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

Concept: A lover of mankind who works for the welfare of people is a philanthropist.

1. Greek philos (loving) + anthropos (human being).
2. Recluse = one who lives alone away from society; cynic = one who distrusts people’s motives.
3. Psychiatrist = doctor for mental illness.

Yaad rakhein: Phil = love, anthrop = man; misanthrope = hater of mankind.

Answer: (D) Philanthropist

Concept: In the passive voice the doer (agent) is introduced by the preposition by.

1. ‘The article was rejected by the editor’ – the editor is the doer.
2. ‘of’, ‘on’ and ‘each’ cannot introduce the agent of a passive verb.
3. Hence ‘was mercilessly rejected by’.

Yaad rakhein: Passive: be + V3 + by + doer.

Answer: (D) was mercilessly rejected by

Concept: ‘To leave no stone unturned’ = to try every possible way to find or achieve something.

1. Picture searching for something by turning over every stone.
2. So it means doing everything possible to achieve a goal.
3. Other options describe winning everything, controlling someone or ignoring something – not this idiom.

Yaad rakhein: No stone unturned = no effort spared.

Answer: (C) To do everything possible to achieve something

Concept: ‘Condemn’ = to express strong disapproval of something. Its synonym is censure.

1. Censure = criticise severely, formally disapprove.
2. The organisation strongly disapproved of the deforestation – censure fits.
3. Persuade (convince), foster (encourage) and compel (force) have different meanings.

Yaad rakhein: Condemn = censure = denounce = criticise.

Answer: (A) Censure

Concept: Careful and persistent hard work is called diligence.

1. Diligence = careful, steady effort in one’s work.
2. It explains the quick promotion: ‘due to his diligence’.
3. Business-mindedness (commercial sense), extraordinary (adjective, unusual) and elegance (grace) do not mean careful hard work.

Yaad rakhein: Diligent student = careful + hard-working.

Answer: (D) diligence

Concept: In reported speech after a past reporting verb (argued), the tense moves back: present perfect → past perfect.

1. Reporting verb ‘argued’ is in the past; the other verb ‘deserved’ is also past.
2. So ‘has been greatly underestimated’ should be ‘had been greatly underestimated’.
3. The other underlined parts are correct.

Yaad rakhein: Past reporting verb → shift tenses back (has been → had been).

Answer: (B) has been greatly underestimated

Concept: ‘Mourn’ = to feel or show deep sorrow, especially for someone’s death. Synonym: grieve.

1. People mourn/grieve for a loved one.
2. Dread = great fear; amuse = entertain; approve = agree with.
3. Only ‘grieve’ carries the sense of sorrow.

Yaad rakhein: Mourn = grieve = lament = sorrow.

Answer: (C) Grieve

Concept: ‘Up a creek without a paddle’ = in a difficult situation with no means of getting out of it.

1. Losing wallet and passport in a foreign country is a helpless situation.
2. Hence ‘I was up (in) a creek without a paddle’.
3. ‘Roll up sleeves’, ‘nose to the grindstone’ and ‘work fingers to the bone’ all mean working very hard – not trouble.

Yaad rakhein: A boat in a stream without a paddle = stuck, helpless.

Answer: (D) up in a creek without a paddle

Concept: ‘Oral’ = spoken, not written. Its opposite is ‘written’ – inscribed (written or carved on a surface).

1. Oral test (spoken) vs written test.
2. Inscribed = written/engraved – the opposite of spoken.
3. ‘Verbal’ is close to oral (synonym); obligatory (compulsory) and dejected (sad) are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Oral ↔ written/inscribed.

Answer: (B) Inscribed

Concept: Article ‘an’ is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound.

1. ‘Igloo’ begins with the vowel sound /ɪ/.
2. So ‘a igloo’ should be ‘an igloo’.
3. The other parts are correct.

Yaad rakhein: Vowel sound → an (an igloo, an hour); consonant sound → a (a university).

Answer: (B) a igloo

Concept: ‘Building castles in the air’ = having unrealistic daydreams that are unlikely to come true.

