressed briefly and clearly - 'compact and precise' in a single word. 'Verbose' (using more words than necessary) and 'diffuse' (spread out, rambling) mean the opposite, and 'redundant' means needlessly repeated. Hence 'succinct' is the correct one-word substitute.

63

The following sentence has been divided into parts. One of them may contain an error. Select the part that contains the error from the given options. If you don't find any error, mark 'No error' as your answer. In the Director's party,/ everyone noticed/ that he sings much too faster.

A.that he sings much too faster.
B.In the Director's party,
C.No error.
D.everyone noticed

Solution

Degree of comparison 'Much too' is an intensifier and is always followed by the positive degree - 'much too fast', 'much too heavy' - never by a comparative. Part (a) writes 'much too faster', placing a comparative after 'too', and no second singer is being compared with him anywhere in the sentence. The correct part is 'that he sings much too fast'. 'In the Director's party,' and 'everyone noticed' are both faultless, so 'No error' cannot be marked. Hence the error lies in part (a).

64

Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom. The proof of the pudding is in the eating

A.Trust is built by sharing good food
B.A person can only know if something is good or bad by trying it
C.One has the evidence if they are alert
D.Its better to be well-fed than to go hungry

Solution

Idiom meaning The idiom 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating' says that the worth of anything is judged only when it is actually tried or used. The pudding is only a metaphor, so the answer must be about testing something, not about food. Hence 'A person can only know if something is good or bad by trying it' is the meaning. Options (a) and (d) read the pudding literally, and (c) talks of alertness, which the idiom never mentions.

65

Identify the sentence with the INCORRECTLY spelt word.

A.She enjoyed the delicious dinner and dessert.
B.The team worked hard to complete the project.
C.We visited several historical sites during our trip.
D.The hotel room was very clean and comfortible.

Solution

Spelling error Read each sentence and test the one word whose ending can go wrong. Option (d) prints 'comfortible'; the adjective is formed with the suffix -able, so the correct spelling is 'comfortable'. 'Dessert', 'project' and 'historical' in the other three sentences are all spelt correctly. Hence the sentence in option (d) carries the incorrectly spelt word.

66

Select the word that best completes the given sentence. Determine the collocation through the sentence. Ramesh has been

____

involved in social service for 30 years.

A.actively
B.exactly
C.gently
D.brightly

Solution

Collocation with adverb A collocation is the word that habitually keeps company with another; here the blank modifies 'involved'. 'Actively involved' is the fixed pair, meaning taking a real, participating part in something. Thirty years of social service describes exactly such participation, so 'actively' fits. 'Exactly', 'gently' and 'brightly' never collocate with 'involved'. Hence 'actively' is the correct option.

67

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank. The security officer ordered the group

____

the premises immediately.

A.to left
B.to leave
C.left
D.leaving

Solution

Verb + to-infinitive Verbs of commanding and requesting - order, tell, ask, advise, remind, invite - take the pattern: verb + object + to-infinitive. So 'ordered the group' must be followed by 'to leave the premises'. 'To left' puts a past form after 'to', which no infinitive allows; bare 'left' and 'leaving' cannot follow the object of 'ordered'. Hence 'to leave' is the correct option.

68

Select the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. Somebody have left dirty clothes on the bed.

A.has left
B.were left
C.have been left
D.was left

Solution

Subject-verb agreement Indefinite pronouns such as somebody, anybody, everyone and nobody are singular and take a singular verb. So 'have' must become 'has', giving the active present perfect 'Somebody has left dirty clothes on the bed'. 'Were left', 'was left' and 'have been left' are all passive forms; with the object 'dirty clothes' still standing after the verb, a passive is ungrammatical here. Hence 'has left' is the correct substitution.

69

Identify the sentence with the INCORRECT usage of the adverb.

A.The teacher noticed that all students worked meticulously to complete the project on time.
B.The teacher noticed that all students worked strenuous to complete the project on time.
C.The teacher noticed that all students worked hard to complete the project on time.
D.The teacher noticed that all students worked laboriously to complete the project on time.

