SSC CHSL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Unflagging = never tiring or weakening.

1. 'flag' (verb) = to become weak/tired; un- makes it 'not tiring'.
2. Opposite = fatigued (tired out) ✓
3. Relentless, indefatigable, persistent are all synonyms.

Trick: Three options mean the same as the word → they are synonyms; the odd one is the antonym.

Answer: (B) Fatigued

Concept: Climax = the highest, most intense point.

1. 'Music built up' → rising to a peak.
2. Crescendo = a gradual rise to the loudest/most intense point ✓
3. Silence, drop, murmur all suggest decrease.

Trick: Musical words help: crescendo = rising, diminuendo = falling.

Answer: (D) Crescendo

Concept: Tried = made an effort.

1. Endeavoured = attempted seriously ✓
2. Evaded = avoided, ignored = paid no attention, postponed = delayed — none means 'attempted'.

Trick: Replace 'tried' with each option in the sentence — only 'endeavoured to complete' keeps the meaning.

Answer: (B) endeavoured

Concept: Potable = safe and fit for drinking.

1. Potable (Latin potare = to drink) ✓
2. Sterile = free from germs, not the same as drinkable.
3. Contaminated/polluted = unsafe.

Trick: Potable ~ 'pot' + 'able' — think of water you can pour from a pot and drink.

Answer: (B) Potable

Concept: A person who distrusts human motives and expects the worst of people = cynic.

1. Cynic: believes people act only out of selfishness ✓
2. Pessimist: expects bad outcomes in general (events), not specifically of people.
3. Optimist = hopeful; altruist = selfless helper.

Trick: Pessimist → about situations; Cynic → about people's motives.

Answer: (B) Cynic

Concept: A synonym carries the same sense as the given word.

1. Remarkable = worth noticing because it is unusual or extraordinary.
2. Astounding = so surprising/impressive that it amazes – same idea of 'beyond the ordinary'.
3. Typical and Ordinary mean common; Trivial means of little importance – all go the other way.

Trick: Three options (typical, ordinary, trivial) share a 'plain/common' sense – the odd one out is the synonym.

Answer: (D) Astounding

Concept: The verb after a relative pronoun agrees with that pronoun's antecedent.

1. Antecedent of 'who' = Students (plural).
2. Plural subject needs plural verb: 'who do not read', not 'who does not read'.
3. Error lies in part (A).

Trick: Cover 'who' and join the noun directly: 'Students do not read' – the right verb pops out.

Answer: (A) Students who does not read newspapers

Concept: When one subject has two verbs joined by 'and', both verbs agree with that subject.

1. 'The Alps' is a plural proper noun (a mountain range).
2. First verb 'are' is right, but the second verb 'is very popular' is singular.
3. Correct: '…in the south and are very popular.' Hence sentence (C) is wrong.

Trick: Names of mountain ranges, island groups (the Alps, the Himalayas, the Andamans) always take plural verbs.

Answer: (C) The Alps are the most picturesque mountains in the south and is very popular.

Concept: Some verbs take a fixed preposition.

1. 'Elaborate' (= explain in more detail) is used as elaborate on/upon something.
2. So: 'The manager elaborated on the new company policies.'
3. 'over', 'with', 'for' are not used with this verb in this sense.

Trick: Elaborate on, comment on, focus on, insist on – learn the 'on' family together.

Answer: (B) on

Concept: In a matching question each item gets one different meaning – no meaning is used twice.

1. Check item 1 against both meanings: it fits meaning A.
2. Only meaning B is left, and item 2 fits it.
3. So the pairing is 1-A, 2-B.

Trick: Options like '1-A, 2-A' or '1-B, 2-B' reuse a meaning – reject them at once; then just test item 1.

Answer: (A) 1-A, 2-B

Concept: Medical words from Greek keep the 'rrh' cluster.

1. Correct spelling: D-I-A-R-R-H-E-A.
2. It has double 'r' followed by 'h' (-rrhea), like haemorrhage.
3. Other options drop an 'r', the 'h', or shift letters.

Yaad rakhein: -rrhea/-rrhoea ending: diarrhea, gonorrhea, pyorrhea; British spelling: diarrhoea.

Answer: (C) Diarrhea

Concept: 'Before bed' is a standard idiomatic time phrase.

1. 'Finishes her assignment before bed' = she completes it in the time before going to sleep – natural and correct.
2. 'At bed' and 'by bed' are not idiomatic English phrases of time.
3. So the sentence needs no change.

Trick: Use 'at bedtime' or 'before bed' – never 'at bed'.

Answer: (D) No substitution

Concept: 'Prevent' takes the pattern: prevent + object + from + V-ing.

1. Wrong: 'prevent him to making'.
2. Right: 'prevent him from making such an error'.
3. 'for' and 'in' do not fit this verb.

Trick: Stop/prevent/prohibit/deter/refrain – all go with 'from + V-ing'.

Answer: (B) Prevent him from making

Concept: With a past reporting verb, tense moves one step back and 'next' becomes 'following'.

1. 'is going to' → was going to.
2. 'Your' (listener's) → 'his' as per the context.
3. 'the next five days' → the following five days.
4. Only option (A) makes all three changes.

Trick: Check the time word first – 'following' leaves A and B; then tense 'was' leaves only A.

Answer: (A) The nurse said that his brother was going to recover within the following five days.

Concept: Active and passive must keep the same tense; with no agent, use an indefinite subject.

1. 'has been submitted' = present perfect passive.
2. Active present perfect = has/have + V3.
3. No doer given → use 'Someone': 'Someone has submitted the report.'

Trick: Spot 'has been' → answer must contain 'has + V3'; only (C) has it.

Answer: (C) Someone has submitted the report.

Concept: When converting to direct speech, restore the reporting verb, pronouns and the speaker's own tense.

1. 'told her' → said to her.
2. 'she' (listener) → you.
3. The signing was completed before her call, so past perfect 'had already been signed' stays, with simple past 'you called'.

Trick: Reject options with 'told her, "…' or with 'have…had' mixed tenses – only (C) is clean.

Answer: (C) Rohit said to her, "The files had already been signed before you called."

Concept: 'Prone' (likely to suffer) always takes 'to'.

1. prone + to + noun: prone to accidents, prone to floods.
2. So: 'This region is prone to accidents during winter.'
3. with/for/of are not used after 'prone'.

Trick: Prone to = liable to = subject to – all three use 'to'.

Answer: (C) to

Concept: Future perfect passive = will have been + V3.

1. Active verb: 'will have accepted' (future perfect).
2. Object 'his decision' moves to the front as subject.
3. Verb becomes will have been accepted; the doer follows with 'by his family'.

Trick: 'Been' never follows 'will have' as 'being' – kill (D); (A) and (B) change the tense.

Answer: (C) Aman's decision will have been accepted by his family by next year.

Concept: Simple future passive (will be + V3) converts to simple future active (will + V1).

1. Agent 'the authorities' becomes the subject.
2. 'will be implemented' → will implement.
3. Active: 'The authorities will implement the new education reform with immediate effect.'

Trick: Match tense only: 'will be + V3' ↔ 'will + V1' – (B), (C), (D) show other tenses.

Answer: (A) The authorities will implement the new education reform with immediate effect.

Concept: A 'where' clause that describes a noun is an adjective (relative) clause.

1. The clause comes right after the noun phrase 'functional landscapes'.
2. It tells which/what kind of landscapes – i.e. it qualifies a noun.
3. A clause qualifying a noun = Adjective clause, not adverbial.

Trick: Ask: does it answer 'which one?' about a noun → adjective clause; 'where did the action happen?' → adverb clause.

Answer: (C) Adjective clause