SSC CHSL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Meteorology is the science of the atmosphere and weather; its expert is a meteorologist.

1. Atmosphere + weather forecasting → Meteorologist ✔
2. Hydrologist – water; Seismologist – earthquakes; Oceanographer – oceans.

Trick: Match the root: hydro = water, seismo = quake, ocean = sea, meteor(o) = sky/atmosphere.

Answer: (C) Meteorologist

Concept: A person who supports keeping old customs and opposes change = traditionalist.

1. 'Advocate of tradition' → Tradition + -ist ✔
2. Conformist only follows the rules of the group; 'Orthodox' is an adjective (accepted belief); Permissive = allowing freedom – the opposite.

Trick: The definition literally contains 'tradition' – the noun with '-ist' (a person) fits.

Answer: (A) Traditionalist

Concept: Reticent = reserved; not inclined to share thoughts or talk much.

1. Introvert = reserved, quiet person ✔ (closest).
2. Gregarious, Extrovert = sociable; Candid = frank and open – all opposite in sense.

Trick: Reticent sounds like 'retire into oneself' – the quiet, inward person = introvert.

Answer: (A) Introvert

Concept: Bring the 'by' agent to the subject position and keep the original tense.

1. Agent: the organisers → subject.
2. 'are hoped' (simple present passive) → 'hope'.
3. 'to be declared' → 'to declare the results'.
4. Active: The organisers hope to declare the results soon.

Trick: Tense check first: 'are hoped' is simple present, so reject 'are hoping' (A) and 'will be hoping' (D).

Answer: (C) The organisers hope to declare the results soon.

Concept: Past reporting verb → every tense goes one step back; now→then, this→that, we→they.

1. have been trekking/searching → had been trekking/searching
2. is now visible → was then visible; this peak → that peak
3. will reach → would reach
4. Only option (B) applies every change.

Trick: Scan for leftovers: any 'have', 'is', 'now' or 'this' in an option makes it wrong – (A) and (C) fail instantly.

Answer: (B) The explorer announced that they had been trekking … was then visible from that peak, and they would reach it by sundown.

Concept: Items in a list must be the same part of speech, sharing one preposition and one noun.

1. efficient, reliable, secure – all adjectives qualifying 'manner'.
2. Write 'in' and 'manner' only once: in an efficient, reliable, and secure manner.
3. (A) mixes a phrase; (C) and (D) mix adverbs with adjectives.

Trick: Read it as 'in an ___ manner' – each word in the list must fit the blank on its own.

Answer: (B) in an efficient, reliable, and secure manner

Concept: 'Who/whom' refers to people; 'which' refers to things. Plural antecedent → plural verb.

1. Antecedent = patents (things) → 'of which', not 'of whom'.
2. 'many' (of the patents) is plural → 'are licensed'.
3. Correct: of which many are licensed to competitors.

Trick: Two checks in 5 seconds: thing → which; many → are. Only (B) passes both.

Answer: (B) of which many are licensed to competitors

Concept: Modal + V1 becomes modal + be + V3; an interrogative stays interrogative.

1. Object 'the assignment' → new subject.
2. can complete → can be completed.
3. Question form: Can + subject + be + V3 …? → Can the assignment be completed by the students?

Trick: A question must begin with the helping verb – only (B) starts with 'Can'.

Answer: (B) Can the assignment be completed by the students?

Concept: Reverse the backshift: past perfect continuous → present perfect continuous, past continuous → present continuous, past perfect → simple past.

1. they had been attempting → we have been attempting
2. was proving → is proving
3. he had initially thought → I initially thought
4. Remove 'that', add inverted commas.

Trick: (C) just copies the indirect tenses and (D) mixes 'have been' with 'was' – both inconsistent; (A) uses the wrong 'were attempting'.

Answer: (B) He said to her, "The challenging puzzle we have been attempting since morning is proving to be more difficult than I initially thought."

Concept: Opener introduces the topic; pronouns and 'however'/'this' link to earlier sentences.

1. Q introduces early alchemists and their experiments → opener.
2. R: 'Their goal' – 'their' = alchemists → Q-R.
3. P: 'The results, however' – outcome of the experiments → R-P.
4. S: 'This lack of systematic methodology' sums up P → last.

