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

Concept: Populous means having a large population; densely inhabited.

1. Crowded = full of people — synonym.
2. Inactive, Sleepy, Lifeless suggest emptiness.

Trick: Populous ← population.

Answer: (A) Crowded

Concept: As an adjective, consummate means highly skilled, perfect, accomplished.

1. Opposite: Inept = lacking skill, clumsy.
2. Ideal is close to a synonym; Soothing and Worrisome are unrelated.

Trick: Consummate professional ↔ inept amateur.

Answer: (A) Inept

Concept: Lethargy means sluggishness, lack of energy.

1. Hebetude = mental dullness, lethargy — synonym.
2. Eagerness, enthusiasm, vigour show energy — antonyms.

Trick: When three options are similar positives, the odd 'hard' word is often the synonym.

Answer: (C) hebetude

Concept: Check preposition, tense and structure in each part.

1. 'Surprised at' is a correct collocation.
2. 'Indefatigable' (tireless) correctly describes courage and determination.
3. 'to achieve what he desired' — correct infinitive and past tense.
4. No part has an error.

Trick: surprised at / by — both acceptable.

Answer: (C) No error

Concept: Being honest and having strong moral principles = integrity.

1. e.g. 'a man of integrity'.
2. Stuck-up = arrogant; Uptight = tense; Ridicule = mockery.

Trick: Integrity = honesty + moral uprightness.

Answer: (B) Integrity

Concept: A person who draws maps and charts is a cartographer.

1. Latin charta = map/chart + -grapher = one who draws.
2. A geographer studies the earth; artist and sculptor create art.

Trick: Cartography = map-making.

Answer: (B) Cartographer

Concept: Reluctant means unwilling and hesitant.

1. Hesitant = unsure, unwilling to act — synonym.
2. Definite and Confident are opposites; Indiscreet = careless in speech.

Trick: Reluctant ≈ hesitant ≈ unwilling.

Answer: (B) Hesitant

Concept: The standard idiom for staying calm under pressure is cool as a cucumber.

1. A cucumber stays cool inside even in heat.
2. 'Cool as a cake/carrot/cabbage' are not idioms.

Trick: Calm in tension → cool as a cucumber.

Answer: (B) cool as a cucumber

Concept: To give someone the cold shoulder = to deliberately ignore or treat someone in an unfriendly way.

1. It shows coldness, not empathy or support.
2. So the meaning is 'to ignore someone'.

Trick: Cold shoulder → turning your shoulder away → ignoring.

Answer: (A) To ignore someone

Concept: True colours = a person's real nature or character, usually revealed after being hidden.

1. e.g. 'He showed his true colours when he betrayed his friend.'
2. It is not about actual colours.

Trick: Show one's true colours = reveal real character.

Answer: (C) Real character

Concept: The theme is the central idea running through the whole passage.

1. The passage introduces Migaloo, tells where he was first seen, his appearances, the last official sighting and false sightings.
2. It ends with the question 'where is Migaloo?' — all about sighting him.
3. Extinction, hunting and protection are not discussed.

Trick: Repeated key word 'sighting' gives the theme.

Answer: (C) The sighting of Migaloo

Concept: Find the last sentence of the passage.

1. "Regular-looking humpbacks can trick whale watchers when they flip upside down, due to their white bellies."
2. So their white bellies make them look like the white Migaloo.

Trick: Look for the keyword 'trick' in the passage.

Answer: (C) By showing their white coloured bellies

Concept: Direct fact from paragraph 3.

1. "He was first discovered in 1991 off Byron Bay, Australia."
2. New Zealand is where he later surprised fans; New South Wales had a false sighting.

Trick: Search 'first discovered'.

Answer: (B) Australia

Concept: To flip = to turn over with a sudden quick movement.

1. Passage: humpbacks 'flip upside down'.
2. Albino = lacking pigment; Humpback = type of whale; Lodge = submit (sightings).

Trick: Flip a coin — a quick turn over.

Answer: (B) Flip

Concept: Tone = the writer's attitude shown through the language.

1. The writer gives facts — genetics, first discovery, followers, sightings — in an informative way.
2. There is no gloom (pessimistic, melancholic) or distrust (cynical).

Trick: Fact-filled, neutral passage → descriptive tone.

Answer: (B) Descriptive

Concept: Fixed phrase: on our way to a place = while going there.

1. 'We were on our way to the Park' is idiomatic.
2. 'In our way' = obstructing; 'to/by our way' are not used.

Trick: be on one's way (to) = travelling towards.

Answer: (A) on

Concept: 'On our way there' = on the way to that place (the Park).

1. 'There' is an adverb of place referring back to the Park.
2. 'Their' is a possessive; 'when/where' would need a clause after them.

Trick: there = place; their = possession.

Answer: (D) there

Concept: Sensing something physically stuck to a shoe → felt.

1. She had not yet seen it (she guesses 'must be chewing gum'), so 'found' does not fit.
2. 'Thought' needs 'that…'; 'had something stuck' changes the sense.

Trick: Guess follows → she only felt it.

Answer: (B) felt

Concept: Collocation: a piece of chewing gum.

1. Gum is uncountable; we count it with 'a piece of'.
2. Packet would be unopened; block and part do not collocate.

Trick: a piece of gum / cake / paper.

Answer: (B) piece

Concept: Past tense needed (she muttered): bend → bent → bent.

1. 'Bent down' = lowered her body to reach the shoe.
2. 'Bend' is present; 'bind' = tie; 'went down' does not express stooping to remove something.

Trick: Match tense with 'muttered' → bent.

Answer: (D) bent