Q1. The killing of one's own mother is called:
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Answer: A. Matricide
'Matricide' is the killing of one's mother. 'Patricide' is killing one's father, 'fratricide' one's brother, and 'regicide' a king.
SSC CGL English Comprehension Advanced Practice Set 4
25 advanced questions, suggested time 30 minutes. Tap an option to check it, or open “Show answer” for the explanation.
Topics: One-word Substitution, Reading Comprehension, Idioms and Phrases, Spelling, Antonyms, Sentence Improvement, Error Spotting, Para Jumbles, Synonyms
Score: 0 / 0
Q2. Read the passage and answer the question. Passage: Satire has always walked a fine line between entertainment and subversion. By exaggerating the follies of the powerful, the satirist invites laughter, but the laughter is rarely innocent: it strips authority of its solemnity and exposes pretension to ridicule. It is no accident that autocrats, who can tolerate open criticism more easily than mockery, have so often banned cartoons and jailed comedians. A reasoned argument can be refuted; a joke that has captured the public imagination cannot. Yet satire's power is also its limitation. Because it depends on a shared sense of absurdity, it loses its bite in societies too cynical to be shocked by anything. Question: According to the passage, autocrats fear satire more than reasoned criticism because:
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Answer: C. a joke that has caught the public imagination cannot be refuted
The passage states that 'a reasoned argument can be refuted; a joke that has captured the public imagination cannot', which is why mockery is more threatening.
Q3. What is meant by 'a damp squib'?
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Answer: A. An event that proves far less impressive than expected
'A damp squib' is something that turns out to be a disappointing anticlimax. A person who spoils fun is a 'wet blanket'.
Q4. A government in which the wealthy class rules is called:
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Answer: A. Plutocracy
'Plutocracy' is rule by the rich. 'Autocracy' is rule by one person, 'theocracy' rule by priests or religious law, and 'gerontocracy' rule by the old.
Q5. A remedy for all diseases or difficulties is called:
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Answer: D. Panacea
A 'panacea' is a cure-all. A 'placebo' is a dummy medicine, an 'antidote' counters a particular poison, and an 'anodyne' merely relieves pain.
Q6. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'an expert judge in matters of taste'.
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Answer: D. Connoisseur
The correct spelling is 'connoisseur' (c-o-n-n-o-i-s-s-e-u-r).
Q7. Choose the antonym of 'ENERVATE'.
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Answer: D. Invigorate
'Enervate' means to drain of energy or weaken; 'invigorate' means to give strength and energy. The others are synonyms of 'enervate'.
Q8. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. The lecture was so [boring that] half the audience dozed off.
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Answer: B. No improvement
The correlative 'so + adjective + that' expresses a result correctly: 'so boring that half the audience dozed off'. No change is needed.
Q9. Read the passage and answer the question. Passage: In an age that prizes constant connectivity, solitude is often mistaken for loneliness. Yet the two are fundamentally different. Loneliness is a painful sense of disconnection imposed upon us; solitude is a state we choose, in which the mind, freed from the clamour of notifications and opinions, can turn inward. Many of history's most original thinkers deliberately sought such retreats, not to escape the world but to understand it better. Today, however, the smartphone ensures that we are never truly alone, and the capacity for sustained reflection is quietly eroding. To reclaim it, we need not abandon technology altogether; we need only relearn the lost art of being undisturbed. Question: The author's attitude towards technology is best described as:
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Answer: A. balanced, noting its costs without calling for its rejection
The author criticises the effect of smartphones on reflection but states 'we need not abandon technology altogether', showing a balanced view.
Q10. What does 'Achilles' heel' mean?
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Answer: D. A small but fatal weakness
An 'Achilles' heel' is a vulnerable point in someone otherwise strong, just as the hero Achilles could be wounded only in his heel.
Q11. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error: 'Neither of the two proposals / placed before the board / by the directors / were found acceptable.'
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Answer: D. were found acceptable.