Trick: Only (A) and (C) start with Q; 'Their ultimate goal' must sit next to Q, so Q-R → (A).

Answer: (A) Q, R, P, S

Concept: The verb follows the main noun before 'of', not the noun after it.

1. Main subject = box (singular); 'of chocolates' only describes the box.
2. Singular subject needs singular verb: 'were' → was distributed.
3. Corrected: '… box of chocolates was distributed …'

Trick: Cover the 'of + noun' phrase with your finger and read 'The large box … were' — the error jumps out.

Answer: (B) were distributed among

Concept: Choose the particle that gives 'break' the meaning 'enter by force'.

1. Break into = force one's way inside a building/safe — fits thieves and a vault.
2. 'Break up' = end/split; 'onto' = on a surface; 'open' is not even a preposition.

Trick: Thieves, burglars, hackers → always 'break into' (a house, a car, a system).

Answer: (A) into

Concept: Purpose-driven = guided by a goal or end.

1. Teleological (Greek telos = end/goal) = explained by or aimed at a purpose.
2. Random = without plan; Reactive = only responding; Historical = about the past — none mean goal-directed.

Trick: Link 'tele-' here with telos = goal, not 'far' (as in telephone).

Answer: (A) Teleological

Concept: 'Acknowledge' keeps its 'd' (ack-now-ledge) in every form.

1. Correct spelling: Acknowledgement (British) / Acknowledgment (American) – both keep 'dg'.
2. 'Acknowlegement' drops the 'd' – incorrect.
3. Responsibility, Environment and Management are spelt correctly.

Trick: Think of the root 'knowledge' – ac + knowledge + ment; the 'dge' never loses its d.

Answer: (A) Acknowlegement

Concept: 'Desert' as verb = abandon; as noun = dry sandy region.

1. In the given sentence 'to desert the ship' → verb, meaning to abandon.
2. (A), (B), (C) speak of a sandy land → noun.
3. (D) 'never desert his companions' = never abandon them → same verb sense.

Trick: If 'desert' comes after to/will/would/never and takes an object, it is the verb 'abandon'.

Answer: (D) He would never desert his companions when they needed him most.

Concept: Words from '-ate' verbs take '-ative' (with 'a').

1. Root verb: commemorate → adjective commemorative.
2. 'Commemoretive' wrongly uses 'e'; Celebration, Anniversary, Memorial are correct.

Trick: create → creative, relate → relative, commemorate → commemorative — keep the 'a' of '-ate'.

Answer: (A) Commemoretive

Concept: Pick the concern that the passage itself states.

1. The passage warns that germline editing can bring permanent changes to the human gene pool, even speed them up.
2. Hospital costs, surgery methods and school biology are never mentioned.

Trick: In RC, reject any option whose key words (costs, surgery, schools) do not appear in the passage.

Answer: (B) Introduction and acceleration of permanent changes to the gene pool

Concept: Locate the line on the 'genetic divide' between rich and poor.

1. To counter this polarization, the passage calls for robust ethical frameworks and international regulatory treaties.
2. Privatisation, limiting medicine or removing doctors are not suggested anywhere.

Trick: Search the question's key word ('polarization') in the passage — the answer sits in the same sentence.

Answer: (B) Robust ethical frameworks and international regulatory treaties

Concept: The last line of the passage raises the liability issue.

1. It asks who should be held responsible if a genetic change causes a disaster or ecological imbalance.
2. So the issue is fixing blame for harmful side effects → option (B).

Trick: 'Liability' = legal responsibility; look for the option with 'who is to blame'.

Answer: (B) The challenge of determining who is to blame when a modification triggers side effects

Concept: Check two things: the verb's number and the form of 'nature'.

1. Subject head = 'The advancement' (singular) → verb introduces; (B), (C) fail.
2. 'Human nature' is uncountable → no plural 'natures'; (C), (D) fail.
3. Only (A) passes both tests.

Trick: With two variables in options, eliminate on one point first — only two options remain, then test the second.

Answer: (A) The advancement of GE in modern medicine introduces questions regarding eugenics, genetic inequality, and the alteration of human nature.