Solution

Adverb vs adjective A word that tells how an action is performed modifies the verb, and only an adverb can do that. In option (b) the adjective 'strenuous' is placed after 'worked', where the adverb 'strenuously' is required. 'Meticulously' and 'laboriously' are proper -ly adverbs, and 'hard' is itself an adverb in 'worked hard', so those three sentences are correct. Hence option (b) shows the incorrect usage of the adverb.

70

Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word in the following sentence. The neccessary documents are required for the application process.

A.process
B.neccessary
C.required
D.application

Solution

Spelling error 'Necessary' is spelt with one c and two s's - remember a shirt has one Collar and two Sleeves. The sentence prints 'neccessary' with a double c, which is wrong. 'Process', 'required' and 'application' are all spelt correctly. Hence 'neccessary' is the incorrectly spelt word.

71

Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word. Brutal

A.Notable
B.Heroic
C.Ruthless
D.Active

Solution

Synonym 'Brutal' means savagely cruel and violent, showing no pity. 'Ruthless' means showing no mercy or compassion, which is the same idea. 'Notable' (worth noticing), 'Heroic' (brave) and 'Active' (energetic) carry no sense of cruelty. Hence 'Ruthless' is the correct synonym.

72

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the underlined word in the given sentence. Mrs. Sharma found her husband to be a sloppy dresser.

A.messy
B.meticulous
C.shabby
D.untidy

Solution

Antonym A 'sloppy' dresser is one who is careless and untidy about his clothes. The antonym must therefore mean careful and neat down to the last detail - that is 'meticulous'. 'Messy', 'shabby' and 'untidy' all repeat the idea of carelessness, so they are synonyms of 'sloppy', not its opposite. Hence 'meticulous' is the correct antonym.

73

In the sentence, 'Her argument was so convoluted', what is a synonym of the word 'convoluted' ?

A.Straightforward
B.Neutral
C.Direct
D.Complex

Solution

Synonym in context 'Convoluted' literally means coiled or twisted, and of an argument it means so tangled that it is hard to follow. 'Complex' carries the same sense of many interwoven parts that make understanding difficult. 'Straightforward' and 'Direct' are its antonyms, and 'Neutral' only means taking no side. Hence 'Complex' is the correct synonym.

74

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the word in brackets to fill in the blank. The artist decided to use the

____

(traditional) approach in creating a classic-style painting.

A.ancient
B.stale
C.contemporary
D.unique

Solution

Antonym in a blank The blank must be filled with the OPPOSITE of the bracketed word 'traditional', which means handed down from the past and long established. Its direct opposite in time is 'contemporary' - belonging to the present day. 'Ancient' is older still, so it strengthens the idea instead of reversing it, and 'stale' (lacking freshness) and 'unique' (one of a kind) speak of quality, not of period. Hence 'contemporary' is the correct antonym.

75

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the given word. Haughty

A.Modest
B.Distracted
C.Transient
D.Ample

Solution

Antonym 'Haughty' means arrogantly proud, looking down on other people. The opposite of such pride is humility, which is exactly what 'Modest' expresses. 'Distracted' (unable to focus), 'Transient' (lasting a short time) and 'Ample' (more than enough) have nothing to do with pride. Hence 'Modest' is the correct antonym.

76

Directions (Qs. 76-80): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. The farmers in our village were fed up with the birds that used to eat (76)

____

all their harvested grains. They tried to take turns watching, (77)

____

still, they were not able to save the crops. One of the older men in our village suggested that we should build a scarecrow. The idea was well-received. The face of the scarecrow was made using an earthen pot, while bundles of straw (78)

____

to create its arms. Finally, it was accessorised with a hat and a coat to perfect (79)

____

illusion as a man. It was a (80)

____

coat that used to belong to a beggar who stayed near the temple.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number (76).

A.off
B.on
C.up
D.away

Solution

Phrasal verb The blank follows the verb 'eat', so a particle is needed that makes a phrasal verb with it. 'Eat up' means to consume something completely - which is why the farmers were fed up with the birds. 'Eat away' means to erode gradually, while 'eat off' and 'eat on' are not used in this sense. Hence 'up' is the correct option.

