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

Concept: Pretending to have virtues or beliefs one does not actually have is hypocrisy.

1. Shrewdness = sharp cleverness.
2. Naivety and gullibility = being innocent/easily fooled.
3. Only hypocrisy means false display of virtue.

Trick: Hypocrite = a person who says one thing and does another.

Answer: (D) Hypocrisy

Concept: Make a pig's ear (of something) = to do a job very badly; to make a mess of it.

1. He repaired the bookcase badly → 'made a pig's ear of that bookcase'.
2. 'Make a clean breast' = confess fully; the other two are not proper idioms here.

Trick: You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's (pig's) ear – a pig's ear = a botched job.

Answer: (A) made a pig’s ear

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

1. 'on second floor' should be 'on the second floor'.
2. The other segments are correct.

Trick: the + ordinal: the first, the second floor, the 5th day.

Answer: (D) on second floor

Concept: Look into = investigate or examine a matter carefully.

1. A serious case needs to be investigated → 'look into this matter' is correct.
2. Look up = search for information/improve; look at = see; look after = take care of.
3. So no change is needed.

Trick: Look INTO = go deep inside the matter = investigate.

Answer: (C) No substitution

Concept: Keep a straight face = to stay serious and not laugh, even when something is funny.

1. The face stays 'straight' – no smile.
2. The other options describe confusion, friendship and effort.

Trick: Straight face = no smile line on the face.

Answer: (C) Not laugh or change your expression even though you want to laugh

Concept: A large open-air fire lit for celebration (or burning rubbish) is a bonfire.

1. Campaign = organised effort; agenda = list of items for a meeting; crossfire = gunfire from two sides.
2. Only bonfire fits.

Trick: Bonfire night / Lohri bonfire – celebration fire.

Answer: (B) Bonfire

Concept: Check each word: 'voluume' has an extra 'u'; correct spelling is volume.

1. listening, loss and hearing are spelt correctly in the sentence.
2. 'Lissening', 'Heering' are wrong spellings; 'Lose' is a different word.

Trick: vo-lu-me: only one 'u'.

Answer: (D) Volume

Concept: Disclosed = made known, brought to light.

1. In the sentence, the analysis revealed (made known) unknown patterns.
2. Linguist, patterns and unknown are nouns/adjectives with other meanings.

Trick: Disclose = reveal = expose = unveil.

Answer: (C) Revealed

Concept: The correct spelling is glider – an aircraft that flies without an engine.

1. 'Gllidder' wrongly doubles both 'l' and 'd'.
2. Airplane, Helicopter and Ladybug are correct.

Trick: glide + r = glider (single l, single d).

Answer: (A) Gllidder

Concept: Envy = a feeling of discontent at another's success or possessions; jealousy.

1. 'Love' is opposite in feeling; 'curse' = wish harm in words; 'reap' = harvest.
2. So envy ≈ jealousy.

Trick: Green with envy = very jealous.

Answer: (B) Jealousy

Concept: The minimum number of members needed for a meeting to be valid is the quorum.

1. Forum = place for discussion; addendum = something added to a document; decorum = proper behaviour.
2. Only quorum fits.

Yaad rakhein: No quorum → no valid meeting.

Answer: (B) Quorum

Concept: A detailed list of goods sent, with quantity and price, given to the buyer is an invoice.

1. Ledger = account book; receipt = proof that payment was received; sales = act of selling.
2. Invoice is sent with goods asking for payment.

Trick: Invoice → before payment; Receipt → after payment.

Answer: (D) Invoice

Concept: 'A' is used before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowel sounds; 'the' is used for a particular, identified noun.

1. 'simple' and 'boy' begin with consonant sounds, so 'an simple' and 'an boy' are wrong (options B, C, D).
2. Option A: 'The simple mistake … by the boy' – a specific mistake defined by the relative clause – is correct.

Trick: Sound decides: a boy, a simple…; an hour, an umbrella.

Answer: (A) The simple mistake which was committed by the boy haunted her for years.

Concept: Vulnerable = exposed to the possibility of being harmed or attacked.

1. Susceptible = easily affected or harmed – same meaning.
2. Guarded = protected (opposite); amiable = friendly; delectable = delicious.

Trick: Vulnerable = Susceptible = Exposed.

Answer: (A) Susceptible

Concept: Benevolent = kind, well-meaning and generous.

1. bene (good) + volent (wishing) → wishing good to others.
2. Cruel and wicked are opposites; innocent means free of guilt.

Trick: bene = good: benefit, benefactor, benevolent.

Answer: (A) Generous

Concept: The correct spelling is grandeur (splendour, magnificence).

1. 'granduer' wrongly swaps 'e' and 'u'.
2. ruins, testimony and courageous are correct.

Trick: grand + eur → grandeur (like 'amateur').

Answer: (C) granduer

Concept: Chastise = to criticise or rebuke someone severely (sometimes punish).

1. Remonstrate = protest/object; scoff = mock.
2. 'Rate' in this sense is old-fashioned and rarely used; the standard word is chastise.

Trick: Chastise = scold harshly = reprimand.

Answer: (C) Chastise

Concept: A feeling of intense happiness and confidence is euphoria.

1. Intoxication = being drunk; touché = acknowledging a good point; oblivion = state of being forgotten/unaware.
2. Only euphoria fits.

Trick: Euphoria = extreme joy (e.g. after winning a match).

Answer: (A) Euphoria

Concept: A cat's low, continuous vibrating sound of contentment is a purr.

1. Meow = a cat's normal call; buzz = sound of bees; roar = sound of lions.
2. Contented cat → purrs.

Trick: Happy cat purrs; hungry cat meows.

Answer: (B) To purr

Concept: Face the music = to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done.

1. e.g. 'He cheated in the exam and now must face the music.'
2. The other options describe effort, betrayal and money problems.

Trick: Face the music = face the consequences.

Answer: (B) To accept punishment for some mistake which you have done