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

Concept: Indigent means very poor; lacking basic necessities.

1. Indigent = needy, poor → impoverished.
2. Affluent (rich) is its antonym; 'bust' means broken/bankrupt (informal), 'low' is too general.

Trick: Don't confuse indigent (poor) with indigenous (native).

Answer: (C) Impoverished

Concept: An extrovert is an outgoing, lively and energetic person who shows enthusiasm openly – the opposite of an introvert.

1. Horticulturist – one who grows gardens/plants.
2. Introvert – a shy, reserved person (opposite idea).
3. Narcissist – one excessively in love with oneself.
4. Of the given choices, only extrovert describes an exuberant, highly enthusiastic person.

Yaad rakhein: An exact word for 'excessive enthusiasm' is zealot/enthusiast; among these options, extrovert is closest.

Answer: (D) Extrovert

Concept: The past tense of bring is brought (b-r-o-u-g-h-t).

1. 'broght' misses the 'u'.
2. Brahgt, bruaght and braoght are not English words.
3. Correct: They brought their dog to the park for a walk.

Trick: bring–brought, buy–bought, think–thought: all end in -ought.

Answer: (A) brought

Concept: Consistent means behaving in the same way over time; steady and reliable.

1. Opposite of steady/same every time = unpredictable (changing, not able to be foreseen).
2. Standard is close to a synonym; appreciative and enthusiastic are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Consistent ↔ inconsistent, erratic, unpredictable.

Answer: (D) Unpredictable

Concept: Under one's belt = already achieved or experienced, something that adds to one's experience.

1. She now has more than a year of experience as minister → 'under her belt'.
2. 'On thin ice' = in a risky situation; 'in the fast lane' = exciting, busy life; 'down for the count' = defeated.

Yaad rakhein: have X years under one's belt = have gained X years of experience.

Answer: (A) under her belt

Concept: From cradle to grave = throughout one's entire life, from birth to death.

1. Cradle = a baby's bed (birth); grave = burial place (death).
2. So the idiom covers the whole span of life, e.g. 'welfare from cradle to grave'.

Yaad rakhein: Cradle (birth) → grave (death) = entire life.

Answer: (B) During the whole span of one’s life

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

1. 'wanted to visiting' is wrong – 'to' here is part of the infinitive, not a preposition.
2. 'to be visit', 'to visited', 'to visitor' are also wrong.
3. Correct: He wanted to visit the Golden Temple.

Trick: want / decide / hope + to + V1.

Answer: (D) wanted to visit

Concept: To be critical of someone means to express disapproval of them or of what they do or think.

1. 'Always disapproves the things or opinions of others' = is critical of others.
2. Insensitive = ignoring feelings; hate monger = spreads hatred; jealous = envious – not the same as disapproving.

Yaad rakhein: critical of = disapproving, fault-finding.

Answer: (C) is critical of others

Concept: The correct idiom is a piece of cake, meaning something very easy to do.

1. The idiom has a fixed form; 'biscuit', 'pastry', 'tart' or 'toast' are not used.
2. Example: The exam was a piece of cake.

Yaad rakhein: Piece of cake = cakewalk = very easy.

Answer: (B) cake

Concept: See eye to eye = to agree fully with someone; to have the same opinion.

1. Usually used in the negative: 'They don't see eye to eye on politics.'
2. The idiom has nothing to do with ignoring, getting upset or doing something pointless.

Yaad rakhein: See eye to eye = be of one mind.

Answer: (A) To agree with someone

Concept: Present perfect continuous: have/has + been + V-ing. In a question, 'have' comes before the subject: have + subject + been + V-ing.

1. 'have' is already placed before 'the teachers'.
2. So the underlined part needs 'been', not 'being': 'teachers been doing'.
3. Correct: What exactly have the teachers been doing wrong?

Trick: have/has/had is followed by 'been', never 'being'.

Answer: (A) teachers been doing

Concept: A chip on the shoulder = a long-held feeling of resentment or grievance; being easily offended.

1. A person with a chip on his shoulder feels he has been treated unfairly and is quick to take offence.
2. Happy, elated and emotional do not express this resentment.

Yaad rakhein: Chip on the shoulder = grudge / resentment.

Answer: (B) Offended

Concept: Accessible means available or easy to reach/obtain.

1. The reports can now be obtained on the phone.
2. Opposite of available to all = restricted (limited, not freely accessible).
3. Free is near a synonym; useless and invisible are not exact opposites.

Yaad rakhein: Accessible ↔ inaccessible / restricted / unavailable.

Answer: (C) Restricted

Concept: Break a leg is an idiom used to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance.

1. Second banana = a person in a subordinate role.
2. All wet = completely wrong.
3. Hang in there = don't give up. Only 'break a leg' means good luck.

Yaad rakhein: Theatre tradition: actors say 'break a leg' instead of 'good luck'.

Answer: (D) Break a leg

Concept: Woe means great sorrow or distress – i.e. unhappiness.

1. Wilful = deliberate/stubborn; Willing = ready to do; Wicked = evil.
2. Only woe means unhappiness.

Yaad rakhein: Woe = grief, misery, sorrow; 'woeful' = very sad.

Answer: (A) Woe

Concept: The highlighted phrase intriguing mastery means fascinating, attention-holding skill.

1. Intriguing = arousing curiosity/fascinating → captivating.
2. Mastery = complete skill → expertise.
3. 'wellness known skill' is ungrammatical, 'least known talent' changes the meaning, 'master' is a person.

Trick: Replace word by word: intriguing → captivating, mastery → expertise.

Answer: (C) captivating expertise

Concept: Third conditional: Had + subject + V3 (If … had V3), subject + would have + V3. Also, we make arrangements, not 'do' them.

1. 'Had I known' is an inverted third conditional → main clause takes 'would have + V3'.
2. Collocation: make arrangements → 'I would have made'.
3. 'should have made' expresses duty, 'must have made' expresses certainty; 'would have do' is wrong.

Trick: Had I known…, I would have + V3.

Answer: (A) I would have made

Concept: The correct spelling is Ambiguous (am-big-u-ous), meaning having more than one meaning.

1. 'Ambigous' misses the 'u' after 'g'.
2. Luminous, Gregarious and Nostalgia are spelt correctly.

Trick: ambiguity → ambiguous: keep the 'u'.

Answer: (A) Ambigous

Concept: The ball is in someone's court = it is now that person's turn to act or decide.

1. The speaker has done his part by sending the agreement.
2. Now the other party must sign – the next move is theirs.
3. Option B describes 'a bird in the hand…'; options A and C are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: From tennis: when the ball is on your side, you must play the next shot.

Answer: (D) It is time for someone to deal with a problem or make a decision, because other people have already done as much as they can

Concept: Cowardice means lack of courage; fearfulness.

1. Opposite of lack of courage = courage = boldness.
2. Abundance = plenty; Hazard = danger; Vigour = energy – not opposites.

Yaad rakhein: Cowardice ↔ bravery, courage, boldness, valour.

Answer: (A) Boldness