SSC CPO Paper I 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 PYQs

Concept: Make waves means to create trouble or disturbance, to upset the existing situation.

1. Waves disturb calm water; similarly, a person who 'makes waves' causes problems or stirs controversy.
2. Example: The new manager made waves by questioning old rules.
3. (B) 'give up', (C) 'take it easy', (D) 'have patience' all suggest calmness or quitting – the opposite idea.

Trick: Calm water vs. waves – waves = trouble.

Answer: (A) To cause difficulty

Concept: Correct spelling: Admission – only one 'd' after 'A'.

1. The word comes from admit (ad + mit) – a single 'd'.
2. Admit → Admission (double 's' only).
3. Matriculation, Prohibition, Humorous are all correctly spelt.

Yaad rakhein: Admit has one 'd', so Admission also has one 'd'.

Answer: (D) Addmission

Concept: An action continuing from a past point up to now, with 'for the past …', needs the present perfect tense.

1. 'For the past three years' shows a period starting in the past and continuing till now.
2. Simple present 'is' cannot express this; use 'has been'.
3. Correct: For the past three years, my uncle has been away from home.

Trick: 'for/since/for the past' + continuing state → has/have been.

Answer: (C) my uncle is

Concept: Panacea = a remedy for all diseases or problems; a cure-all.

1. Greek pan = all + akos = cure → cure for all.
2. Fanatic = person with extreme zeal; Heretic = one who opposes accepted beliefs; 'Service' is unrelated.
3. So 'a remedy for all the diseases' = panacea.

Trick: Pan = all (Pan-India, Panorama) → Panacea = cure for all.

Answer: (B) Panacea

Concept: Embrace means to hold someone closely in one's arms (hug), or to accept something eagerly and willingly. Its opposite is to reject, discard or throw away.

1. In the sentence, the climbers hugged each other in joy, i.e. they held each other close.
2. Junked = discarded, thrown away as useless – the act of pushing away/rejecting, which is the opposite of holding close and accepting.
3. Cradled = held gently in the arms; Contained = held within – both are close to the meaning of embraced.
4. Limited = restricted; it is not the opposite of holding or accepting.

Trick: embrace ↔ reject / discard / junk; embrace ≈ hug, cradle, welcome.

Answer: (B) Junked

Concept: Correct spelling: Interrogative – double 'r'.

1. The word comes from inter + rogare (to ask) → inter + rogative = interrogative.
2. Auditions, Interference, Greengrocers are correctly spelt.
3. Hence 'Interogative' is misspelt.

Yaad rakhein: Interrogate, Interrupt, Irregular – prefix ends in 'r' and root starts with 'r' → 'rr'.

Answer: (A) Interogative

Concept: Many animals have separate words for male and female; we use those words instead of adding 'male'/'female'. Male dog = dog, female dog = bitch.

1. Standard gender pair: dog – bitch (like horse – mare, lion – lioness).
2. Each noun takes its own article: 'a dog and a bitch'.
3. 'puppy' = young dog, not female; 'lady dog' is not standard English.

Yaad rakhein: Gender pairs: dog–bitch, horse–mare, fox–vixen, drake–duck.

Answer: (B) a dog and a bitch

Concept: Students study in an institute; 'of great importance' is the fixed phrase; 'starting point' is the correct compound noun.

1. 'students of an institute' → better 'students in an educational institute'.
2. 'is of great importance' is correct ('in great importance' is wrong) – so (A) is out.
3. (D) uses 'start point', which is not the standard expression ('starting point').
4. (B) corrects the preposition and keeps everything else right.

Trick: be + of + importance/value/use (of great importance, of no use).

Answer: (B) The quality of students in an educational institute is of great importance and a crucial starting point.

Concept: A singular subject (one organisation's name) takes a singular verb.

1. 'The Centre for Policy Research' is one body – a singular subject.
2. Present tense singular verb needs '-s': estimates.
3. Correct: …the Centre for Policy Research estimates that India has the largest stock…
4. 'Although there is no proven data' and 'India has the largest stock' are correct.

Trick: Name of one organisation = singular → verb + s.

Answer: (B) Centre for Policy Research estimate

Concept: In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('asked'), the present tense of the reported question shifts to the past.

