SSC CGL Tier-2 12-January-2017 English

In the following question, some part of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select 'No Error'.

In the following question, sentence given with blank to be filled in with an appropriate word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for the question. Choose the correct alternative out of the four and indicate it by selecting the appropriate option.

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given word.

In the following question, choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word.

In the following question, four words are given, out of which only one word is correctly spelt. Find the correctly spelt word.

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom/Phrase.

Over egg the pudding

In the following question the 1st and the last part of the sentence/passage are numbered 1 and 6. The rest of the sentence/ passage is split into four parts and named P, Q, R and S. These four parts are not given in their proper order. Read the sentence/ passage and find out which of the four combinations is correct.

1. Making ropes is one of the oldest trades in the world.
P. People used them for tethering animals, for drawing water from wells and for dragging large stones which were used in building.
Q. We know that people made ropes several centuries back.
R. They made them from camel hair and from twisted grass.
S. We have found pieces of rope in very old Egyptian tombs.
6. We have found too, ropes which were made of thin copper wire in the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by a volcano 2000 years ago.

1. The king was distressed because his people were lazy.
P. All cursed the stone and blamed the Government.
Q. Then the king had the stone removed.
R. Next day people passed by and went round it.
S. He had a big stone put in the middle of the road one night.
6. Under the stone the king had placed a purse full of money.

1. September 2005.
P. I felt such a great weight on me that I could barely move.
Q. As the doors closed behind me, I was overcome by deep loneliness and despair.
R. I was leaving behind my family and I didn't know when I would see them again.
S. I was going through the departure gate at the airport in Holguin, Cuba.
6. In my hands I held my prayer book.

1. The recipe of making white sauce is very simple.
P. Stir the mixture of maida and butter constantly.
Q. Put one table spoon of fine flour (maida) when the butter gets heated.
R. Heat one table spoon of butter in a pan.
S. Add one cup of milk to the mixture and cook for one minute.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

1. I can't stand here and promise that your future path is going to be wonderful.
P. Whatever one feels like doing today is set up as moral.
Q. People don't even pretend to care about what is right.
R. Instead, it might be very difficult, because our time is different than some other eras in human history.
S. If you look around, you can see that, little by little, it is a path leading to our destruction.
6. I am afraid that this legacy of freedom is facing an uncertain future.

1. Rose was lonely in the house.
P. She was very good at that.
Q. She sat all day in a room on the terrace.
R. She would sit on the rug and do her reading and writing.
S. It was a little room with nothing but a bed and a rug.
6. It was the only thing she had learnt from the convent.

1. "As a matter of fact", said the boy modestly,"I'm a spaceman."
P. "You can't see it from here."
Q. 'From another planet.'
R. 'I'm a spaceman', he said again.
S. John and George stared at the boy.
6. John gasped, George gave a shout of laughter.

1. A poor woman lost her only son.
P. He asked her to bring mustard seed from a house where no death had ever taken place.
Q. As Buddha wanted her to understand that death is inevitable.
R. She could not find such a house.
S. She came to Buddha to bring her son back to life.
6. The woman understood the message of Buddha.

1. Don't ask what we are doing this time.
P. On other occasions we have time in hand.
Q. It is difficult to say if the programme can be put up at all.
R. This time we are not only facing a lack of time but of resources as well.
S. I am losing confidence gradually, so please see what you can do for us.
6. We don't want to give up trying.

1. It is now five in the evening.
P. And so it will bear away another child.
Q. Soon it will be six and it will be time.
R. I have to unveil the truth; I have to end the injustices committed by the shadow.
S. The shadow will then come in darkness.
6. The shadow must be defeated.

1. "Mother do you love me?", she asked.
P. She then looked into her mother's tear-filled eyes out of impatience for a reply.
Q. She kept waiting but her mother did not speak.
R. Then, she understood what words the mother's eyes spoke and the reason for her silence.
S. She got no direct reply and grew restless.
6. She climbed slowly on to her mother's lap.

1. In the early 1920's, settlers came to Alaska looking for gold.
P. Today, people use it to get from place to place.
Q. The trail they used to travel inland is known today as the Iditarod trail.
R. They travelled by boat, to Seward and Krik and from there by land into the gold fields.
S. The Iditarod trail quickly became a major thoroughfare in Alaska.
6. In the winters, the only means of travel down this trail is by dog sledge.

1. There was a large gathering at the party.
P. I, too wore a brand new gold jacket.
Q. My black leather shoes were shining.
R. It matched well with my new pair of faded stone washed pants.
S. Everybody had put-on new colourful clothes.
6. They had been polished.

