SSC CHSL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Passive 'is being + V3' becomes active 'is + V-ing'.

1. Agent after 'by' (the architect) becomes the subject.
2. 'is being drawn' → 'is drawing'.
3. Active: The architect is drawing a detailed map.

Trick: Keep the tense same: continuous stays continuous – C and D change tense.

Answer: (A) The architect is drawing a detailed map.

Concept: Antonym = opposite meaning.

1. Expressible = can be put into words.
2. Ineffable = too great to be expressed in words → opposite.
3. Relentless, unsparing, inflexible relate to harshness/rigidity, not expression.

Trick: 'Ineffable joy' = joy beyond words – a common phrase to remember.

Answer: (A) Ineffable

Concept: Past reporting verb → tense moves back; pronouns change from the reporter's view.

1. 'said' is past, so 'will' → 'would'.
2. 'We' (captain's team) → 'they' when reported by someone else.
3. Both changes together point to option A.

Trick: Check two changes together: will→would AND we→they; only A has both.

Answer: (A) The captain said that they would reach the summit by noon.

Concept: A plural amount of distance/time/money taken as one whole takes a singular verb.

1. 'Thirty miles' = one total distance → singular verb.
2. The sentence states a fact, so simple present 'is' fits, not 'have been'.
3. Correct: Thirty miles is the distance we drove…

Trick: Ten years is a long time; Five kilos is heavy – amounts = singular.

Answer: (B) Thirty miles is the distance

Concept: Thing acted upon → passive; singular 'it' → 'has been + V3'.

1. The jacket was stitched by someone → passive needed.
2. 'it' singular → 'has been stitched'.
3. 'events' plural, so contrast is 'casual ones'.
4. Correct: it has originally been stitched for casual ones.

Trick: Reject any option with two helping verbs clashing (has…have, has…was, has…has).

Answer: (B) it has originally been stitched for casual ones

Concept: Passive 'will have been + V3' → active 'will have + V3'.

1. The doer (the diligent student) becomes the subject.
2. 'will have been submitted' → 'will have submitted'.
3. So the active verb is will have submitted, with 'his final thesis' as object.

Trick: Just drop 'been' – future perfect stays future perfect. A, B, D change the tense.

Answer: (C) The diligent student will have submitted his final thesis by the end of the semester.

Concept: Active 'modal + have + V3' → passive 'modal + have been + V3'.

1. Object 'the staff' becomes the subject.
2. 'should have warned' → 'should have been warned'.
3. Doer goes after 'by': …by the manager.

Trick: Passive always needs 'be/been + V3'; C has V-ing and D lacks 'been'.

Answer: (B) The staff should have been warned about the changes in the schedule by the manager.

Concept: Reverse the indirect changes: tense goes forward, pronouns return to the speaker's view.

1. 'told the staff that' → said, "…".
2. Past perfect 'had been seen' → present perfect 'have been seen'.
3. 'their' (the staff's) → 'your', as the director speaks to them.

Trick: Direct speech to listeners uses 'you/your'; options with 'their' or 'had' are out.

Answer: (B) The director said, "Your creative input and loyalty have been seen and admired."

Concept: 'asked if' signals a yes/no question; reverse pronoun, time and tense shifts.

1. he → you, she → I, that day → today.
2. 'Would … have been able' is a conditional modal – it stays as it is.
3. 'had been a very subtle hint' → 'was a very subtle hint'.

Trick: Check 'today': it removes C; 'Will' in B and 'Could you solve' in D break the conditional.

Answer: (A) "Would you have been able to solve the puzzle today if I had not given you the clue, which was a very subtle hint?' she asked him.

Concept: Arrange actions in the order they happen.

1. P: choose a sunny spot and dig a hole – first step.
2. S: 'Before placing the sapling inside' – refers to that hole.
3. R: position the plant and fill soil; Q: the tree stands tall – final result.

Trick: Find the opener (P) and the result (Q); only option B starts with P and ends with Q.

