SSC CHSL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Spot the word that does not follow standard English spelling.

1. 'Beurokrat' is wrong; correct spelling is bureaucrat (a government official).
2. It is built on French bureau (office) + -crat (ruler).
3. Blunder, Beautiful, Blatant are spelt correctly.

Trick: Write it as bureau + crat – 'bureau' stays intact, ending '-crat' as in democrat.

Answer: (D) Beurokrat

Concept: Check prefix, root and suffix of each word.

1. 'Irrisistable' is wrong; correct form is irresistible.
2. Prefix 'ir' + root 'resist' (with e) + suffix '-ible'.
3. Impurity, Iteration, Imagination are correct.

Trick: resist → resistible: words from 'resist', 'access', 'permit' take '-ible'.

Answer: (B) Irrisistable

Concept: Use the sentence context: friends since kindergarten → closeness.

1. As thick as thieves = extremely close friends who share secrets.
2. Context 'two best friends … since kindergarten' confirms closeness.
3. B and C take 'thieves' literally; A is the opposite.

Trick: 'Thick' = close (thick friends). Ignore 'thieves' – it only adds rhyme/colour.

Answer: (D) Very close or friendly

Concept: Science-specialist names come from Greek roots + '-logist'.

1. Insect study = entomology; the expert = entomologist.
2. Botanist – plants; Ornithologist – birds; Geologist – rocks/earth.

Trick: Do not mix entomology (insects) with etymology (word origins) – 'n' for 'insect'.

Answer: (B) Entomologist

Concept: Antonym = opposite meaning. Misery = deep unhappiness.

1. Felicity = great happiness, bliss → opposite of misery.
2. Gloom, Sorrow – similar to misery; Anger – a different negative emotion.

Trick: Three options are 'sad' words – the odd positive one is the antonym.

Answer: (C) Felicity

Concept: 'Dis-' reverses a meaning: disown = refuse to accept as one's own.

1. Opposite = accept (take as one's own).
2. Reject and Repudiate are synonyms of disown.
3. Ignore = not pay attention – not an opposite.

Trick: Two options mean the same thing (reject = repudiate) – both drop out instantly.

Answer: (A) Accept

Concept: Choose the word that covers storing things and finding them again.

1. Repository = a place where things are kept and can be retrieved.
2. Archive – only historical records; Registry – official registers.
3. Cabinet – a cupboard, not a 'place' in general.

Trick: Repository ~ 'repose' (rest): things rest there till needed – also used for code (GitHub repository).

Answer: (A) Repository

Concept: Imperative passive 'Let + object + be + V3' becomes active 'V1 + object'.

1. Remove 'Let … be'.
2. Turn 'made' (V3) into 'Make' (V1) and place the object after it.
3. Result: Make the final announcement immediately.
4. B and D are still passive; C adds a subject not in the original.

Trick: Imperative active always begins with a bare verb – pick the option starting with V1.

Answer: (A) Make the final announcement immediately.

Concept: Past reporting verb 'said' → every reported verb shifts one tense back.

1. We → they; cannot → could not.
2. worries (present) → worried.
3. will be taken → would be taken.
4. Only B changes all three; A changes none, C misses 'worries', D misses 'will'.

Trick: Check the last verb first: only B and C have 'would'; then 'worried' leaves only B.

Answer: (B) The spokesperson said that they could not ignore the warning signs any longer, and that the situation worried everyone involved, but corrective steps would be taken soon.

Concept: In 'one of + plural noun + who', 'who' refers to the plural noun, so the verb is plural.

1. 'who' = 'those writers' (plural).
2. Plural subject takes base verb: focus.
3. Correct: She is one of those writers who focus on realistic themes.
4. focusing/focused/to focus cannot be the main verb of the clause.

Trick: Flip the sentence: 'Of those writers who focus on realistic themes, she is one.'

Answer: (C) focus

Concept: Modal + be + able + to + V1; 'consistent results' needs plural.

1. 'to delivers' is wrong – after 'to' use V1: deliver.
2. 'would able' (B) lacks 'be'; 'can be able' (C) and 'abled' (D) are wrong forms.
3. Repeated outcomes → plural results.
4. Correct: would be able to deliver consistent results.

