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

Concept: Emphatic reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject: I → myself.

1. Subject is I, so the reflexive form is myself (I did it without help).
2. itself (it), oneself (one), herself (she) do not match I.
3. When I solved the sum myself I was very happy.

Yaad rakhein: I–myself, we–ourselves, you–yourself, he–himself.

Answer: (A) myself

Concept: A bird's eye view = a general view from above; a broad, quick overall look without details.

1. A bird flying high sees everything broadly, not in detail.
2. So it means a general / cursory look (overview).
3. a detailed study is the opposite; prejudiced or personal view are unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Bird's eye view = overview; opposite = close / detailed study.

Answer: (A) a cursory look

Concept: whether ... or not is the correct correlative to express two alternatives (uncertainty).

1. I cannot tell you now whether I will be able to come or not. – correct as it is.
2. unless (= if not), because (reason), in case (precaution) cannot pair with 'or not'.
3. So no substitution is required.

Trick: 'or not' at the end → 'whether' is the partner.

Answer: (D) No substitution required

Concept: A present participle (-ing) phrase shows an action happening at the same time as the main verb.

1. Main verb: fell down; the tree, while falling, almost hit the car.
2. That tree fell down yesterday, narrowly missing my car. (adverb narrowly + participle missing)
3. narrowly miss/missed add a second finite verb without a conjunction; narrowed is a verb, not an adverb.

Trick: Two simultaneous actions, one subject → second verb in -ing.

Answer: (A) narrowly missing

Concept: A young person who tends to commit (minor) crimes is a delinquent (juvenile delinquent).

1. convict = a person found guilty and in prison.
2. derelict = abandoned / a homeless vagrant; criminal = any law-breaker, not specifically young.
3. So the word is delinquent.

Yaad rakhein: Juvenile delinquent = young offender.

Answer: (D) delinquent

Concept: Question tag uses the same auxiliary as the main clause, with opposite polarity.

1. Main clause: She will have to go ... – positive, auxiliary will.
2. So the tag is negative with will: won't she?
3. has she / hasn't she use the wrong auxiliary; will she is not negative.

Trick: will → won't; has → hasn't; is → isn't (after a positive statement).

Answer: (D) won’t she

Concept: A factual written record of (historical) events in the order they happened is a chronicle.

1. chronology = the arrangement/order of events in time, not the written account itself.
2. journal = personal daily record or periodical; register = official list of names/entries.
3. So the word is chronicle.

Yaad rakhein: Chronicle = written account; chronology = the time-order.

Answer: (B) chronicle

Concept: Government by a small group of people = oligarchy (Greek oligos = few).

1. aristocracy = rule by the nobility (privileged class by birth).
2. monarchy = rule by one king/queen; plutocracy = rule by the wealthy.
3. Small group (few) → oligarchy.

Yaad rakhein: Oligo = few, mono = one, pluto = wealth, aristo = best/noble.

Answer: (C) oligarchy

Concept: Benign = kindly, gentle, favourable; (of a tumour) not harmful.

1. favourable = positive, beneficial – closest meaning (a benign climate = favourable climate).
2. malignant is the direct antonym; severe and harsh are also opposite in sense.
3. So the synonym is favourable.

Yaad rakhein: Benign tumour (harmless) vs malignant tumour (harmful).

Answer: (C) favourable

Concept: Spelling check of each option.

1. fashion, fascination, fascism – correct.
2. The correct spelling is fastidious (f-a-s-t-i-d-i-o-u-s) = very particular about details.
3. So fastedious is wrongly spelt.

Trick: fast-i-d-i-ous: two i's, no e.

Answer: (C) fastedious

Concept: Relative pronoun who for persons; indefinite article a before a profession mentioned for the first time.

1. cousin is a person → who, not which.
2. Profession as complement → a lawyer (he is one of many lawyers).
3. One morning I went out with my cousin who is a lawyer.

Yaad rakhein: He is a doctor / an engineer – profession takes a/an.

Answer: (D) who is a

Concept: Exonerate = to declare someone free from blame or guilt.

1. absolve, vindicate, acquit all mean to clear of blame – synonyms.
2. The opposite is to declare guilty and punish = sentence.
3. So the antonym is sentence.

Trick: Court: acquit/exonerate ↔ convict/sentence.

Answer: (D) sentence

Concept: A form of a language peculiar to a particular region = dialect (बोली).

1. slang = very informal words used by a group, not tied to a region.
2. jargon = technical words of a profession; lingo = informal word for a language or jargon.
3. Regional variety of a language → dialect.

Yaad rakhein: Bhojpuri, Awadhi are dialects of Hindi – regional forms.

Answer: (B) dialect

Concept: Past perfect continuous (had been + V-ing) shows an action that continued for a period before another past action.

1. The waiting (for forty minutes) went on before the past event my name was announced.
2. 'for + period' + earlier past action → had been waiting.
3. am/have been waiting are present forms; were does not agree with I.

Trick: Duration + 'before' + simple past → had been + V-ing.

Answer: (C) had been waiting

Concept: Indefinite pronouns like everybody are singular and take singular verbs.

1. Everybody → singular verb agrees; in the relative clause who refers to everybody → knows.
2. whom cannot be the subject of know; agrees if changes the meaning – agree that introduces the statement.
3. Everybody who knows him agrees that he rarely loses his temper.

Yaad rakhein: Everybody / everyone / each → singular verb, even in the 'who' clause.

Answer: (C) who knows him agrees that

Concept: Spelling check of each option.

1. midget, militant, migraine – correct.
2. The correct spelling is migrant (one who migrates) – ending -ant, not -ent.
3. So migrent is wrongly spelt.

Trick: migrate → migrant (like immigrant).

Answer: (C) migrent

Concept: Chaste = pure, virtuous; simple and undecorated in style.

1. pure = morally clean – same sense.
2. defiled (made impure) is the antonym; divine = godly, liberated = set free – different meanings.
3. So the synonym is pure.

Yaad rakhein: Chaste ≈ pure; chastity = purity.

Answer: (B) pure

Concept: Passive voice with a modal: modal + be + V3.

1. The person does not fine himself; he receives the action → passive.
2. Correct: Anybody who does not stop at the red light will be fined.
3. will fined misses be, so the error is in that segment.

Trick: will/can/must/should + be + V3 in passive.

Answer: (A) will fined

Concept: Irrelevant = not connected with the matter; unimportant.

1. trivial, immaterial, pointless all mean unimportant – synonyms.
2. consequential = important, significant, having consequences – the opposite.
3. So the antonym is consequential.

Trick: Immaterial = irrelevant; consequential = it matters.

Answer: (A) consequential

Concept: The verb need (as a main verb) is followed by a to-infinitive when the subject must do the action.

1. You need to take some guidance – the subject 'you' must take it.
2. take (bare) is wrong after main verb 'need'; need taking has a passive sense (it needs to be taken).
3. to be taking is continuous and does not suit a general necessity.

Yaad rakhein: need + to + V1 (active); need + V-ing = needs to be done.

Answer: (A) to take