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

Concept: When an adjective ending in -ous becomes a noun, the 'u' is often dropped: generous → generosity.

1. The correct spelling is Generosity (no 'u' after 'o').
2. 'feature', 'godly' and 'individuals' are all spelt correctly.
3. Correct sentence: Generosity is a godly feature among many individuals on the earth.

Trick: Similar pattern: curious → curiosity, generous → generosity, famous → fame. The '-ous' + '-ity' combination becomes '-osity'.

Answer: (A) Generousity

Concept: Suspect (verb/noun) means to doubt someone's honesty or motives; as a noun it can mean a look or examination with doubt.

1. The definition stresses doubt about motives → suspect.
2. Introspect = examine one's own thoughts (no doubt involved).
3. Circumspect = cautious; Retrospect = looking back at the past.

Trick: Sus-pect = 'look from under' with doubt; intro- = inside, retro- = back, circum- = around.

Answer: (B) Suspect

Concept: Effervescent literally means bubbly (like soda); figuratively it describes a person who is vivacious and enthusiastic.

1. Vivacious + enthusiastic = lively and bubbly → effervescent.
2. Introverted = shy, reserved (opposite idea).
3. Rowdy = noisy and disorderly; Brazen = shameless, bold.

Trick: Think of a fizzing soft drink – full of bubbles and energy = effervescent person.

Answer: (B) Effervescent

Concept: Symphony (Greek syn = together + phone = sound) means a harmonious combination or consonance of sounds.

1. 'Consonance of sounds' = sounds agreeing together → symphony.
2. Troupe = a group of performers.
3. Woodwinds = a family of instruments; Orchestration = arranging music for an orchestra.

Trick: syn/sym = together, phone = sound (telephone, microphone) → symphony = sounds together.

Answer: (D) Symphony

Concept: Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing artificially dwarfed trees and shrubs in pots.

1. Dwarfed trees in pots → bonsai.
2. Bonafide = genuine; Orchard = a piece of land with fruit trees.
3. Botanical = related to plants in general.

Trick: Bon-sai = 'tray planting' in Japanese – a tree in a tray/pot.

Answer: (D) Bonsai

Concept: With the noun level (rank or tier in a hierarchy), the fixed preposition is at: at all levels, at the national level.

1. Correct: …to various government departments at all levels…
2. 'through', 'from' and 'in all levels' are not idiomatic for a position in a hierarchy.
3. The sentence also uses 'at the Centre', parallel to 'at all levels'.

Trick: at + level/stage/point: at all levels, at this stage, at that point.

Answer: (D) various government departments at all levels

Concept: Tighten one's belt = to spend less money because there is less available.

1. 'had to reduce spending' + 'frugal lifestyle' → tighten his belt.
2. Hit the nail on the head = say exactly the right thing.
3. Let the cat out of the bag = reveal a secret; kick the bucket = die.

Trick: Less food/money → tighter belt. Spending cut = belt tightened.

Answer: (A) tighten his belt

Concept: Black sheep = a member of a family or group who is regarded as a disgrace; i.e. disreputable.

1. The idiom describes someone with a bad reputation within a group → disreputable.
2. Miscreant (wrongdoer) is close but too strong; the idiom is about bringing shame, not committing crime.
3. Naive and Intelligent are unrelated.

Trick: 'Black sheep of the family' = the one who brings disgrace (bad name) to the family.

Answer: (C) Disreputable

Concept: In a time clause (when, before, after, until, as soon as) referring to the future, we use the simple present, not 'will'.

1. Main clause already has future: 'I will make sure'.
2. So the time clause should be: When my father comes.
3. The other parts are correct.

Trick: When/if/until clause → no 'will'. 'When he comes, I will…'

Answer: (C) When my father will come

Concept: The verb phrase is place trust in someone; after a preposition the object form of the relative pronoun, whom, is used.

1. 'has placed its trust in whom' → 'in whom the ruling government has placed its trust' – correct.
2. 'who' is a subject form, so 'in who', 'with who', 'on who' are wrong.
3. Also 'trust in' (not 'with/on') is the correct collocation.