Trick: Never write 'can be able' or 'to + verb-s' – both are standard SSC traps.

Answer: (A) would be able to deliver consistent results

Concept: Present continuous: is/are + V-ing → is/are + being + V3.

1. Object 'the collected data' becomes subject (plural → 'are').
2. are analysing → are being analysed.
3. Doer goes into 'by the researchers'.
4. A = past, B = simple present, D = present perfect – tense changed.

Trick: Continuous tense in passive must contain 'being' – only C has it.

Answer: (C) The collected data are being analysed by the researchers.

Concept: Going back to direct speech, reverse each backshift made by the past reporting verb.

1. had been waiting ← have been waiting (present perfect continuous).
2. had missed ← missed (simple past).
3. 'that evening' → 'this evening'; 'they' (guide's group) → 'we'.
4. Option C has all these; B keeps 'had missed', D keeps 'had been', A uses 'were waiting'.

Trick: Reverse rule: past perfect in indirect can come from past or present perfect – check which fits 'for hours' (ongoing → have been waiting).

Answer: (C) The guide stated, "The travellers have been waiting for hours, and we missed the last train this evening."

Concept: Find the opener (no reference word), then follow cause → plan → trouble → result.

1. Q introduces 'the explorers' – a natural start.
2. S: 'Their plan …' refers back to the explorers → Q-S.
3. R: the situation turned critical (snow blocked routes).
4. P: as night fell, they struggled for shelter – the outcome. Order Q, S, R, P.

Trick: Pronoun 'Their' in S needs a noun before it – only Q supplies it; only option B starts with Q.

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

Concept: Start with the independent cause, then link words like 'This shift', 'Over time', 'As a result'.

1. Q states the main event: technology changed production and distribution.
2. R: 'This shift' refers to that change → Q-R.
3. S: 'Over time' societies adapted to new economic realities.
4. P: 'As a result' traditional jobs vanished – closing effect. Order Q, R, S, P.

Trick: Sentences opening with 'This …' or 'As a result' can never be first – eliminates A, C, D quickly.

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

Concept: A noun is qualified by an adjective; an adverb (-ly word) cannot sit before a noun.

1. 'treat' here is a noun (a pleasant thing).
2. 'nicely' is an adverb, so 'a nicely treat' is wrong.
3. Correct form: a nice treat. Parts A, B, C are fine.

Trick: Ask 'what kind of treat?' – the answer must be an adjective (nice), not 'nicely'.

Answer: (D) a nicely treat.

Concept: Paired conjunctions always come in fixed pairs.

1. 'neither' is already used before 'accepted'.
2. Its fixed partner is nor: neither accepted … nor signed.
3. 'or' pairs with either; 'but also' with not only.

Trick: Pairs: either–or, neither–nor, not only–but also, both–and, whether–or.

Answer: (C) nor

Concept: Synonym = word with the same meaning.

1. Peculiarity = an odd or unusual feature special to someone.
2. Idiosyncrasy = a personal quirk or odd habit – same idea.
3. Regularity, Ordinariness, Uniformity all mean 'normal/same' – these are opposites.

Trick: Three options share the sense 'normal'; the odd one out is the synonym.

Answer: (A) Idiosyncrasy

Concept: Pick the idiom that matches 'vague promises that amounted to nothing'.

1. Smoke and mirrors = a show meant to impress or mislead, with no real substance.
2. Cutting corners = doing a job cheaply/carelessly; wild goose chase = a hopeless search; cold shoulder = ignoring someone.
3. Only (C) fits an empty, misleading speech.

Trick: Magicians use smoke and mirrors to create illusions – so it means illusion, not reality.

Answer: (C) smoke and mirrors

Concept: Same word, different senses – match the sense used in the given sentence.

1. Given: wave crashing on rocks = a ridge of moving sea water.
2. (B) a surfer catches a sea wave – same sense.
3. (A) hand gesture, (C) crowd movement, (D) physics wave (energy) – different senses.

Trick: Look for the 'water' clue: shoreline ↔ surfer.

Answer: (B) The surfer paddled hard to catch the perfect wave.