SSC CGL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Deleterious means causing harm or damage.

1. Example: Pollution has deleterious effects on health.
2. Comforting, beneficial and helpful are positive – they are near-antonyms.

Trick: Three options are positive and similar; the single negative word must be the synonym of "harmful".

Answer: (A) Deleterious

Concept: Cacophony = a harsh, jarring mix of sounds (here, of thoughts).

1. Opposite: harmony – a pleasant, orderly combination.
2. Noise, clamor and dissonance all mean disorderly sound – synonyms.

Trick: Greek "kakos" = bad + "phone" = sound; opposite "eu-phony" = good sound, close to harmony.

Answer: (B) Harmony

Concept: Homonyms are same-spelling words with different meanings.

1. In the given sentence, pike = a long infantry spear.
2. In B, pike = a freshwater predatory fish – a different meaning.
3. A, C, D still use pike as a weapon.

Trick: Look for the sentence where the word's meaning changes – words like "caught… river" signal fish.

Answer: (B) He caught a large pike from the river.

Concept: Passive "had been + V3" becomes active "had + V3" – tense stays the same.

1. Doer: the researchers → subject.
2. Active: The researchers had carefully documented the experiment results.

Trick: Match the tense marker: "had been" ↔ "had". A is simple past, C is continuous, D is still passive.

Answer: (B) The researchers had carefully documented the experiment results.

Concept: Locate where the passage talks about worries over screen reading.

1. It says screen reading brings shorter attention spans and weaker understanding.
2. Readers skim instead of absorbing deeply → loss of deep engagement and comprehension.

Trick: Cost, rural availability and vocabulary are never mentioned – eliminate options not found in the text.

Answer: (B) It reduces deep engagement and comprehension

Concept: The passage lists benefits of digital reading.

1. Thousands of books fit in one device (portability).
2. Built-in dictionaries and instant access (convenience).

Trick: A, B and D contradict the text (it reduces paper, improves accessibility).

Answer: (C) It provides portability and convenience

Concept: "Immersive" (from immerse = dip fully) means absorbing the reader completely.

1. The sentence links it with focus and retention → deep involvement.
2. So it implies "deeply engaging".

Trick: Use the contrast: screens = superficial, print = immersive → the opposite of superficial.

Answer: (B) Deeply engaging

Concept: Find the line on sustainability.

1. The author links digital platforms to the environment through lower use of paper.
2. Less printing means fewer trees cut.

Trick: Electricity, ads and e-waste recycling are not in the passage – direct-fact questions need the exact idea from the text.

Answer: (C) By reducing paper consumption

Concept: The final lines give the author's view.

1. The debate is about balance, not picking one format.
2. Mindful reading on paper or screen → use both thoughtfully.

Trick: Words like "completely", "everything", "all" (A, B, D) are extreme – balanced passages rarely support them.

Answer: (C) Using both digital and print reading mindfully

Concept: "Approach" already means "come near"; it takes a direct object.

1. "Approached near/to/towards" repeats the idea → redundant.
2. Correct: As we approached the station, it started to rain heavily.

Trick: Other redundancy traps: return back, repeat again, discuss about, enter into (a room).

Answer: (B) approached

Concept: "Criticise someone for something" – "for" gives the reason.

1. He was criticised because of his remarks → "criticised for his controversial remarks".
2. "At", "on", "with", "about" are not used with criticise for the cause.

Trick: Reason-verbs take "for": blame for, punish for, praise for, criticise for.

Answer: (A) for his controversial remarks

Concept: Yes/no question → "asked + if/whether" + statement order, with tense back-shift.

1. "said to" → "asked"; "you" (the witness) → "he".
2. Simple past "did observe" → past perfect "had observed".
3. Result: …asked the witness if he had observed anyone suspicious…

Trick: Reject at sight: A (no back-shift), C (question order "did they"), D (keeps "you").

Answer: (B) The detective asked the witness if he had observed anyone suspicious near the premises.

Concept: Start with the general idea, then follow pronoun and connector links.

1. 1 introduces museums and their role – opener.
2. 2 ("they") explains how; 3 ("This continuity") builds on 2.
3. 4 ("Consequently") gives the result – closer.

Trick: "This…" and "Consequently" can never open a paragraph – that removes B and D at once.

Answer: (A) 1, 2, 3, 4

Concept: Going back to direct speech, move the tense one step forward: past perfect → simple past.

1. Keep the reporting verb "claimed" (B changes it to "announced").
2. "had developed" → "developed".
3. C ("have developed") and D (continuous) give wrong tense.

Trick: Reverse back-shift: had + V3 → V2 (or has/have + V3); here the singular subject and option set make "developed" the only fit.

Answer: (A) The historian claimed, "The ancient civilisation developed an advanced irrigation system."

Concept: Problem → need for solution → details → additional point.

1. 2 states the problem of rising municipal waste – opener.
2. 3 ("this crisis") calls for strategies; 1 ("Such initiatives") describes them.
3. 4 ("Furthermore") adds recycling and composting.

Trick: "Such…" needs something before it to refer to – so 1 cannot come before 3; only C fits 2-3-1-4.

Answer: (C) 2, 3, 1, 4

Concept: Greek roots: biblio = book, -phile = one who loves.

1. Bibliophile = a person who loves, reads or collects books → same as 'book-lover'.
2. Publisher prints books, Librarian looks after them, Shelf is an object.

Trick: -phile = lover (bibliophile, audiophile); -phobe = one who fears.

Answer: (B) Bibliophile

Concept: An archer with a spare string can still shoot if one breaks.

1. 'Have two strings to one's bow' = to have a second option, skill or backup plan.
2. Context: Ramesh is calm even if plan A fails → he has a plan B.

Trick: Use the clue in the sentence — 'not worried even if the first plan fails' points straight to a backup.

Answer: (A) to have another skill or a back up plan

Concept: Lachrymose (from Latin lacrima = tear) means tearful, inclined to weep.

1. Tearful, Mournful, Sad are synonyms — eliminate them.
2. Jovial = cheerful, full of fun — the opposite, and it fits 'laughter filled the room'.

Trick: In an antonym question, three options meaning the same thing are the trap; the odd one is the answer.

Answer: (D) Jovial

Concept: The word comes from 'conscience' but ends in -tious.

1. Correct: conscientious (con-sci-en-tious) = careful and honest in one's work.
2. 'Consciencious' wrongly uses -cious.
3. Acquiescence, Burgeoning, Episode are spelt correctly.

Trick: Think 'science' + 'tious': con-SCIEN-TIOUS.

Answer: (B) Consciencious

Concept: Scientific words keep their Greek roots: cyto- (cell) + chroma (colour).

1. Cytochrome = an iron-containing coloured protein used in cell respiration.
2. The colour root is always spelt 'chrome' — as in chromosome, chromatography.

Trick: If you know 'chromosome', you know 'cytochrome' — same 'chrom' root.

Answer: (A) Cytochrome