Sentence Improvement Questions for SSC CGL (with Answers)
41 Sentence Improvement MCQs from the English Comprehension section, with answers and short explanations.
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Q1. Improve the bracketed part: '[It is time we start] preparing for the examination.'
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Answer: D. It is time we started
After 'It is time' / 'It is high time', the subject is followed by the simple past (subjunctive sense): 'It is time we started preparing for the examination.'
Q5. Improve the bracketed part: 'I [would have helped] you if you had asked me.'
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Answer: D. No improvement
The sentence is a correct third conditional: 'if' + past perfect ('had asked') in one clause and 'would have' + past participle in the other. No improvement is needed.
Q6. Improve the bracketed part: 'My brother [is working] in this company for ten years.'
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Answer: A. has been working
An action that started in the past and continues into the present, with 'for' + period, takes the present perfect continuous: 'My brother has been working in this company for ten years.'
Q9. Improve the bracketed part: 'If it [will rain] tomorrow, the match will be cancelled.'
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Answer: C. rains
In the first conditional, the 'if' clause takes the simple present and the main clause takes 'will': 'If it rains tomorrow, the match will be cancelled.'
Q18. Improve the bracketed part: 'Rarely [I have seen] such a beautiful sunset.'
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Answer: B. have I seen
When a negative or restrictive adverb such as 'rarely', 'seldom' or 'never' begins a sentence, the auxiliary comes before the subject: 'Rarely have I seen such a beautiful sunset.'
Q22. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. The sub-committee [consisted from] five experts.
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Answer: B. consisted of
'Consist of' means 'to be made up of'. 'Consist in' means 'to have as its essence', and 'comprise' takes no 'of'.
Q23. 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.
Q24. 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'.
Q25. 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.
Q26. 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'.
Q27. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. He insisted [on me to attend] the meeting.
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Answer: C. that I should attend
'Insist' cannot take an object + infinitive. The correct form is 'He insisted that I (should) attend the meeting'.
Q28. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. I would rather you [do not tell] him about it.
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Answer: C. did not tell
When 'would rather' is followed by a different subject, the verb takes the past subjunctive for present or future reference: 'I would rather you did not tell him'.
Q29. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Hardly [he had left the house] when it began to rain.
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Answer: B. had he left the house
When 'Hardly' begins a sentence, subject and auxiliary are inverted, and the past perfect is used with 'when': 'Hardly had he left the house when it began to rain'.
Q30. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. [Though he is poor, but] he is honest.
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Answer: B. Though he is poor,
'Though' and 'but' should not be used together in the same sentence to join two clauses. 'Despite' needs a noun or gerund, not a clause.
Q31. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. [Being that] the roads were flooded, the match was called off.
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Answer: D. As
'Being that' and 'being as' are non-standard substitutes for a conjunction of reason. Use 'As' (or 'Since'): 'As the roads were flooded, the match was called off'.
Q32. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. [The poor is] always exploited by the unscrupulous.
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Answer: A. The poor are
When 'the' is placed before an adjective to denote a class of people (the poor, the rich, the old), it takes a plural verb. Hence 'The poor are'.
Q33. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. The doctor advised him [to abstain liquor] for at least six months.
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Answer: A. to abstain from liquor
'Abstain' is always followed by 'from': one abstains from something. Hence 'to abstain from liquor'.
Q34. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. I [would rather die than to beg] for mercy.
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Answer: A. would rather die than beg
'Would rather' is followed by the bare infinitive, and the verb after 'than' is also a bare infinitive: 'would rather die than beg'.
Q35. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Not a single word [was spoken] by the accused during the entire trial.
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Answer: B. No improvement
'Not a single word' is singular and the sentence is in the passive voice (by the accused), so 'was spoken' is correct. 'Has spoken' and 'was speaking' are active forms that make no sense with 'word' as subject.
Q36. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Were he to [apologise now], we might forgive him.
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Answer: C. No improvement
'Were + subject + to + base verb' is a correct formal way of expressing a hypothetical future condition. 'To' must be followed by the base form, so 'apologise now' is already correct.
Q37. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. He is [too weak that he cannot walk] without support.
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Answer: D. so weak that he cannot walk
'Too' is followed by 'to + infinitive' (too weak to walk), while a 'that' clause requires 'so ... that'. Hence 'so weak that he cannot walk'.
Q38. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Seldom [we have seen] such a spectacular display of fireworks.
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Answer: B. have we seen
When a negative or restrictive adverb such as 'seldom', 'never' or 'rarely' begins a sentence, the subject and auxiliary are inverted: 'Seldom have we seen...'. 'Did we saw' is wrong because 'did' must be followed by the base form.
Q39. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Had I known about the strike, [I would not travel] yesterday.
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Answer: B. I would not have travelled
'Had I known' is an inverted third conditional (past unreal). Its main clause takes 'would have + past participle', and 'yesterday' confirms past time: 'I would not have travelled yesterday'.
Q40. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. She [made him to apologise] for his rude remarks.
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Answer: B. made him apologise
In the active voice, causative 'make' (like 'let' and 'have') is followed by the bare infinitive without 'to': 'made him apologise'.
Q41. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Having worked night shifts for years, he [is used to work] late at night.
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Answer: C. is used to working
In 'be used to' (meaning accustomed to), 'to' is a preposition and is followed by a noun or gerund: 'is used to working'.