1. Reporting verb 'asked' is in the past tense.
2. Hence 'is' → was, matching 'worked' in the same sentence.
3. Correct: She asked me where my hometown was and where I worked.
4. 'has been', 'would be', 'were' do not follow the rule here.

Trick: Past reporting verb → is → was, works → worked.

Answer: (D) hometown was

Concept: To specify a kind or variety of something, standard formal usage is 'noun + of + noun' – 'flavour of ice cream'.

1. 'What flavour ice cream' omits the needed preposition.
2. Correct: What flavour of ice cream do you want? (like 'What kind of book…?').
3. 'flavours ice cream' is ungrammatical; 'ice cream flavoured' changes the meaning.

Trick: What kind/type/flavour/colour of + noun.

Answer: (C) flavour of ice cream

Concept: Sufficiency = an adequate amount, enough. Antonym = Dearth (scarcity, lack).

1. The sentence says the ban made the corrupt ministers feel the opposite – a shortage – of money; the word asked is the antonym of sufficiency.
2. Plenty and Enough are synonyms of sufficiency.
3. 'Indeficiency' is not a standard English word.

Trick: Dearth = death of supply → shortage.

Answer: (D) Dearth

Concept: Correct spelling: charisma (compelling charm) – with 'i', not 'e'.

1. ch-a-r-i-s-m-a; adjective: charismatic.
2. narcissist, self-admiration and treachery are correctly spelt.
3. Hence 'charesma' is the misspelt word.

Yaad rakhein: Charisma → Charismatic: the 'i' stays in both.

Answer: (C) charesma

Concept: A sight to behold = something remarkable, beautiful or impressive to look at.

1. 'Behold' = to look at, see (with admiration).
2. The serenity (calmness) of the river was beautiful to look at → 'pleasant to see'.
3. 'confusing for all', 'ready to be sold', 'inviting for boating' do not fit the meaning.

Trick: Behold = see → a sight to behold = a delight to see.

Answer: (D) pleasant to see

Concept: Ordinal numbers (first, second, last…) take the definite article the.

1. 'first' is an ordinal adjective → 'the first man'.
2. Correct: Mr. Prabhakar was the first man to arrive at the venue.
3. Other parts are correct.

Trick: the + first/second/last/only/superlative.

Answer: (A) was first man

Concept: A full clause (subject + verb) after a contrast word needs the conjunction though/although; 'despite/in spite of' take a noun or gerund, not a clause.

1. 'mother’s milk is vital…' is a clause (subject + 'is').
2. 'Inspite' is not even one word ('in spite of'); 'Despite' cannot introduce a clause.
3. Without any conjunction (A) the two clauses cannot be joined.
4. Correct: Though mother’s milk is vital to a child’s health, …

Trick: Though + clause; Despite + noun.

Answer: (C) Though mother’s milk

Concept: Spill the beans = to reveal secret information, often accidentally.

1. Example: Don’t spill the beans about the surprise party.
2. It has nothing to do with excuses, shock or happy times.

Trick: Spilled beans can’t be hidden again – the secret is out.

Answer: (D) To expose a secret

Concept: Cat’s in the cradle (from Harry Chapin's song) describes a strained, neglected relationship – usually between parent and child – because one person is always too busy for the other.

1. The speaker complains: You never make time for me.
2. This points to a troubled, complicated relationship caused by neglect.
3. 'Busy in your work' is only the cause; the phrase itself describes the relationship.

Yaad rakhein: Cradle = child; the song’s father never had time → strained bond.

Answer: (C) Complicated relationship

Concept: Pompous = showy, self-important, trying to impress. Synonym = pretentious.

1. A million-dollar wedding shown off to impress others is a pretentious (ostentatious) display.
2. Prestigious = respected; Outrageous = shocking; Mock = fake/imitation – none means 'showy'.

Trick: Pompous = pomp + show → pretentious.

Answer: (D) pretentious

Concept: Philogynist = a person who loves or admires women (philo = love, gyn = woman).

1. Misogynist = one who hates women (opposite).
2. Philologist = one who studies languages; Monogamist = one who has only one spouse.

Yaad rakhein: Philo = love, Miso = hate, Gyn = woman.

Answer: (C) Philogynist