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

Concept: The sentence says one must use the present opportunity to make a name; the idiom must mean ‘act at the right moment’.

1. ‘Beat around the bush’ (avoid the main point) does not fit ‘take this opportunity’.
2. Strike while the iron is hot = act quickly while the favourable chance lasts – exactly the sense needed.
3. ‘Fight tooth and claw’ = fight fiercely; ‘pass with flying colours’ = succeed brilliantly; ‘bare the foot’ is not an idiom.

Yaad rakhein: Iron is shaped only while it is hot – so use a chance before it cools off.

Answer: (A) strike while the iron is hot

Concept: ‘Resolve’ (verb) = settle or find an answer to a doubt/problem. Its opposite is to raise doubts or question.

1. In the sentence Nisha has many questions – things not yet resolved.
2. To ‘question’ something = to raise doubt about it, the reverse of resolving it.
3. ‘Satisfied’ is close to ‘resolved’ (similar sense); ‘about’ and ‘knows’ are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Resolve = answer a doubt; question = raise a doubt.

Answer: (B) Questions

Concept: Here ‘advance’ is used in the sense ‘advanced, higher level’ (as in advanced knowledge). Its opposite is ‘basic / beginner level’.

1. The sentence speaks of an elementary or intermediate knowledge of the language.
2. Elementary = basic, first-stage – the opposite of advanced.
3. ‘Destination’, ‘believes’ and ‘knowledge’ are not opposite in meaning to ‘advance’.

Yaad rakhein: Levels: elementary → intermediate → advanced.

Answer: (C) Elementary

Concept: Something that cannot be avoided or prevented is inevitable.

1. The underlined phrase: issues ‘that couldn’t be avoided’.
2. Inevitable = certain to happen; unavoidable.
3. Unthinkable = cannot be imagined; unsolvable = cannot be solved; incapable = not able (used for people).

Yaad rakhein: In-evitable = not avoidable (Latin evitare = to avoid).

Answer: (C) inevitable

Concept: The improved phrase must keep the meaning (friend went away when bad men came) in better, standard words.

1. ‘Vanished’ (magically ceased to be visible) is better expressed as disappeared for a person leaving suddenly; ‘goons’ is slang – thugs is standard.
2. ‘Disappeared when the thugs arrived’ keeps the meaning.
3. ‘Mobilised’, ‘condemned’ and ‘attacked’ need an object or change the meaning completely.

Yaad rakhein: Keep the sense, upgrade the words: vanished → disappeared, goons → thugs, came → arrived.

Answer: (B) disappeared when the thugs arrived

Concept: The word means ‘replied to (the phone)’ – past tense of answer.

1. ‘Awnsered’ has the letters w and n swapped.
2. Correct spelling: a-n-s-w-e-r-e-d → answered.
3. ‘awmsered’, ‘ansvered’, ‘answorod’ are all misspelt.

Yaad rakhein: answer = ANS + WER (silent w after s).

Answer: (D) answered

Concept: To decline an invitation politely, hinting you may accept it another time, is ‘to take a rain check’.

1. Rain check: originally a ticket for a later game when a match was rained out.
2. So ‘take a rain check’ = politely refuse now, with a promise to come later – matches the underlined words.
3. ‘Spoil a moment’ = ruin it; ‘call it a day’ = stop working; ‘take with a grain of salt’ = doubt something.

Yaad rakhein: ‘Can I take a rain check?’ = not today, maybe later.

Answer: (B) To take a rain check

Concept: A lively, cheerful, outgoing (sociable) person is an extrovert.

1. Extro- = outward; such a person enjoys company and talks freely.
2. Introvert = shy, inward-looking person; ambivert = mix of both.
3. Orator = a skilled public speaker.

Yaad rakhein: Extro = outside (outgoing), Intro = inside (reserved).

Answer: (C) Extrovert

Concept: ‘Gift of the gab’ = the ability to speak easily, fluently and convincingly.

1. ‘Gab’ is an informal word for talk/chatter.
2. So the ‘gift’ (natural talent) of ‘gab’ = a talent for speaking.
3. It does not refer to a person, lying or singing.

Yaad rakhein: Gab = talk → gift of the gab = gift of talking.

Answer: (B) A talent for speaking

Concept: ‘Fluctuate’ = to rise and fall irregularly, to keep changing. The opposite is to become steady – stabilise.

1. Prices that fluctuate keep changing; prices that stabilise stop changing.
2. ‘Vacillate’ (waver) and ‘fickle’ (changeable) are similar in sense, not opposite.
3. ‘Deflect’ = turn aside – unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Fluctuate ↔ stabilise; synonyms: waver, vacillate, oscillate.

