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

Concept: Under the weather = feeling slightly ill.

1. Reena skipped work because she was 'feeling sick' – this matches.
2. Fit as a fiddle = very healthy (opposite).
3. Sitting on the fence = undecided; Going down in flames = failing badly.

Trick: Under the weather = unwell; fit as a fiddle = healthy.

Answer: (A) under the weather

Concept: Bread and butter = a person's main source of income; livelihood.

1. E.g. 'Teaching is his bread and butter.'
2. So the meaning is Livelihood.
3. 'Breakfast' is the literal trap; 'Sharing' and 'Party' are unrelated.

Trick: Bread and butter = roti-rozi.

Answer: (C) Livelihood

Concept: Benevolent = kind and helpful (Latin bene = well + volent = wishing).

1. Correct pattern: b-e-n-e-v-o-l-e-n-t.
2. Benavolent (a after n), Benevalant (a, a), Banevolent (a after B) are wrong.
3. So the correct spelling is 'Benevolent'.

Trick: bene (good) + volent (wishing) = wishing good.

Answer: (B) Benevolent

Concept: Names of mountain ranges take the definite article 'the'.

1. 'Himalayas include the…' should be 'The Himalayas include the…'.
2. Similarly: the Alps, the Andes, the Aravallis.
3. The other parts are correct.

Trick: Range = the; single peak = no article (Mount Everest).

Answer: (D) Himalayas include the

Concept: A person who knows and speaks several languages is a Polyglot.

1. Greek poly = many + glotta = tongue.
2. Heretic = one who opposes accepted religious beliefs; Fatalist = one who believes in fate.
3. Insolvent = unable to pay debts.

Trick: Poly (many) + glot (tongue).

Answer: (C) Polyglot

Concept: A sentence needs a finite verb; passive voice = be + V3. The time marker decides the tense.

1. 'Half of the property given…' has no helping verb, so it is incomplete.
2. 'last year' shows past time → simple past passive: 'was given'.
3. 'is given' is present; 'has been given' (present perfect) cannot be used with 'last year'.

Trick: Past time marker (last year, ago) → was/were + V3.

Answer: (C) Half of the property was given

Concept: Fabulous = extraordinary, wonderful, amazingly good.

1. Remarkable = worthy of attention, extraordinary – same sense.
2. Regrettable = unfortunate (negative).
3. Resourceful = clever at finding solutions; Restful = peaceful.

Yaad rakhein: Fabulous = Remarkable = Marvellous.

Answer: (A) Remarkable

Concept: Check each underlined-type word for standard spelling.

1. Correct: Slaughter (s-l-a-u-g-h-t-e-r); the 'h' is missing in 'slaugter'.
2. 'Heinous' (very wicked), 'Scenes', 'Hunting' are correct.
3. So 'Slaugter' is the incorrectly spelt word.

Trick: Laughter → s + laughter = slaughter.

Answer: (A) Slaugter

Concept: Significance = importance; signification = the meaning of a word/sign.

1. The sentence talks about the importance of female education → 'significance'.
2. 'underestimate' is transitive and needs the object directly: 'underestimate the significance'.
3. Adding 'at'/'on' is wrong; dropping 'the' makes 'signification' still the wrong word.

Trick: Importance = significance.

Answer: (A) underestimate the significance

Concept: The verb agrees with the main subject, not with the noun inside an 'of'-phrase.

1. Subject = 'A sharp fall' (singular); 'in the price of jute' only describes it.
2. Singular subject → 'has led'.
3. 'have lead' – wrong verb number and wrong V3 ('led'); 'have led the poor farmers' still plural and drops 'jute'.

Trick: Ignore the of-phrase; find the real subject.

Answer: (C) has led the poor jute farmers

Concept: After 'to' we need a base verb meaning 'take up/follow' a healthy lifestyle.

1. Adopt = to take up and follow (adopt a lifestyle).
2. Adapt = to adjust/modify – does not fit 'a healthy lifestyle'.
3. Adept (skilled, adjective) and adeptly (adverb) are not verbs.

Trick: Adopt a habit; adapt to a change.

Answer: (A) adopt

Concept: After 'Regular' we need a noun for a physical activity that improves heart health.

1. Exercise = physical activity – 'regular exercise' is the standard collocation.
2. Exertion = physical/mental effort; 'regular exertion' is not idiomatic for fitness.
3. Exalt (praise) and exclaim (cry out) are verbs and do not fit.

Trick: Regular exercise improves cardiovascular health.

Answer: (D) exercise

Concept: Before the noun 'vitamins' we need an adjective.

1. Essential (adjective) = absolutely necessary: 'essential vitamins and minerals'.
2. Necessity is a noun; necessitate is a verb.
3. Necessarily is an adverb and cannot qualify a noun.

Trick: Adjective + noun: essential vitamins.

Answer: (D) essential

Concept: The blank begins the subject of the sentence and takes the object 'stress', so a gerund (V-ing) is needed.

1. 'Managing stress … can enhance mental clarity' – gerund phrase as subject.
2. 'manages', 'managed' are finite verbs and leave the sentence without a subject.
3. 'management stress' changes the meaning (it would need 'of').

Trick: Verb as subject + object → V-ing.

Answer: (A) managing

Concept: 'An adequate amount of ___ each night' needs a noun naming what we get nightly.

1. 'Sleep' is the standard noun: 'adequate amount of sleep'.
2. 'relax' is a verb; 'resting' is not used with 'amount of … each night'.
3. 'slumber' is literary/poetic and unnatural in a health context.

Trick: Get enough sleep each night.

Answer: (D) sleep

Concept: Excessive = more than is necessary or reasonable.

1. Opposite = Moderate (within reasonable limits).
2. Lavish and Extreme are close to 'excessive' (synonyms).
3. Accurate = correct, unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Excessive vs Moderate (too much vs just right).

Answer: (D) Moderate

Concept: Paraphrase the line: 'almost instant' = fast; 'quick and successful verification' = verifies successfully.

1. The process takes a second or less, so it is fast.
2. It gives successful verification.
3. Options with 'uneasy', 'unsuccessfully' or 'partly' contradict the line.

Trick: Instant = fast; successful = successfully.

Answer: (D) Face recognition is fast and verifies a person successfully.

Concept: List the factors named in the passage and find the one missing.

1. Passage names: jawline length, form of the cheekbones, eye-socket depth.
2. 'Face shape' is not mentioned among the factors.
3. Hence 'Face shape' is the answer.

Trick: Tick the passage list; the option not ticked is the answer.

Answer: (B) Face shape

Concept: A title must cover the central theme of the whole passage.

1. Every paragraph discusses face recognition – how it works, surveillance use, speed.
2. 'AI interface' and 'Human Face' are too broad; 'Hacking and Safety' is not discussed.
3. Best title: 'Face Recognition'.

Trick: Find the word repeated in every paragraph.

Answer: (C) Face Recognition

Concept: Locate the phrase 'primary component' in the passage.

1. The passage says: 'The primary component to start with is surveillance.'
2. Verification and identification are other benefits mentioned later.
3. 'Locking' is not mentioned (only unlocking a phone).

Trick: Search the exact key phrase in the passage.

Answer: (A) Surveillance