'Neither of' is followed by a singular verb, because 'neither' means 'not either one'. Correct: 'Neither of the two proposals ... was found acceptable'.
Q12. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. The patient [has died] before the doctor arrived.
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Answer: B. had died
When two actions happened in the past, the earlier one is put in the past perfect: 'The patient had died before the doctor arrived'.
Q13. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'close observation, especially of a suspect'.
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Answer: D. Surveillance
The correct spelling is 'surveillance', with 'ei' followed by a double 'l'.
Q14. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error: 'Unless you do not submit / the documents by Friday, / your application / will be rejected.'
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Answer: A. Unless you do not submit
'Unless' means 'if not', so it should not be followed by another 'not'. Correct: 'Unless you submit the documents by Friday...'.
Q15. Words inscribed on a tombstone in memory of the person buried there are called:
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Answer: B. Epitaph
An 'epitaph' is an inscription on a tomb. An 'epigram' is a witty saying, an 'epithet' a descriptive nickname, and an 'epilogue' a concluding section.
Q16. Rearrange the sentences P, Q, R and S to form a coherent paragraph. The first sentence is fixed. (1) The monsoon is the lifeline of Indian agriculture. P: When it fails, crops wither and rural incomes collapse. Q: Nearly half the country's farmland still depends on rain rather than on irrigation. R: This, in turn, depresses the demand for industrial goods across the economy. S: Hence even a modest shortfall in rainfall causes widespread anxiety.
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Answer: C. QPRS
Q explains the dependence mentioned in (1); P describes what happens when the rain fails; R ('This, in turn') follows from the fall in rural incomes; S ('Hence') draws the conclusion.
Q17. Read the passage and answer the question. Passage: Satire has always walked a fine line between entertainment and subversion. By exaggerating the follies of the powerful, the satirist invites laughter, but the laughter is rarely innocent: it strips authority of its solemnity and exposes pretension to ridicule. It is no accident that autocrats, who can tolerate open criticism more easily than mockery, have so often banned cartoons and jailed comedians. A reasoned argument can be refuted; a joke that has captured the public imagination cannot. Yet satire's power is also its limitation. Because it depends on a shared sense of absurdity, it loses its bite in societies too cynical to be shocked by anything. Question: The tone of the passage is best described as:
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Answer: B. analytical
The author calmly examines how satire works, why it threatens autocrats and where it fails, an analytical tone. It is neither jokey, sorrowful nor flattering.
Q18. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. He [lay] the book on the table and left.
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Answer: A. laid
'Lay' (to place something) takes an object; its past tense is 'laid'. 'Lay' is the past of 'lie' (to recline), 'lain' its past participle, and 'lied' means told a lie.
Q19. A man who is excessively fond of or submissive to his wife is described as:
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Answer: C. Uxorious
'Uxorious' describes a man excessively devoted to his wife. 'Uxoricide' is the killing of one's wife, a 'philanderer' flirts with many women, and a 'misogynist' hates women.
Q20. Choose the antonym of 'EXACERBATE'.
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Answer: C. Alleviate
'Exacerbate' means to make worse; 'alleviate' means to make less severe. The other three options are synonyms.
Q21. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. She [avoided to answer] the question.
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Answer: B. avoided answering
'Avoid' is followed by a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive: 'She avoided answering the question'.
Q22. Choose the synonym of 'INSOUCIANT'.
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Answer: D. Nonchalant
'Insouciant' means carefree and unconcerned, which is exactly what 'nonchalant' means.
Q23. Choose the synonym of 'OBSEQUIOUS'.
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Answer: D. Servile
'Obsequious' means excessively eager to please or obey; 'servile' carries the same sense of fawning submissiveness.
Q24. What is meant by 'a sop to Cerberus'?
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Answer: C. Something given to pacify a troublesome person
'A sop to Cerberus' is a bribe or concession offered to quieten or appease a troublesome person.
Q25. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'playfully causing trouble'.
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Answer: C. Mischievous
The correct spelling is 'mischievous'; there is no 'i' after the 'v', and the vowels are 'ie'.