SSC CPO Paper II 2021, 2025 PYQs

Concept: When only two persons or things are compared, the comparative degree is used, not the superlative.

1. 'Both' shows that only two singers are being compared.
2. So 'Kartik is best' should be 'Kartik is the better (one)'.
3. The other segments are correct.

Trick: Two → better (comparative); three or more → the best.

Answer: (D) is best

Concept: The verb request follows the pattern request + someone + to + V1.

1. 'We have requested Mrs. Nagpal ___ our play' → requested her to direct it.
2. 'directed', 'directing' and bare 'direct' do not fit this pattern.
3. Similar verbs: ask, tell, order, advise, invite + object + to-infinitive.

Trick: request/ask/advise someone to do something.

Answer: (B) to direct

Concept: A fair-weather friend is a person who stays with you only when things are good and disappears in difficult times.

1. 'Fair weather' = good times; such a friend is absent in 'bad weather' (trouble).
2. Options (C) and (D) describe a true friend – the opposite meaning.
3. Option (A) is about an acquaintance, not about reliability.

Yaad rakhein: Fair-weather friend ≠ 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'.

Answer: (B) A person whose friendship cannot be relied on in difficult times

Concept: 'was + V3' is simple past passive, so the active form is in simple past (V2).

1. Doer 'a speeding car' becomes the subject; 'an elderly lady' becomes the object.
2. was knocked down → knocked down.
3. (A) past continuous, (B) present, (D) past perfect – the tense changes, so they are wrong.

Trick: was/were + V3 ⇄ V2.

Answer: (C) A speeding car knocked down an elderly lady this morning.

Concept: 'were won' = simple past passive (were + V3); the active voice uses V2.

1. Doer 'Rahul' becomes the subject; 'three online games of chess' becomes the object.
2. were won → won: Rahul won three online games of chess in a row.
3. 'was winning', 'has won', 'had won' change the tense.

Trick: Tense must stay the same while changing voice.

Answer: (A) Rahul won three online games of chess in a row.

Concept: Follow the order of events and the pronoun links (noun first, pronoun later).

1. A: the narrator reaches the churchyard – the place is introduced.
2. B: there he comes upon the convict.
3. C: He (the convict) was sitting with his back towards me.
4. D: so I went up and touched him on the back – the final action.

Trick: Noun before pronoun: 'the convict' (B) must come before 'He' (C).

Answer: (A) ABCD

Concept: Perfect tenses take the past participle (V3). The forms of rise are rise – rose – risen.

1. 'had rose' uses V2 after 'had' – wrong.
2. Correct: 'had risen' (or simply 'rose', since 'As soon as' usually takes simple past).
3. 'As soon as', 'over the hill', 'was flooded with' are correct.

Trick: has/have/had + V3 always (risen, gone, written…).

Answer: (C) had rose

Concept: Make head or tail of something means to understand or figure something out; it is mostly used in the negative (can't make head or tail of it).

1. Example: I couldn't make head or tail of his handwriting.
2. It is about understanding, not earning, creating or using opportunities.
3. Hence 'To figure out something' is the meaning.

Yaad rakhein: head or tail → can you tell the front from the back? → understand.

Answer: (B) To figure out something

Concept: Full of beans means lively, cheerful and full of energy.

1. Example: The children were full of beans after the holiday.
2. Beans were horse feed – a well-fed horse was energetic.
3. 'Crazy', 'mean', 'vain' are not related.

Yaad rakhein: full of beans = full of energy.

Answer: (B) Happy and energetic

Concept: Find the sentence that introduces the nouns, then follow the pronoun 'They' and the word 'either'.

1. C introduces 'the child' and 'the parents' – it must open.
2. A: They (the parents) were not there ahead.
3. B: so the child turned to look on the side.
4. D: 'They were not there either' – 'either' shows a second failed search, so D comes last.

Trick: 'either' in a negative sentence means 'also not' – it always follows an earlier negative.

Answer: (B) CABD

Concept: When a longer action was in progress in the past and a short action interrupted it, the longer one takes past continuous (was/were + V-ing) and the short one simple past.