1. Becoming a millionaire without any hard work is an unrealistic dream.
2. So John was always building castles in the air.
3. ‘Storm in a teacup’ = fuss over a small matter; ‘eat like a horse’ = eat a lot; ‘ace up the sleeve’ = a hidden advantage.

Yaad rakhein: Castles in the air = ‘hawai kile’ – dreams without foundation.

Answer: (C) building castles in the air

Concept: The fixed pair is No sooner … than, and the tense after ‘than’ is simple past when ‘had … V3’ comes first.

1. No sooner had she finished … than she received a call.
2. ‘that’ is wrong with ‘no sooner’; ‘receives’ (present) does not match the past narrative.
3. ‘had received’ would wrongly show the second action as earlier.

Yaad rakhein: No sooner – than; hardly/scarcely – when.

Answer: (D) than she received

Concept: In an imaginary/unreal condition (second conditional) ‘were’ is used with all subjects: If I were …, I would …

1. ‘I would spend’ shows an unreal present condition.
2. So: If I were very rich, I would spend …
3. ‘If I am / have much riches’ do not match ‘would’; ‘was’ is not standard in this subjunctive.

Yaad rakhein: If I were you / If I were rich – subjunctive ‘were’.

Answer: (B) If I were very rich

Concept: A participle/adjective like ‘injured’ is modified by an adverb, not an adjective.

1. ‘Serious’ is an adjective; it cannot modify ‘injured’.
2. Correct: My neighbours were seriously injured in the car accident.
3. Hence the error is in ‘serious injured’.

Yaad rakhein: Adjective qualifies noun (a serious injury); adverb qualifies verb/adjective (seriously injured).

Answer: (A) serious injured

Concept: ‘Down to earth’ = realistic, practical and sensible; unpretentious.

1. The coach is honest, realistic and practical – ‘down to earth’.
2. ‘By and large’ = on the whole; ‘far and wide’ = over a large area; ‘sick and tired’ = fed up.
3. Only ‘down to earth’ describes a person’s practical nature.

Yaad rakhein: Feet on the ground = down to earth.

Answer: (A) down to earth

Concept: ‘Rapid’ = very fast, quick. The opposite is slow.

1. Rapid growth vs slow growth.
2. Active (energetic) and smart (clever) are not opposites of speed.
3. Lately = recently (an adverb of time).

Yaad rakhein: Rapid ↔ slow; quick ↔ sluggish.

Answer: (D) slow

Concept: An action that began in the past and is still continuing, with ‘since/for’, takes the present perfect continuous (have/has been + V-ing).

1. ‘Since 2002’ marks a starting point in the past; the work continues ‘even today’.
2. So ‘I am working’ should be ‘I have been working with him since 2002’.
3. The other segments are correct.

Yaad rakhein: since/for + continuing action → have/has been + V-ing.

Answer: (B) I am working with him since 2002,

Concept: A place where dead bodies are buried is a cemetery (graveyard).

1. Cemetery = burial ground.
2. Demise = death; mansion = a large house.
3. ‘Clementi’ is not an English word for such a place.

Yaad rakhein: Cemetery = graveyard; crematorium = place for cremation.

Answer: (B) Cemetery

Concept: The adjective from ‘recluse’ (a person who lives alone) is reclusive – living in isolation.

1. Recluse is spelt r-e-c-l-u-s-e, so reclusive = r-e-c-l-u-s-i-v-e.
2. ‘Reklusive’ wrongly uses k.
3. ‘Recslusive’, ‘Reclucive’, ‘Reslusive’ all have wrong letters.

Yaad rakhein: recluse + -ive = reclusive (c-l-u-s).

Answer: (D) Reclusive

Concept: ‘Convalesce’ = to recover health and strength gradually after an illness. Its opposite is to break down – collapse.

1. Convalesce = get better; collapse = suddenly fall ill/break down.
2. Conceal (hide), corrupt (make dishonest) and confront (face) are unrelated.
3. Hence ‘collapse’ is the antonym.

Yaad rakhein: Convalescence = recovery period after illness.

Answer: (A) Collapse