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

Concept: Lion : Forest is 'animal : its natural habitat'.

1. A lion lives in the forest; a shark lives in the ocean.
2. Bee : Honey is 'maker : product'; Flower : Honey and Sorrow : Love do not show habitat.

Trick: Frame the pair as a sentence — 'A ___ lives in the ___' — and test each option.

Answer: (B) Shark : Ocean

Concept: Replace the signs, then apply BODMAS.

1. Given: $32+36\times 4-21÷56$
2. After change: $32\times 36÷4+21-56$
3. $=32\times 9+21-56=288-35=253$

Trick: Do $36÷4=9$ first to keep the multiplication small.

Answer: (B) 253

Concept: Replace the letters by the signs and solve the bracket first (BODMAS).

1. $48÷12+(\sqrt{36}\times 3)-19+24$
2. $=4+(6\times 3)-19+24$
3. $=4+18-19+24=27$

Trick: Solve the bracket: $\sqrt{36}\times 3=18$, then go left to right.

Answer: (B) 27

Concept: The differences are squares with alternating signs.

1. $182-101=81=9^2$, $118-182=-64=-8^2$
2. $167-118=49=7^2$
3. Next: $167-6^2=167-36=131$

Trick: Big up-and-down jumps often mean alternating ± perfect squares.

Answer: (A) 131

Concept: Find the repeating block of 4 letters.

1. Fill P, A, J, A, S, P, J: P S J A | P S J A | P S J A | P S J A.
2. The block 'PSJA' repeats four times.

Trick: 16 letters → try a block of 4; the given letters S, J, P, A already hint at 'PSJA'.

Answer: (B) P A J A S P J

Concept: Each letter of the word is written as two letters: (letter − 2) and (letter + 2).

1. LIST: L → J N, I → G K, S → Q U, T → R V ⇒ JNGKQURV ✓
2. MOAN: M → K O, O → M Q, A → Y C, N → L P ⇒ KOMQYCLP ✓
3. PLUM: P → N R, L → J N, U → S W, M → K O ⇒ NRJNSWKO

Trick: Each pair surrounds the original letter (one before-before, one after-after) — the order of pairs follows the word.

Answer: (B) NRJNSWKO

Concept: Treat each letter position as a separate series.

1. 1st: R, N, ?, F, B → −4 → J
2. 2nd: S, P, ?, J, G → −3 → M
3. 3rd: B, E, ?, K, N → +3 → H
4. 4th: G, I, ?, M, O → +2 → K

Trick: When the blank is in the middle, take the average of the neighbours: between N and F is J.

Answer: (C) JMHK

Concept: Write positions: the 2nd letter is 6 places after the 1st, and the 3rd letter is the opposite (sum 27) of the 1st.

1. PVK: P(16) → V(22) = +6; K(11) is opposite of P ✓
2. OUL: O(15) → U(21) = +6; L(12) is opposite of O ✓
3. MSN: M(13) → S(19) = +6; N(14) is opposite of M ✓
4. QUK: Q(17) → U(21) = +4 only, and the opposite of Q is J, not K ✗

Trick: Opposite letters add up to 27: P–K, O–L, M–N.

Answer: (C) QUK

Concept: Each letter is replaced by its opposite letter (positions add up to 27).

1. TRUCKS: T↔G, R↔I, U↔F, C↔X, K↔P, S↔H → GIFXPH ✓
2. WASTE → DZHGV ✓
3. FANTASY: F↔U, A↔Z, N↔M, T↔G, A↔Z, S↔H, Y↔B → UZMGZHB

Trick: Pairs to remember: A–Z, F–U, G–T, H–S, M–N, B–Y.

Answer: (B) UZMGZHB

Concept: Replace the letters by the signs and apply BODMAS.

1. $456-236÷2+14\times 1$
2. $=456-118+14$
3. $=352$

Trick: Division and multiplication first, then addition/subtraction from left to right.

Answer: (A) 352

Concept: RBI prescribes a minimum capital adequacy ratio (CRAR) for NBFC-MFIs, measured against risk-weighted assets, not deposits.

1. NBFC-MFIs must maintain a capital adequacy ratio of at least $15\%$ of their aggregate risk-weighted assets.
2. Tier-I capital must be at least $10\%$ of this; Tier-II capital cannot exceed Tier-I.
3. Capital adequacy is never calculated on deposits, so options (A) and (B) are wrong in principle; $11\%$ is not the NBFC-MFI norm.