1. 'when the thief entered' is simple past – the main clause must also be in the past.
2. Sleeping was going on at that moment, so: the inmates were sleeping.
3. 'have slept', 'are sleeping', 'have been sleeping' are present-time forms and clash with 'entered'.

Trick: while/when + past: long action → was/were + V-ing; short action → V2.

Answer: (B) were sleeping

Concept: Choose a reporting verb that matches the tone, then change pronouns and shift the tense back (can → could).

1. The speaker is giving Pauline a promise/reassurance, so assured fits.
2. 'You can have your old job' → she could have her old job.
3. (A) 'requested … to take' changes the meaning; (B) keeps 'can'; (D) keeps 'you/your'.

Trick: Promise/reassurance in the quote → assured/promised + that.

Answer: (C) Cornelius assured Pauline that she could have her old job back with a raise in the salary.

Concept: Follow the sequence of reactions: sound → listening → more signals → order → action.

1. A: a shot is heard → C: we stopped and listened.
2. E: 'Then we heard two more shots and a red rocket' – what we heard while listening.
3. B: the sergeant points to the sea – he reacts to the rocket.
4. D: we all ran towards the sea; F: near the sea we see torches and hear splashing.

Trick: A command ('Come on!') comes just before the action it causes (running).

Answer: (B) ACEBDF

Concept: Present perfect active (has/have + V3) → passive has/have + been + V3.

1. Object 'a very large economic relief package for the country' becomes the subject (singular → has).
2. has announced → has been announced by the PM.
3. (B) changes to past, (D) to future; (C) swaps 'PM' and 'country' and changes the meaning.

Trick: has + V3 → has been + V3.

Answer: (A) A very large economic relief package for the country has been announced by the PM.

Concept: Start with the sentence that names the topic (the eruption of the Paricutin volcano), then list its effects, and end with the summing-up.

1. C names the volcano and the event – it opens the paragraph.
2. A: plants died whenever the wind brought ashes – first effect.
3. B begins with And – it adds another effect (birds), so it follows A.
4. D: 'The volcano had brought complete ruin …' sums up all the damage.

Trick: The sentence with the full name ('Paricutin volcano') comes before 'the volcano'.

Answer: (D) CABD

Concept: 'Being that' is non-standard as a conjunction; to give a reason, use as, since or because.

1. The clause 'it has not got good reviews' gives the reason for not being eager.
2. Correct: '… to read that book as/since it has not got good reviews.'
3. 'not too eager', 'to read that book', 'has not got' are fine.

Trick: Reason clause → because / as / since, never 'being that'.

Answer: (C) being that

Concept: Incorrigible = a person (or habit) that cannot be corrected or reformed.

1. in (not) + corrigible (able to be corrected) → cannot be corrected.
2. Implausible = not believable; incomprehensible = cannot be understood; improbable = unlikely.
3. Only 'incorrigible' means 'beyond reform'.

Yaad rakhein: corrigible ~ correct → in-corrigible = cannot be corrected.

Answer: (A) incorrigible

Concept: A story opens by introducing the main character by name; later sentences use 'he', 'the boy', 'the woman'.

1. B introduces Sultan Gayasuddin – the opening sentence.
2. C: while he was hunting, an arrow killed a little boy.
3. A: 'The boy was the only son of a poor widow' – refers back to C.
4. D: 'the woman' (the widow) reported the matter to the Qazi.

Trick: 'a' introduces a noun; 'the' refers back to it – a boy (C) → the boy (A); a widow (A) → the woman (D).

Answer: (B) BCAD

Concept: Present continuous active (is/are + V-ing) → passive is/are + being + V3.

1. Object 'internet banking' becomes the subject (singular → is).
2. are using → is being used by a large number of people.
3. (A) has no passive form and reverses meaning; (B) present perfect; (D) simple present.

Trick: Continuous passive always has 'being'.

Answer: (C) Internet banking is being used by a large number of people these days.

Concept: An elf is a small, mischievous fairy of folklore, often with pointed ears.

1. Brownie = a helpful household spirit that does chores at night.
2. Dwarf = a short human-like being (or person of small stature); gnome = a small earth spirit guarding treasure.
3. The 'mischievous fairy' is the elf.

Yaad rakhein: elf → playful tricks (mischief).

Answer: (A) elf