Trick: Preposition + whom (never preposition + who).

Answer: (A) No substitution

Concept: Fecundity = fertility; the ability to produce abundantly (also of the mind – productiveness of ideas).

1. Synonym of fecundity → fertility.
2. Sentence: emotional stimulation gives the necessary fertility (richness) for creative imagination.
3. force, fulcrum, freedom do not mean fruitful production.

Trick: Fecund = fertile, fruitful; Fecundity = fertility.

Answer: (A) fertility

Concept: Steer clear of = to avoid someone or something.

1. 'avoided going to parties' = steered clear of going to parties.
2. 'cracked a joke', 'fired a cracker', 'whispered a secret' change the meaning entirely.
3. The gerund 'going' fits after 'steered clear of'.

Trick: Steer (a ship) clear of rocks = keep away = avoid.

Answer: (B) steered clear of

Concept: Quell = to suppress or put an end to a feeling (fear, anger, emotions) or a rebellion.

1. 'a desire to stop emotions' = to suppress emotions → quell.
2. Smash = break violently; Put out = extinguish (a fire).
3. Quiet is mainly about sound/calm, not suppressing feelings in this sense.

Trick: Quell fears, quell a riot, quell emotions – all mean suppress.

Answer: (C) Quell

Concept: Check each word letter by letter against its standard spelling.

1. refridgerator → refrigerator (no 'd').
2. litrature → literature.
3. allegater → alligator.
4. registration is correct.

Trick: refrigerator: fridge has 'd', refrigerator does not.

Answer: (C) registration

Concept: Spot the misspelt words in each sentence: delicious, aroma, freshly, cookies, wafted.

1. (A) delicius, freshely – wrong.
2. (B) arauma, freshely, cookes – wrong.
3. (D) arauma, waftad – wrong.
4. (C) has all words correct.

Trick: fresh + ly = freshly (no extra 'e'); aroma has no 'u'.

Answer: (C) The delicious aroma of freshly baked cookies wafted through the kitchen, making mouths water.

Concept: Aggravate = make a problem or pain worse. Its opposite is alleviate = make less severe.

1. Aggravate (worsen) ↔ Alleviate (ease).
2. Exasperate = irritate – close to aggravate, not opposite.
3. Humiliate = shame; Ignorant = unaware (an adjective).

Trick: Alleviate – think 'lighten' (Latin levis = light).

Answer: (B) Alleviate

Concept: A conditional clause with if is needed: the second part is an instruction that depends on the condition (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar).

1. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. – a condition followed by an imperative.
2. 'Yet', 'Until' and 'Unless' give illogical meaning.
3. 'Unless you have tears, prepare to shed them' contradicts itself.

Trick: Condition + command → 'If…, (do)…'.

Answer: (A) If you have tears,

Concept: Nouns formed from supreme end in -acy: supremacy.

1. Supremecy → Supremacy.
2. Passage, Reconsidered and Prevention are spelt correctly.
3. Similar: democracy, accuracy, privacy.

Trick: -acy endings: supremacy, democracy, legacy.

Answer: (D) Supremecy

Concept: When pigs fly = something that will never happen (used sarcastically).

1. Pigs cannot fly, so the event is impossible → never happen.
2. It is not about lasting long, deviating or being completed.
3. Example: 'He'll clean his room when pigs fly.'

Trick: Impossible condition = never happens.

Answer: (D) Something that will never happen

Concept: A verb is modified by an adverb. Cowardly is mainly an adjective (a cowardly act), so 'fight cowardly' is wrong; use 'fight in a cowardly manner' or 'fight like cowards'.

1. Segment 'trained never to' is a normal infinitive with 'never' before 'to' – correct.
2. 'Soldiers in' and 'the Indian Armed Forces are' are correct (plural subject + are).
3. Error lies in 'fight cowardly'.

Trick: Words ending in -ly like cowardly, friendly, lovely are adjectives → use 'in a … manner'.

Answer: (A) fight cowardly.