Yaad rakhein: CRAR = capital ÷ risk-weighted assets; NBFC-MFI → $15\%$.

Answer: (C) $15\%$ of the aggregate risk weighted assets

Concept: Dandiya Raas is the vigorous stick dance of Gujarat performed during Navratri.

1. The coloured sticks (dandiyas) represent the swords of Goddess Durga; the dance enacts her mock fight with the demon Mahishasura.
2. Bhangra is a Punjabi harvest dance, Raslila depicts Krishna's dance with gopis, and Kalbelia is the snake-charmer dance of Rajasthan.

Yaad rakhein: Navratri + sticks = Durga vs Mahishasura = Dandiya Raas.

Answer: (D) Dandiya Raas

Concept: Part IV (Articles 36–51) contains the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).

1. Article 37 says the DPSPs shall not be enforceable by any court, yet they are fundamental in the governance of the country and the State must apply them in making laws.
2. Article 38 – social order for welfare; Article 39 – principles of policy (equal pay etc.); Article 40 – village panchayats.

Yaad rakhein: Article 37 = 'non-justiciable but fundamental'.

Answer: (A) Article 37

Concept: Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya founded Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, in 1916 with the support of Annie Besant.

1. BHU was established under the BHU Act, 1915 and is one of Asia's largest residential universities.
2. Delhi University was set up in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislature; it was not founded by Malaviya.

Yaad rakhein: Malaviya → 'Mahamana' → BHU (1916).

Answer: (D) Banaras Hindu University

Concept: 'The Inheritance of Loss' (2006) is a novel by Kiran Desai.

1. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2006; Kiran Desai is the daughter of novelist Anita Desai.
2. Arundhati Roy wrote 'The God of Small Things'; Jhumpa Lahiri wrote 'Interpreter of Maladies'; Chetan Bhagat wrote 'Five Point Someone'.

Yaad rakhein: Two Booker-winning Indian women: Arundhati Roy (1997) and Kiran Desai (2006).

Answer: (B) Kiran Desai

Concept: Nirad C. Chaudhuri's famous autobiography is 'The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian' (1951).

1. Its sequel is 'Thy Hand, Great Anarch!' (1987).
2. 'The Race of My Life' is Milkha Singh's autobiography; 'Autobiography of a Yogi' is by Paramahansa Yogananda; 'Matters of Discretion' is by I.K. Gujral.

Yaad rakhein: Nirad Chaudhuri = 'Unknown Indian'.

Answer: (A) The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian

Concept: Sattriya is the classical dance of Assam, created by the Vaishnava saint Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th century.

1. Being from Assam, Sattriya has absorbed elements of Assamese folk dances such as Bihu and Ojapali.
2. Manipuri belongs to Manipur, Kathak to North India and Kuchipudi to Andhra Pradesh – none is linked with Bihu.

Yaad rakhein: Bihu and Sattriya – both from Assam.

Answer: (A) Sattriya

Concept: Group 1 (alkali metals) in order: H 1, Li 3, Na 11, K 19, Rb 37, Cs 55, Fr 87.

1. Francium (Fr) has atomic number 87; it is a highly radioactive alkali metal.
2. Caesium = 55, Rubidium = 37, Lithium = 3.

Yaad rakhein: Alkali metals: 3, 11, 19, 37, 55, 87 – the last one, Francium, is 87.

Answer: (A) Francium

Concept: Pandit Appa Jalgaonkar (1922–2009) was a renowned harmonium player from Maharashtra.

1. He was famous as an accompanist on the harmonium in Hindustani vocal music and Kathak, and received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
2. Other harmonium maestros: Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, Pt. Govindrao Tembe.

Yaad rakhein: Appa Jalgaonkar, Tulsidas Borkar → harmonium.

Answer: (A) Harmonium

Concept: Indian planning had four goals: growth, modernisation, self-reliance and equity (NCERT, Indian Economic Development).

1. NCERT states that high growth, modern technology and self-reliance by themselves may not raise living standards; they are meaningful only if the benefits of economic prosperity reach the poor.
2. So equity – benefits reaching the poor sections – is the condition; helping the rich, foreign trade or capitalism is not the stated goal.

Yaad rakhein: Growth + Modernisation + Self-reliance + Equity = 4 goals of planning.

Answer: (A) benefits of economic prosperity reach the poor people