Answer: (A) Stabilise

Concept: ‘Lonely’ is an adjective describing a feeling (sad because alone); to say someone lives without company we use alone.

1. ‘Live lonely’ is wrong – ‘lonely’ cannot be used as an adverb after ‘live’.
2. Correct: Ms. Malathi is living alone in an apartment.
3. So the error lies in the part ‘lonely in’.

Yaad rakhein: Alone = without others (fact); lonely = sad about being alone (feeling): ‘She lives alone but is not lonely.’

Answer: (B) lonely in

Concept: ‘His heart is in the right place’ = he is basically kind and well-meaning, even if his behaviour seems strict.

1. The sentence contrasts ‘very strict’ with ‘good-natured’ (but).
2. His heart is in the right place expresses exactly this good nature.
3. ‘Eyes bigger than stomach’ = greedy; ‘big mouth’ = talks too much; ‘heart misses a beat’ = sudden shock/excitement.

Yaad rakhein: Heart in the right place = good intentions.

Answer: (B) his heart is in the right place

Concept: The dried fruit made from grapes is spelt raisins.

1. ‘Raisons’ is a misspelling (raison is a French word meaning ‘reason’).
2. Correct: The dried raisins …
3. Other segments – intoxicating, effect, flora, fauna – are spelt correctly.

Yaad rakhein: Raisin = dried grape (-in); raison d’être = reason for existence.

Answer: (B) The dried raisons

Concept: The past participle of ‘grow’ is grown.

1. ‘Gruwn’ is wrong: grow → grew → grown.
2. Season, overflows and silt are spelt correctly.
3. Correct sentence: … leaves silt for crops to be grown.

Yaad rakhein: grow – grew – grown (o-w-n, like show – shown).

Answer: (A) Gruwn

Concept: Something that is very expensive is said to cost an arm and a leg.

1. The underlined words ‘very expensive’ = cost an arm and a leg.
2. ‘Up in arms’ = angry and protesting; ‘flog a dead horse’ = waste effort on a settled matter; ‘take with a pinch of salt’ = not fully believe.
3. Grammatically: ‘brands … cost an arm and a leg’ fits.

Yaad rakhein: Paying with your arm and leg = paying a huge price.

Answer: (D) cost an arm and a leg

Concept: Of two past actions, the one that happened first takes the past perfect (had + V3); the later one takes simple past.

1. He left first; then ‘we discussed’ (simple past).
2. So the earlier action: After he had left, we discussed his suggestion.
3. ‘he leave’ lacks a proper verb form; ‘will be leaving’ is future; ‘has left’ is present perfect – does not match a past narrative.

Yaad rakhein: Earlier past → had + V3; later past → V2.

Answer: (C) he had left

Concept: ‘Confound’ = to confuse, perplex, throw someone into doubt. The opposite is to remove doubt and give certainty – assure.

1. A confounded person is uncertain and puzzled; an assured person is confident and certain.
2. Expire (end), suppress (hold down) are unrelated.
3. ‘Discern’ (perceive clearly) contrasts with confusing things, but it is about perception; ‘assure’ directly reverses the doubt caused by confounding.

Yaad rakhein: Confound → doubt and confusion; assure → certainty and confidence.

Answer: (C) Assure

Concept: Pusillanimous = lacking courage; weak and cowardly.

1. Latin pusillus (very small) + animus (spirit) = ‘small-spirited’.
2. Meek = quiet, gentle, submissive; timid = shy, easily frightened – neither means ‘cowardly’ fully.
3. Anxious = worried.

Yaad rakhein: Pusill-animous = puny spirit → coward.

Answer: (A) Pusillanimous

Concept: The two-wheeled vehicle is spelt bicycle (bi = two).

1. ‘Bycycle’ wrongly uses y in the first syllable.
2. Academy, Mystery and Justice are correct.
3. Correct: b-i-c-y-c-l-e.

Yaad rakhein: Bi = two (bicycle, biweekly, bilingual).

Answer: (A) Bycycle

Concept: The correct spelling is necessity – one c, double s.

1. ‘Neccessity’ wrongly doubles the c.
2. Perseverance, Hierarchy and Knowledgeable are correctly spelt.
3. Correct: n-e-c-e-s-s-i-t-y.

Yaad rakhein: Necessity: one Collar, two Sleeves (1 c, 2 s).

Answer: (A) Neccessity