77

Directions (Qs. 76-80): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. The farmers in our village were fed up with the birds that used to eat (76)

____

all their harvested grains. They tried to take turns watching, (77)

____

still, they were not able to save the crops. One of the older men in our village suggested that we should build a scarecrow. The idea was well-received. The face of the scarecrow was made using an earthen pot, while bundles of straw (78)

____

to create its arms. Finally, it was accessorised with a hat and a coat to perfect (79)

____

illusion as a man. It was a (80)

____

coat that used to belong to a beggar who stayed near the temple.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number (77).

A.because
B.as
C.for
D.but

Solution

Conjunction of contrast The two halves of the sentence are opposed: they did take turns watching, yet the crops could not be saved. A contrast of this kind is joined by 'but', and the 'still' that follows the blank strengthens the pair 'but still'. 'Because', 'as' and 'for' all introduce a reason, which would wrongly make the watching the cause of the loss. Hence 'but' is the correct option.

78

Directions (Qs. 76-80): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. The farmers in our village were fed up with the birds that used to eat (76)

____

all their harvested grains. They tried to take turns watching, (77)

____

still, they were not able to save the crops. One of the older men in our village suggested that we should build a scarecrow. The idea was well-received. The face of the scarecrow was made using an earthen pot, while bundles of straw (78)

____

to create its arms. Finally, it was accessorised with a hat and a coat to perfect (79)

____

illusion as a man. It was a (80)

____

coat that used to belong to a beggar who stayed near the temple.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number (78).

A.are used
B.were used
C.had been used
D.has been used

Solution

Passive voice, past tense The subject 'bundles of straw' does not act; it receives the action, so the verb must be passive: was/were + past participle. The whole passage narrates a past event and the subject is plural, so the form is 'were used'. 'Are used' is present tense, 'has been used' is singular, and 'had been used' would need another, later past action for it to precede. Hence 'were used' is the correct option.

79

Directions (Qs. 76-80): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. The farmers in our village were fed up with the birds that used to eat (76)

____

all their harvested grains. They tried to take turns watching, (77)

____

still, they were not able to save the crops. One of the older men in our village suggested that we should build a scarecrow. The idea was well-received. The face of the scarecrow was made using an earthen pot, while bundles of straw (78)

____

to create its arms. Finally, it was accessorised with a hat and a coat to perfect (79)

____

illusion as a man. It was a (80)

____

coat that used to belong to a beggar who stayed near the temple.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number (79).

A.its
B.it's
C.theirs
D.their

Solution

Possessive adjective The blank comes before the noun 'illusion', so a possessive adjective is needed. The illusion belongs to the scarecrow, which is singular and not a person, so 'its' is used. 'It's' is the contraction of 'it is', 'their' is plural, and 'theirs' is a possessive pronoun that can never stand before a noun. Hence 'its' is the correct option.

80

Directions (Qs. 76-80): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. The farmers in our village were fed up with the birds that used to eat (76)

____

all their harvested grains. They tried to take turns watching, (77)

____

still, they were not able to save the crops. One of the older men in our village suggested that we should build a scarecrow. The idea was well-received. The face of the scarecrow was made using an earthen pot, while bundles of straw (78)

____

to create its arms. Finally, it was accessorised with a hat and a coat to perfect (79)

____

illusion as a man. It was a (80)

____

coat that used to belong to a beggar who stayed near the temple.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number (80).

A.brown, old, tattered
B.tattered, old, brown
C.brown, tattered, old
D.old, tattered, brown

Solution

Order of adjectives When several adjectives stand before a noun, English fixes their order: opinion → size → age → shape → colour → origin → material → purpose. Here 'tattered' is an opinion, 'old' gives age and 'brown' gives colour. In that order the phrase reads 'a tattered, old, brown coat'. Every other option puts colour or age before opinion, which breaks the sequence. Hence 'tattered, old, brown' is the correct option.