1. There was nobody in the market at that time of the night.
P. Added to that it had been raining incessantly.
Q. The night was darker than usual.
R. All shops were closed.
S. The atmosphere was heavy.
6. The stars disappeared from the sky and it made the night heavier.

1. The fame of Bacon as a creative writer rests mainly on his essays.
P. The term is derived from 'essai'.
Q. It may be perhaps desirable to write something on 'Essay'.
R. 'Essai' means experiment, attempt.
S. The essay covers an enormous range of composition.
6. In style the essay is often self revelatory and illustrative.

1. Vinoo was to leave for Hyderabad by the 5 o'clock train.
P. Quickly, both got the luggage in and the train began to move.
Q. He drove to the station and reached a few minutes before the train was to leave.
R. However, Vinoo had a busy schedule on that day and could leave the office only around 4:45 PM.
S. He rushed on to the platform and found his friend waiting near their compartment.
6. Vinoo heaved a sigh of relief and settled down to enjoy the journey.

1. After the firing that evening the street that used to be full of people was completely deserted.
P. Nor were any windows open.
Q. Suddenly, I detected a movement to my left.
R. There was no trace of any human beings, and all doors were firmly closed.
S. Surprisingly, even the stray dogs had disappeared.
6. I was so frightened that I ran for my life.

1. Sunita Aralikar's story is incredible but true.
P. Fortunately she was pulled out of the tiny grave by her maternal grandfather.
Q. Her mother died when she was fifteen days old.
R. Her grandfather decided to educate her on his own.
S. She was buried alive by her illiterate father the next day.
6. Today Sunita is an author and a well known social activist, fighting against female infanticide.

1. It was my first day in college.
P. They took me to their room.
Q. As I entered, two seniors approached me.
R. I was happy to follow them.
S. They offered to help me to locate my classroom.
6. There they forced me to part with my money and the wrist watch.

1. The teacher asked the boys to be quiet.
P. The boys opened their books.
Q. Suddenly there was some noise outside.
R. Then he asked them to open their books.
S. The teacher looked outside.
6. A dog had entered in the school premises.

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted for the given words/sentence.

In the following question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive Voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active Voice.

Had she worked hard she would have won the gold medal.

They cooked the food and sent it to the orphanage.

Where were they playing the cricket match?

These things have been left here by an unknown customer.

The authorities will reward you for your hard work.

People felt that the police were corrupt.

They found him lying dead on the roadside.

Scientists generally believe that small islands would sink.

The Principal promised the boys a holiday.

A police constable arrested the burglar just before dawn.

The checker checks the admission tickets at the gate.

People criticized him for not offering to pay for the damage.

The police is unduly harassing me.

Had work been resumed by the labourers before the manager arrived?

Should you have interrupted me while I was speaking?

Did they pay the clerks their salary on the first day of the month?

The breakfast will have been finished by eight.

You might have given this information earlier.

In the following question, a sentence / a part of sentence is underlined. Below are given alternatives to the underlined part which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no improvement is required, choose "No Improvement" option.

In the following question, a sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best express the same sentence in Indirect/Direct speech.

They told us that they had waited at the station for a long time.

The boss said to him,"Please tell me what the old man said today."

He said,"She had been weeping for an hour."

The teacher said,"Tell me students, what have you learnt from the lectures this week?"

The clerk said to the visitor,"Shall I ask these people to wait for you?"

Robin said to Peg, "Are you listening? Don't be thick."

Mother told me that I should listen to her first and then do anything as I pleased.

He said,"They will be using my car for the trip."

The wayfarer said to me, "Do you know the way to the Asiad village?"

He has just said, "My son will be back on Friday."

The doctor advised the patients to give up smoking.

She said to me, "What can I do for you dear?"

The teacher said to the boys, "Can you sit still and do you work?"

Ritu said to you,"You are looking very pretty."

He said to me, "Please be kind and help me."

He said to Raina,"I cannot marry you now but I shall surely do so next year."

He told Pawan that they should have tried harder.

They told me that they had been befooled by those men.

The spectators applauded the young athlete saying that he had broken all previous records.

The master asked the people why they prevented him from going near the tiger.

Mr. Rao told Mr. Mehta that he had to go to the town that day.

He said, "Do as you wish, but don't come and ask me for help if you get into difficulties."

Your father said to me,"I should not have given my daughter such a long rope."

You said,"My parents never liked my accepting any job but I had always wanted to stand on my own feet".

She says,"I keep at an arm's length, all those who try to flatter me."

He said,"Gandhi ji faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa."

