SSC CGL Mock – Tier I Mock Test 12 – Section D · English Comprehension

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SSC CGL Mock – Tier I Mock Test 12 – Section D · English Comprehension – 25 questions, subject: Full Mock Tests. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

Directions (Q 76–78): Each sentence below is divided into three segments. Select the segment that contains a grammatical error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

Spot the errorNot until he lost his job / he realised / the value of money.

Correct Answer: B [he realised]

Explanation:

'Not until …' at the start needs inversion in the main clause → 'did he realise'.

2.  
(Use the directions above – Q 76–78)
Spot the errorA huge quantity of grain / were stored / in the old warehouse.

Correct Answer: B [were stored]

Explanation:

The subject is 'A huge quantity' (singular, with uncountable 'grain') → 'was stored'.

3.  
(Use the directions above – Q 76–78)
Spot the errorMy brother is / elder than / my cousin Ravi.

Correct Answer: B [elder than]

Explanation:

'elder' is not followed by 'than' → 'older than'.

4.  

Directions (Q 79–80): Select the most appropriate option to improve the underlined part of the sentence. If no improvement is needed, select 'No improvement'.

Sentence improvementHe denied to have taken the money.

Correct Answer: C [having taken]

Explanation:

'deny' is followed by the -ing form → 'denied having taken'.

5.  
(Use the directions above – Q 79–80)
Sentence improvementShe avoided to meet her old classmates at the wedding.

Correct Answer: A [meeting]

Explanation:

'avoid' is followed by the -ing form → 'avoided meeting'.

6.  

Directions (Q 81–83): Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.

ConditionalIf only I _______ his advice last month, I would not be in trouble now.

Correct Answer: A [had taken]

Explanation:

A regret about the past ('last month') → past perfect 'had taken'.

7.  
(Use the directions above – Q 81–83)
Word formShe is _______ to succeed because she works harder than anyone else.

Correct Answer: C [bound]

Explanation:

'be bound to' = be certain to.

8.  
(Use the directions above – Q 81–83)
ParticipleNo one _______ the answer, the teacher explained it herself.

Correct Answer: A [knowing]

Explanation:

Absolute phrase (noun + participle) joined to the main clause: 'No one knowing the answer, …'.

9.  

Directions (Q 84): Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.

VoiceDo not insult the poor.

Correct Answer: D [Let not the poor be insulted.]

Explanation:

A negative command → Let not + object + be + V3.

10.  

Directions (Q 85): Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.

NarrationHe said, "I had finished the work before the manager arrived."

Correct Answer: B [He said that he had finished the work before the manager arrived.]

Explanation:

The past perfect does not change; only the pronoun changes (I → he).

11.  

Directions (Q 86): The sentences of a paragraph are given below in jumbled order. Select the option that arranges them in a logical sequence.

Para jumbleP. This simple effort protects both their homes and their livelihoods.
Q. Coastal mangroves act as a natural shield against storms.
R. When such forests are cut down, villages behind them lose this protection.
S. Their tangled roots slow down waves before they reach the shore.
T. That is why many coastal communities now plant mangrove saplings.

Correct Answer: D [QSRTP]

Explanation:

Claim → how ('Their tangled roots') → loss → 'That is why' → 'This simple effort'.

12.  

Directions (Q 87–88): Select the most appropriate SYNONYM of the given word.

SynonymPERFIDIOUS

Correct Answer: A [treacherous]

Explanation:

perfidious = deceitful and untrustworthy, treacherous.

13.  
(Use the directions above – Q 87–88)
SynonymGARRULOUS

Correct Answer: C [talkative]

Explanation:

garrulous = excessively talkative.

14.  

Directions (Q 89–90): Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the given word.

AntonymALACRITY

Correct Answer: B [reluctance]

Explanation:

alacrity = eager readiness; opposite = reluctance.

15.  
(Use the directions above – Q 89–90)
AntonymMITIGATE

Correct Answer: B [aggravate]

Explanation:

mitigate = make less severe; opposite = aggravate.

16.  

Directions (Q 91–92): Select the most appropriate meaning of the idiom or phrase printed in bold.

Idiom in contextThe talk about parking fees was a red herring; the real issue was the lack of buses.

Correct Answer: C [something that draws attention away from the real issue]

Explanation:

'a red herring' = a misleading distraction; 'the real issue was …' confirms it.

17.  
(Use the directions above – Q 91–92)
Idiom in contextAfter their long quarrel, his offer of help was an olive branch.

Correct Answer: D [a gesture of peace]

Explanation:

'an olive branch' = an offer of peace or reconciliation.

18.  

Directions (Q 93–94): Select the option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the given group of words.

One-word substitutionA person who has a special appreciation of art and beauty

Correct Answer: A [aesthete]

Explanation:

aesthete = a lover of beauty and art; an ascetic gives up comforts.

19.  
(Use the directions above – Q 93–94)
One-word substitutionThe hundredth anniversary of an event

Correct Answer: A [centenary]

Explanation:

centenary = a hundredth anniversary; bicentenary = two-hundredth.

20.  

Directions (Q 95): Four words in the sentence are underlined. Select the word that is INCORRECTLY spelt.

SpellingThe mischievious boy hid his grandfather's spectacles behind the curtain.

Correct Answer: A [mischievious]

Explanation:

The correct spelling is 'mischievous' – there is no 'i' before '-ous'.

21.  

Directions (Q 96–100): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Shade as a Public Service

On a summer afternoon, a street lined with old trees can feel strikingly cooler than a bare road nearby. The difference is not imagined. Trees shade the ground, and they release water vapour through their leaves, which cools the air around them. Concrete and asphalt, by contrast, soak up heat during the day and release it slowly at night, so that some neighbourhoods never really cool down.

Planners have long treated trees as decoration, something to be added once the roads and buildings are complete. That view is changing. A growing number of towns now see shade as part of their basic infrastructure, as necessary as drains or streetlights. Some insist that trees be planted along new footpaths at the same time as they are paved; others pay residents to look after saplings through their first dry seasons.

The difficulty is that trees take years to grow, while roads can be widened in months. A tree felled to make room for an extra lane cannot be replaced overnight. Those who argue for shade are therefore asking for something unusual in public life: patience, and a willingness to plan for a city that today's decision makers may never enjoy.

RC – detailAccording to the passage, how do trees cool the air around them?

Correct Answer: C [by shading the ground and releasing water vapour through their leaves]

Explanation:

The passage says: 'Trees shade the ground'.

22.  
(Use the directions above – Q 96–100)
RC – inferenceWhy do some neighbourhoods 'never really cool down'?

Correct Answer: D [Concrete and asphalt release the day's heat slowly at night.]

Explanation:

The passage says: 'soak up heat during the day and release it slowly at night'.

23.  
(Use the directions above – Q 96–100)
RC – detailHow has the view of planners towards trees changed?

Correct Answer: B [from treating trees as decoration to treating shade as basic infrastructure]

Explanation:

The passage says: 'Planners have long treated trees as decoration'.

24.  
(Use the directions above – Q 96–100)
RC – detailWhat difficulty does the author point out in the last paragraph?

Correct Answer: B [Trees take years to grow, while roads can be widened in months.]

Explanation:

The passage says: 'trees take years to grow, while roads can be widened in months'.

25.  
(Use the directions above – Q 96–100)
RC – inferenceWhat, according to the author, are those who argue for shade really asking for?

Correct Answer: A [patience and planning for the city's future]

Explanation:

The passage says: 'patience, and a willingness to plan for a city'.

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