SSC CHSL 2025 PYQs

Concept: A sentence needs a finite main verb; a passive modifier takes V3.

1. 'rejecting' cannot be the main verb → need 'rejected' (past, 'last week').
2. The proposal was submitted by the committee → 'submitted' (V3), not 'submitting'.
3. → unanimously rejected the proposal submitted by the …

Trick: Fix two blanks: main verb tense + participle type; only C fixes both.

Answer: (C) unanimously rejected the proposal submitted by the

Concept: Simple present active → is/am/are + V3 in passive.

1. Object 'a letter' → subject (singular) → 'is'.
2. writes → is written; he → by him.
3. → A letter is written by him every week.

Trick: Tense never changes in voice change – 'writes' (present) can't become 'was'.

Answer: (B) A letter is written by him every week.

Concept: Reverse the back-shift and pronoun changes; restore question form.

1. had calculated → did … calculate (simple past).
2. he → you; those → these; was missing → was missing (already past, stays).
3. Put the words in quotation marks and end with '?' → only B shows all these changes.

Trick: Past perfect in indirect → simple past in direct; eliminate options with 'have/had/has'.

Answer: (B) The auditor asked the accountant, "How did you calculate these figures when the data was missing from the report?*

Concept: Arrange actions in the natural time order.

1. R: writes the letter (first action).
2. P: seals the envelope and adds a stamp.
3. Q: posts it at the post office.
4. S: returns home hoping for a reply → R P Q S.

Trick: Process passages follow real-life order – write → seal → post → wait.

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

Concept: Start with the sentence that names the topic; link pronouns and connectors.

1. Q introduces 'The Enlightenment' → opener.
2. R starts with 'It' → refers to Q.
3. P 'This intellectual shift' sums up R.
4. S 'Consequently' gives the result → Q R P S.

Trick: 'Consequently' almost always goes last; a full noun subject goes first.

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

Concept: 'Advice' (noun) is what is given; 'advise' (verb) is the act of giving it.

1. 'The legal ___' needs a noun after the adjective 'legal'.
2. 'Advise' is a verb, so part A is wrong; it should be 'advice'.
3. Fix: replace 'advise' with advice – the rest of the sentence is fine.

Trick: Same pairs: practice (n)/practise (v), licence (n)/license (v) – the 'c' form is the noun.

Answer: (A) The legal advise

Concept: Some adjectives take a fixed preposition; 'conducive' always takes 'to'.

1. Conducive = helpful in bringing about something.
2. Fixed usage: conducive to study / health / peace.
3. So: …was conducive to deep concentration…

Trick: Remember the family of 'to' adjectives: conducive to, prone to, averse to, akin to.

Answer: (C) to

Concept: Synonym = word with the same meaning.

1. Timeless = not affected by time; valid in every age.
2. Transhistorical = holding true across all periods of history → same idea.
3. Temporary, contemporary, momentary all link to a limited time – opposite sense.

Trick: Spot 'trans-' (across/beyond): beyond history = beyond time = timeless.

Answer: (A) Transhistorical

Concept: Break the word into its parts to spell it correctly.

1. intro (inward) + version (turning) = Introversion.
2. Ending is '-sion', exactly like 'version'.
3. Other options jumble the vowels: -seon, -ison, -soin.

Trick: If you can spell 'version', just add 'intro-' in front.

Answer: (D) Introversion

Concept: 'Minute' (MIN-it) = 60 seconds; 'minute' (my-NYOOT) = very small.

1. In 'wait just one minute', it is a noun of time.
2. Option B: 'start in exactly one minute' – same time sense.
3. A, C, D use it as an adjective meaning tiny (minute crack, details, traces).

Trick: Preceded by 'one/a' and a number → time; describing a noun → tiny.

Answer: (B) The meeting will start in exactly one minute from now.

Concept: Check each option against standard spelling.

1. Blatant, Blister, Baffled – all correct.
2. 'Busynis' is wrong; correct spelling is Business.
3. It comes from 'busy' (y → i) + '-ness'.

Trick: Busy + ness: change y to i → busi-ness.

Answer: (D) Busynis

Concept: Find the line where the passage itself names the 'contradiction'.

1. The first paragraph says cities offer unmatched opportunities and amenities…
2. …but also strain community bonds and weaken our connection with nature.
3. Option C states both halves – benefit plus cost.

Trick: Look for the word 'contradiction' in the passage; the answer follows the colon.

Answer: (C) Urbanization offers opportunities and amenities but strains community bonds and nature

Concept: Pick the benefit actually mentioned in the passage.

1. The passage praises mass transit and modern healthcare centres.
2. It says they can elevate lifestyles once thought unattainable.
3. A and C go against the text; D denies cultural integration, which the passage praises.

Trick: Extreme or reversed statements (no impact, reduced need) are almost never right in RC.

Answer: (B) Infrastructure improvements and healthcare centers have elevated lifestyles

Concept: Locate the 'repercussions' part of the passage.

1. After 'heavy repercussions', the passage mentions gentrification and marginalisation.
2. It then adds 'a feeling of alienation, anxiety about the environment'.
3. A is the reverse (housing is lost); C and D are not stated.

Trick: Keyword match: 'repercussion' in the question → 'repercussions' in the passage.

Answer: (B) It leads to a feeling of alienation and anxiety about the environment

Concept: Find the direct question the author asks about city planning.

1. The author asks whether cities are designed for people, or people merely fuel the cities.
2. This questions whom planning truly serves.
3. Skyscrapers, falling property prices and abandoning cities are never asked.

Trick: In 'what question does the passage raise', look for a '?' in the passage.

Answer: (C) Are we designing cities for people, or are people merely fueling the cities?

Concept: Read the closing line, where the author gives the solution.

1. The ending says the city brings ecological challenges that society must address.
2. Doing so ensures a more livable and balanced future.
3. A is the opposite; C (stop all construction) and D (solely economic) are extreme.

Trick: 'Solely', 'all', 'immediately' – extreme words usually mark wrong options.

Answer: (B) Addressing the ecological challenges and new issues

Concept: Part and parcel = an essential, inseparable part of something.

1. Here, learning a language is impossible without practice and patience.
2. So the idiom means 'an essential part or feature'.
3. C ('expected') is weaker – expected is not the same as essential.

Trick: 'Part' + 'parcel' both mean piece of the whole → can't remove it.

Answer: (B) An essential part or feature

Concept: Antonym = opposite meaning.

1. Skeptical = doubting, not easily convinced.
2. Credulous = believing too easily → opposite.
3. Dubious and cynical are near-synonyms; reserved = not showing feelings.

Trick: Credulous comes from Latin 'credere' (to believe) – like credit, creed.

Answer: (B) Credulous

Concept: -cide = killing; the Latin root tells whose killing.

1. Soror = sister → Sororicide.
2. Frater = brother → Fratricide; Mater = mother → Matricide.
3. Sui = oneself → Suicide.

Trick: Soror ≈ 'sorority' (sisterhood); frater ≈ 'fraternity' (brotherhood).

Answer: (A) Sororicide

Concept: The definition describes a travelling group, mainly traders.

1. Caravan = a group of travellers (often merchants) journeying together.
2. Exodus = mass departure; Outflow = movement out.
3. Sojourn = a temporary stay – not a group.

Trick: Picture camels with traders on the Silk Route – that is a caravan.

Answer: (C) Caravan