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

Concept: Preposterous means 'utterly absurd, ridiculous or shocking'. Its synonym is outrageous.

1. Example: It is a preposterous (outrageous) claim.
2. Flashy = showy; Dreamy = vague or pleasant; Imaginative = creative – none means absurd.

Trick: Pre (before) + post (after) – putting the end first: totally absurd.

Answer: (B) Outrageous

Concept: A verb is modified by an adverb, not an adjective. 'Hovered' is a verb, so it needs 'exactly'.

1. 'Exact' is an adjective; it cannot describe the verb 'hovered'.
2. Correct: The helicopter of the enemies hovered exactly over their bunker.
3. Other parts are correct.

Trick: Verb + adverb (-ly): hovered exactly, ran quickly.

Answer: (B) hovered exact

Concept: So far so good means that things have gone well up to now (though the task is not finished).

1. Example: How is the new job? – So far so good.
2. (A) and (C) give a negative meaning; (D) is a literal, meaningless reading.

Trick: Till now (so far), everything is fine (good).

Answer: (B) Things are going well so far

Concept: Promote means to support, encourage or help something grow. Boost (to increase or encourage) is its synonym.

1. Example: Advertisements promote/boost sales.
2. Discourage, delay and block all hinder progress – antonyms.

Yaad rakhein: Promote = boost = encourage = foster.

Answer: (C) Boost

Concept: Tempting means attractive, inviting – making one want to have it. Its opposite is repelling (driving away, causing dislike).

1. Seductive, enticing and tantalising are all synonyms of tempting.
2. Only 'repelling' has the opposite sense.

Trick: Three options mean the same → the odd one (repelling) is the antonym.

Answer: (A) Repelling

Concept: Hang in there is an informal encouragement meaning 'don't give up; persist in a difficult situation'.

1. Example: Hang in there – the exams will be over soon.
2. (B) 'give up' is the exact opposite.
3. (A) 'remain unresolved' = hang fire; (C) = hang out.

Trick: Hang in = hold on, keep going.

Answer: (D) To persist in a difficult situation

Concept: Left, right and centre means everywhere; happening in a lot of places or to a lot of people.

1. Example: He is borrowing money left, right and centre.
2. It covers all directions, so it shows something widespread.
3. (A), (C) and (D) do not express 'everywhere'.

Trick: Left + right + centre = every side = everywhere.

Answer: (B) Happening in a lot of places or to a lot of people

Concept: Spill the beans means to reveal a secret, often by mistake.

1. Example: Don't spill the beans about the surprise party.
2. Plan, crime and mystery are narrower; the idiom refers to any secret information.

Trick: Beans spilled = secret out.

Answer: (C) Reveal a secret

Concept: Endeavour means to try hard to do or achieve something (as a verb), or a serious attempt (as a noun).

1. Example: We endeavour to give the best service.
2. Endanger = put in danger; Hardworking = an adjective describing a person, not the act of trying; Indent = an official order or a space at the start of a line.

Yaad rakhein: Endeavour = strive = try hard.

Answer: (C) Endeavour

Concept: Wait for = to stay until someone comes. Wait upon / wait on = to serve someone (as a waiter or servant).

1. The meaning is that he is staying in the compound until you come → waiting for you.
2. 'Waiting on/upon' means serving you – wrong sense.
3. 'Waiting at you' and 'waiting up you' are incorrect usages.

Trick: Wait for a person; wait on (serve) a guest.

Answer: (C) waiting for

Concept: The fixed phrase is by dint of, meaning 'by means of / as a result of'. 'With dint of' is incorrect.

1. Correct: Fortunately, he passed the exams by dint of sheer hard work and diligence.
2. The other parts are correct.

Yaad rakhein: Always 'BY dint of'.

Answer: (B) with dint of

Concept: Nine times out of ten means almost always; in most cases.

1. Nine of ten = 90 percent – most cases, but not every time.
2. So (A) 'all the time' overstates; (B) 'hardly' and (D) 'sometimes' understate.

Trick: Nine out of ten = nearly always = in most cases.

Answer: (C) In most cases

Concept: The past tense of fall is fell (fall – fell – fallen). 'Felt' is the past of feel.

1. The event happened in the past → simple past 'fell'.
2. The child fell down from a great height.
3. (A) 'fallen' needs has/had; (B) 'fall' is present (and needs 'falls' with singular); (D) 'falling' needs is/was.

Yaad rakhein: fall – fell – fallen; feel – felt – felt.

Answer: (C) child fell down

Concept: Uncanny means strange or mysterious in an unsettling way, beyond the normal. Its opposite is ordinary (normal, common).

1. 'Queer' (strange) is a synonym, not an antonym.
2. 'Unduly' = excessively; 'saintly' = holy – unrelated.

Trick: Uncanny = weird; opposite = ordinary, normal.

Answer: (D) Ordinary

Concept: To beat a retreat means to leave or withdraw from a situation quickly, especially to avoid trouble.

1. 'Retreat' = move back/withdraw (originally an army drum signal to fall back).
2. Example: Seeing the angry crowd, the thief beat a retreat.
3. Make, solve or face a situation are not about leaving.

Trick: Retreat = go back → leave the situation.

Answer: (B) To leave a situation

Concept: The italicised expression is 'having no sympathy and an uncaring attitude'. One word for it is callous – showing a cruel lack of concern for others.

1. …criticised the Government for its callous attitude to the homeless…
2. Merciful, tender and compassionate all show kindness – the opposite meaning.

Yaad rakhein: Callous = heartless; the other three are kind words.

Answer: (B) callous

Concept: After to (infinitive) we use the base form of the verb (V1): to + V1.

1. 'to heard' is wrong; correct is 'to hear'.
2. It was delightful to hear the baby's voice.
3. (A) 'to be heard' is passive and does not fit with the object 'the baby's voice'; (C) 'to be hear' and (D) 'to hearing' are ungrammatical here.

Yaad rakhein: Infinitive = to + V1 (to hear, to go, to see).

Answer: (B) was delightful to hear

Concept: Accredit means to officially recognise or certify someone or something as meeting a standard. Its synonym is certify.

1. Example: The college is accredited (certified) by NAAC.
2. Confide = tell a secret; Rely and Trust = depend on – none means official approval.

Trick: Accredited institute = certified institute.

Answer: (A) Certify

Concept: Disgruntled means angry, dissatisfied or annoyed. Its opposite is pleased (happy, satisfied).

1. Favouritism made employees unhappy → disgruntled.
2. Disturbed and miserable are similar in sense; determined is unrelated.
3. Only 'pleased' is opposite.

Trick: Dis-gruntled = grumbling → opposite = pleased.

Answer: (C) Pleased

Concept: Subterfuge means deceit or trickery used to achieve a goal. Its opposite is honesty.

1. Sting operations use hidden cameras and disguise – trickery.
2. Opposite of trickery/deceit = honesty, openness.
3. Society, policy and suspicion are not opposites.

Trick: Subterfuge = deception ↔ honesty.

Answer: (D) Honesty