In the following passage some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

It so haappens that_____ siblings sing one of_____invariably has a less_____ vocal prowess even though______ have a similarly commendable ____base.

In the following passage some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

Passage:
The conditions ______ which democracy can _______ are _______ to ________ ; but one thing is _______ that democracy is always a slow growth, whereas
dictators may _____ to ______ and _______ a new _______ with dramatic success, under _______ conditions.

In the following passage some of the words have been left out.Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

We have rich cultural _____ . Its roots go into _____. Ours has never been a closed ______. It has _______ just like a tree, ______ to external ______ but holding its roots _______. But one wonders today whether it will be able to hold its _____. The ______ of our cultural heritage has come under the _____ of western culture.

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

When I think of my family's history on the land. I experience a pang of regret. Unlike much of the arid West, where the land has gone virtually unchanged for centuries, my place of origin, western Kansas, has been torn up by agriculture. The flat plains, excellent soil, and sparse but just adequate rainfall permitted farming; therefore farming prevailed, and a good 90% of the original sod prairie is gone. The consequence, in human terms, is that our relationship to our place has always felt primarily mercantile. We used the land and denied, or held at bay, its effect on us. Yet from my earliest childhood, when the most of the Kansas prairie was still intact, I 've known that the land also had a romantic quality. I've felt moved by the expanse of it , enthralled by size. I take pride in my identity as a plains daughter.

Which of the following is the most accurate statement of the author's position?

The argument in the paragraph is based primarily on :

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

Most economists in the United States seem captivated by the spell of the free market. Consequently, nothing seems good or normal that does not accord with the requirements of the free market. A price that is determined by the seller or, for that matter (for that matter: so far as that is concerned), established by anyone other than the aggregate of consumers seems pernicious. Accordingly, it requires a major act of will to think of price-fixing (the determination of prices by the seller) as both "normal" and having a valuable economic function. In fact, price-fixing is normal in all industrialized societies because the industrial system itself provides, as an effortless consequence of its own development, the price-fixing that it requires. Modern industrial planning requires and rewards great size. Hence, a comparatively small number of large firms will be competing for the same group of consumers. That each large firm will act with consideration of its own needs and thus avoid selling its products for more than its competitors charge is commonly recognized by advocates of free-market economic theories. But each large firm will also act with full consideration of the needs that it has in common with the other large firms competing for the same customers.

What does not seem as not good or normal in the context of this essay?

A major act of will will bring about price-fixing that will be seen as -

Selling a commodity at a price that is not more than that charged by competitors is -

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

But the war did not cease; though friend and foe alike were almost drowned in blood. It seemed as powerful as eternity, and in time Tony Vassall too went to battle and was killed. The country gave Patience a widow's pension, as well a touching inducement to marry again; she died of grief.
Many people died in those days, it was not strange at all. Nathan and his wife got so rich that after the war they died of overeating, and their daughter Olive came into a vast fortune and a Trustee.

In the passage, it is stated that "friend and foe alike were almost drowned in blood." What does it convey?

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

All art is, in an important sense, an escape. There is a sense in which the capacity to escape from his present experience, to use his accumulated consciousness of the past to project a vision of the future, is man's greatest and distinguishing ability. We must not forget the force of Aristotle's
argument that poetry is valuable precisely because it shows men not simply as they are, but as they ought to be or (in terms more sympathetic to us today) as they are capable of becoming.

The author believes that man's greatest and distinguishing ability is

Accordingly to the author ___________ enables him to project a vision of the future

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind are prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you free, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have
avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know when in fact you do not is a bad mistake, to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but if I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I should not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:

In short, to write a good letter you must approach the job in the lightest and most casual way. You must be personal, not abstract. You must not say, 'This is too small a thing to put down'. You must say, 'This is just the sort of small thing we talk about at home. If I tell them this they will see
me, as it were they'll hear my voice, they'll know what I'm talking about'. That is the purpose of a letter. Carlyle had the trick to perfection. He is writing from Scotsbrig to his brother Alec in Canada and he begins talking about his mother. Good old Mother, he says, 'she is even now sitting at
my back, trying at another table to write you a small word with her own hand; the first time she has tried such a thing for a year past. It is Saturday night, after dark; we are in the east room in a hard, dry evening with a bright fire to our two selves; Jenny and her Barns are 'scouring
up things' in the other end of the house; and below stairs the winter operations of the farm go on, in a subdued tone; you can conceive the scene! How simple it is and yet how perfect. Can not you see Alec reading it in his far-off home and his eyes moistening at the picture of his old mother sitting and writing her last message to him on earth?

'Scouring up things' means ________.

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