SSC CGL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Sarcastic = mocking in a bitter, hurtful way.

1. Caustic = harshly critical, 'burning' in tone — same sense.
2. Sweet, Gentle, Mild are soft/kind words — closer to antonyms.

Trick: Three options share a 'soft' meaning — the odd harsh word is the synonym.

Answer: (D) Caustic

Concept: Pick the idiom meaning 'to say something openly, without hesitation'.

1. Make no bones about it = state frankly and directly ✓.
2. Make a killing = earn a lot of money quickly.
3. Make ends meet = manage with limited income; Make a beeline = go straight towards something.

Yaad rakhein: Origin: soup without bones is easy to swallow — no 'bones' = no difficulty or hesitation.

Answer: (A) Make no bones about it

Concept: Evanescent = fading away quickly, short-lived.

1. Opposite = Enduring (long-lasting).
2. 'Unlike passing trends' also demands a word meaning permanent.
3. Momentary, Temporary, Brief all mean short-lived (synonyms).

Trick: Three options are synonyms of each other — the antonym is the odd one out.

Answer: (C) Enduring

Concept: Correct spelling: inadvertent (= unintentional).

1. Part (1) writes 'inadvertant' — wrong ending -ant.
2. elbow, bump, knocked, vase, table are all correct.

Trick: Related noun is 'inadvertence' (with e) — so the adjective also keeps e: inadvertent.

Answer: (A) 1

Concept: Geology term from 'porphyry' (rock with large crystals) + '-blastic'.

1. Root 'porphyr-' begins with POR-, not PER- or PRO-.
2. Ending is '-ic', not '-ik'.
3. Correct: Porphyroblastic.

Trick: Eliminate '-ik' endings (English adjectives end in -ic) → then choose POR- over PER-.

Answer: (C) Porphyroblastic

Concept: Greek 'ploutos' = wealth; '-cracy' = rule.

1. Plutocracy = rule by the rich ✓.
2. Oligarchy = rule by a small group; Meritocracy = rule by the talented.
3. Hierarchy = system of ranks, not a type of rule by wealth.

Trick: Pluto was also the Roman god of wealth (underworld riches) → pluto-cracy.

Answer: (B) Plutocracy

Concept: Sentences starting with Hardly/Seldom/Never/Rarely use question-order: auxiliary + subject + verb.

1. 'Hardly ever' is negative → invert.
2. Present simple needs auxiliary 'do': Hardly ever do we have the opportunity…
3. 'we have'/'we had' are not inverted; 'did have we' has wrong order.

Trick: Negative word at the start = make it look like a question (do we…?).

Answer: (B) do we have

Concept: 'Verged on' needs a noun; context = speech too full of jargon to understand.

1. Opacity = lack of clarity, hard to understand ✓.
2. Optical (related to sight) and Opulent (rich, lavish) are adjectives; Opal is a gemstone.

Trick: Part of speech check: after 'verged on' a noun is needed — this alone drops optical and opulent.

Answer: (A) opacity

Concept: 'Address a concern' = deal with / respond to an issue.

1. The explanation did not clearly address the committee's concern ✓.
2. Distress = cause worry; Circulate = spread around; Elude = escape/avoid — none suits a concern being answered.

Trick: Fixed collocation: address an issue / a problem / a concern.

Answer: (A) address

Concept: Items joined by 'both … and' must be in the same grammatical form.

1. 'to both preserve … and promote …' — both base verbs.
2. Part (2) uses 'promoting' → should be 'and promote'.

Trick: Look at the word right after 'both' and copy its form after 'and'.

Answer: (B) (2)

Concept: Verb agrees with the main subject, not with nouns in phrases between.

1. Main subject = 'The profound impact' (singular).
2. 'of digital technology…' and the commas phrase are only modifiers.
3. Part (3) 'are' → should be 'is increasingly becoming'.

Trick: Cross out 'of…' phrases and comma-enclosed parts, then match subject and verb.

Answer: (C) (3)

Concept: will + V1 → will be + V3 in passive.

1. Object 'the annual report' becomes subject.
2. will publish → will be published.
3. Agent 'by the committee' and 'next quarter' stay unchanged.

Trick: Tense must not change: 'would', 'has been', 'is being' all change the tense → out.

Answer: (B) The annual report will be published by the committee next quarter.

Concept: Homonym = same spelling, different meaning.

1. In the sentence, 'fanon' = a cape-like vestment worn by the Pope.
2. Options A, B, C use this same meaning (papal garment).
3. Option D: 'Fanon' = Frantz Fanon, writer on colonialism — different meaning ✓.

Trick: Find the option whose meaning breaks the common theme (here: clothing vs a person).

Answer: (D) Fanon changed how people think about colonial history.

Concept: has/have been + V3 → has/have + V3 in active.

1. Doer 'analysts' becomes subject; tense stays present perfect.
2. 'It has been presumed by analysts that…' → 'Analysts have widely presumed that…'.
3. B (had) and D (are presuming) change tense; C is still passive.

Trick: Plural subject 'analysts' needs 'have', not 'has'.

Answer: (A) Analysts have widely presumed that the market will stabilize next quarter.

Concept: Find what the mother wants explained.

1. Sarah wants to know why Liam suddenly withdrew, stays out late and changed friends.
2. Liam refuses to explain → tension in the kitchen.
3. Studies, chores or her dislike of old friends are never mentioned.

Trick: Reject options with details not found in the passage (marks, chores).

Answer: (C) Liam's unexplained withdrawal and behavioral changes.

Concept: Look for why Liam went along with the meme and dares.

1. He laughed at the meme only to be accepted by the group.
2. Being cut off from his only social circle scared him.
3. So fear of exclusion and wish to belong drove him.

Trick: The passage shows his discomfort ('stomach clench') — so 'genuine interest' is wrong.

Answer: (C) The fear of exclusion and desire to fit in.

Concept: Locate the line about his old friends.

1. The text says the friends of real laughter now feel 'distant, almost alien'.
2. Nothing says he cut them off completely, or that the new group is more genuine.

Trick: Option repeating the passage's exact phrase is usually right in factual RC questions.

Answer: (C) His old friends feel distant, almost alien now.

Concept: Find what kept Liam silent even after hearing his mother's care.

1. He notices the concern in her voice — so trust is not the issue.
2. The passage names 'a powerful knot of shame and fear' as the blocker.
3. No anger or wish for independence is described.

Trick: Direct-detail question → scan for the line near 'lips sealed'.

Answer: (B) A powerful knot of shame and fear.

Concept: Purpose must cover the whole passage, not one detail.

1. The passage shows online judgment, dares, exclusion (external) and shame, fear (internal).
2. It does not criticise the mother, preach about screen time or demand rules.

Trick: Words like 'criticize'/'advocate' need a strong opinion in the text — absent here.

Answer: (C) To explore the internal and external pressures teenagers face in social dynamics.

Concept: After insist/demand/suggest/recommend + that, use the base verb for all subjects.

1. 'every student answer the question carefully' — no -s.
2. 'answers', 'answered', 'should answers' are incorrect forms here.

Trick: Think of a hidden 'should': (should) answer → so 'should answers' is doubly wrong.

Answer: (B) answer the question carefully