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

Concept: Check each word of the sentence; the misspelt one is riverse.

1. riverse ✗ → reverse ✓ (to turn back/undo).
2. bamboo, effects and prevention are already correctly spelt in the sentence.
3. Options (B) Bambboo, (C) Efeccts, (D) Prevension are themselves wrong spellings.

Yaad rakhein: re-verse: prefix re = back, as in return, reverse.

Answer: (A) Reverse

Concept: A Gynaecologist is a doctor who specialises in the female reproductive system.

1. Greek gyne = woman.
2. Ophthalmologist – eyes; Orthodontist – alignment of teeth.
3. Cardiologist – heart.

Yaad rakhein: Gyn = woman; ophthal = eye; cardio = heart; ortho-dont = straight teeth.

Answer: (D) Gynaecologist

Concept: A Quadrangle is a four-sided open courtyard enclosed by buildings, as in colleges.

1. Quad = four – a rectangular enclosed open space.
2. Quadruped – a four-footed animal; Quintessential – the most perfect example.
3. Quinton is not a word with this meaning.

Yaad rakhein: Quadrangle = four sides + open centre = courtyard.

Answer: (C) Quadrangle

Concept: Shrewd means clever, sharp in judgement – i.e. smart.

1. He was shrewd enough to penetrate her meaning = understand her hidden meaning – needs sharp intelligence.
2. Innocent is nearly opposite; aged and funny are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Shrewd = smart, astute, sharp.

Answer: (D) Smart

Concept: At the drop of a hat means immediately, without delay or hesitation.

1. Origin: a dropped hat was once a signal to start a race or fight at once.
2. E.g. She would help a friend at the drop of a hat.
3. Consecutively, eventually and certainly do not mean at once.

Yaad rakhein: Drop of a hat = instantly.

Answer: (D) Immediately

Concept: The phrasal idiom stand by someone means to remain loyal and support them, especially in difficult times.

1. I will always stand by my friend = I will always support my friend in trouble.
2. (A) and (B) are literal meanings of standing; (D) work together is not the sense.

Yaad rakhein: Stand by someone = support them through thick and thin.

Answer: (C) Support in difficult situation

Concept: When the subject is the indefinite pronoun one, the possessive should be one's; and proparly is misspelt.

1. his/her → one's (keep the same pronoun).
2. proparly → properly.
3. (A) has duti, proprly; (B) lacks the apostrophe in one's; (D) uses once.

Yaad rakhein: One … one's: One must do one's duty.

Answer: (C) One must do one's duty properly.

Concept: A congregation is a gathering of people, especially for religious purposes. Its spelling follows con + greg + ation.

1. congragation ✗ → Congregation ✓ (second vowel is e: -greg-).
2. Congregetion, Cangregation, Congretettion all have wrong letters.

Yaad rakhein: Latin grex, gregis = flock → con-GREG-ation (like gregarious).

Answer: (D) Congregation

Concept: We say a person is shot/hit/stabbed in a body part: shot in the back, hit in the face.

1. shot from the back wrongly suggests a direction rather than the place of the wound.
2. Correct: The culprit had been shot in the back by the police inspector.
3. to, by, off do not fit this fixed usage.

Yaad rakhein: Hurt/shot/hit + IN + body part.

Answer: (B) in

Concept: A man of letters means a scholar, a learned person devoted to literature and knowledge.

1. APJ Abdul Kalam, a writer and scientist, fits a man of letters.
2. A queer fish – a strange person; a dare devil – a reckless, bold person.
3. A man of straw – a weak person of no substance.

Yaad rakhein: Letters = learning/literature → man of letters = scholar.

Answer: (B) a man of letters

Concept: Waning means gradually decreasing or becoming weaker – i.e. fading.

1. The moon wanes when it grows smaller; beauty that wanes is beauty that fades.
2. The queen mourned her fading beauty – perfect fit.
3. False, frightening, futile (useless) don't mean decreasing.

Yaad rakhein: Wax = grow, wane = fade.

Answer: (C) fading

Concept: A summary is a brief statement of the main points; its opposite is something lengthy (long and detailed).

1. Summary = short, concise → opposite = lengthy.
2. Abrupt means sudden; elliptical means very brief/condensed (close to summary).
3. Significant means important – unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Summary ↔ lengthy (short ↔ long).

Answer: (B) lengthy

Concept: A wild goose chase is a hopeless, useless search for something that cannot be found.

1. Wandering for two hours in the desert without success = a futile search.
2. wild horse race, wild jackal hunt, wild carpet rug, wild shadow chase are not English idioms.

Yaad rakhein: Wild goose chase = pointless search.

Answer: (A) wild goose chase

Concept: Future continuous tense = will be + verb-ing; after will be the base form arrange is wrong.

1. will be arrange ✗ → will be arranging ✓.
2. (A) was arrange and (C) is arrange – helping verb + base form is wrong; I is is also wrong.
3. (B) would arranging – would needs the base form or would be arranging.

Yaad rakhein: will be + V-ing (future continuous).

Answer: (D) I will be arranging all the necessary materials for the programme.

Concept: To show degree followed by a result clause we use so + adjective + that; that tired is incorrect (informal).

1. that tired and weak ✗ → so tired and weak ✓.
2. Correct: Mrs. Gomathi was so tired and weak that she could scarcely walk.
3. The other segments are correct.

Yaad rakhein: so … that = degree + result (so tired that …).

Answer: (D) that tired and weak

Concept: Ardent means very enthusiastic, passionate and devoted – i.e. committed.

1. An ardent follower = a devoted, committed follower.
2. Forced and temporary suggest lack of real devotion; unhappy is unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Ardent (Latin ardere = to burn) → burning zeal = committed.

Answer: (A) committed

Concept: A contract is a formal, legally binding agreement between parties, e.g. within or with a company.

1. A deal of agreement done in a company or firm = contract.
2. Concurrence – agreement of opinion; Acceptance – saying yes.
3. Conformity – following rules/standards; none is a formal deal.

Yaad rakhein: Formal written business deal = contract.

Answer: (C) Contract

Concept: Lyrical means expressing emotion in a beautiful, poetic way, so poetic language = lyrical language.

1. Lyric poetry is song-like and emotional; lyrical = poetic.
2. Prosaic means dull/ordinary – the opposite.
3. Simple and lucid (clear) describe clarity, not poetic quality.

Yaad rakhein: Poetic ≈ lyrical; opposite = prosaic.

Answer: (A) lyrical language

Concept: Immune means protected against or not affected by something (a disease, influence) – i.e. resistant.

1. E.g. immune to the virus = resistant to the virus.
2. Safe is broader and not the exact sense; asleep and variable are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Immune = resistant (immunity = resistance to disease).

Answer: (A) Resistant

Concept: An adverb that modifies an adjective comes before it: adverb + adjective + noun – a reasonably cheap restaurant.

1. a cheap reasonably restaurant ✗ → a reasonably cheap restaurant ✓.
2. Correct: It is a reasonably cheap restaurant in this part of the town where you can eat delicious food.
3. The other segments are correct.

Yaad rakhein: very good, quite cheap, reasonably cheap – adverb first.

Answer: (C) It is a cheap reasonably