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

Concept: 'Apologise' is followed by 'to' for the person and 'for' for the fault.

1. Part A has 'apologised of' – 'of' never follows apologise.
2. Correct form: He apologised for his mistake.
3. Parts B, C, D (promised that he would be more careful in the future) are error-free.

Trick: Apologise to a person, for a thing – remember 'to-for'.

Answer: (A) He apologised of

Concept: Pick the idiom whose figurative sense is 'racing to finish before time runs out'.

1. Against the clock = hurrying to finish something before a deadline.
2. At sixes and sevens = in a mess/confused.
3. By and large = generally; On cloud nine = very happy.

Trick: 'Clock' in the idiom points to time pressure – the only option connected with a deadline.

Answer: (C) against the clock

Concept: Synonym = word with the same meaning. Unlucky = having bad fortune.

1. Hapless = unfortunate, ill-fated → same as unlucky.
2. Morose = sullen, bad-tempered; Hopeful = expecting good; Proud = self-satisfied.
3. None of the others is about luck.

Trick: 'Hap' is an old word for luck (as in happen, perhaps) – hap-less = without luck.

Answer: (C) Hapless

Concept: Idioms carry a figurative meaning, not the literal meaning of their words.

1. Take something in stride = handle a difficulty calmly, without getting upset, and continue.
2. A and C use 'stride' literally (walking/stepping) – wrong.
3. D means avoiding the problem – the idiom means facing it calmly.

Trick: When an option simply repeats the literal word (stride = step), it is usually the trap.

Answer: (B) To deal with a problem calmly without letting it upset you.

Concept: 'Saw' can be past tense of 'see', a cutting tool (noun), the verb 'to cut', or an old proverb.

1. In 'I saw a beautiful shooting star', saw = past of see (looked at).
2. D: 'We saw a massive whale' – again past of see. ✔
3. A: tool; B: to cut wood; C: an old saying – different senses.

Trick: Replace 'saw' with 'looked at/spotted' – it fits only in the given sentence and option D.

Answer: (D) We saw a massive whale across the ocean surface yesterday.

Concept: A 'defining feature' question is answered from the passage's opening definition.

1. First lines: the seller keeps no stock; customer orders go to a supplier who ships to the buyer.
2. That matches option C exactly.
3. A and B are the opposite of the model; D clashes with 'online selling model'.

Trick: Look for the 'Instead of …' sentence – it usually states the core idea.

Answer: (C) Orders are passed to suppliers who ship directly to buyers

Concept: Find the cause linked to 'lowers initial investment' in the passage.

1. The seller does not buy or store goods in advance (no inventory).
2. So money is not blocked in stock → lower starting cost.
3. Marketing, guaranteed profit and lower demand are not stated; profits are actually called thin.

Trick: Option C uses 'guarantees' – extreme words rarely match a balanced passage.

Answer: (B) It avoids the cost of maintaining inventory

Concept: Match the benefit 'wide range of products' with its reason in the passage.

1. Passage: sellers can offer many products because they need not handle storage or logistics.
2. No storage = no inventory management → option C.
3. Warehouses, control over suppliers, exclusive contracts – none mentioned; control is actually 'limited'.

Trick: Options A and B contradict the passage's own words ('limited control', no storage) – eliminate them first.

Answer: (C) Absence of inventory management

Concept: Customer-related problems appear in the 'limitations' part of the passage.

1. Passage: limited control over quality and delivery time may cause customer dissatisfaction.
2. Option C restates this directly.
3. A and B are positives not claimed; D (personal interaction) is not discussed.

Trick: In 'issue/problem' questions, discard every option that sounds like a benefit.

Answer: (C) Possible dissatisfaction due to delivery and quality issues

Concept: Locate the sentence about profit in the passage.

1. Passage: profit margins are often thinner because of high competition.
2. That is option B word for word in meaning.
3. Storage cost does not exist here; product variety and reach are shown as strengths.

Trick: Scan for the keyword 'profit' – the answer sits in that very sentence.

Answer: (B) Thin profit margins due to competition