English Language Topics Asked in SSC CGL Exam Last Year

English Language & Comprehension is the most important section in the Combined Graduate Level Exam (CGL) conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). It carries the highest weightage in the entire selection process as it contains 25 questions in the Tier 1 and 45 questions in the Tier 2 level. The candidates preparing for the SSC CGL Tier 1 2024 should be aware of the topics that were asked in the English Comprehension section of the exam held last year.

Topics from Which Questions Were Asked in the English Comprehension Section of the SSC CGL Exam Last Year

The official notification for the recruitment of 17727 vacancies through SSC CGL 2024 has been released by the commission and the Tier 1 exam is just a couple of months away. The candidates who are willing to appear in the exam in Septemeber – October 2024 should be aware of the topics from which questions were asked in the English Comprehension section. It will give them an advantage in the preparation process and ensure a high score in the Tier 1 level.

English Comprehension Questions Asked in SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam 2024

The Syllabus of the English Language & Comprehension section of the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam can broadly be divided into three separate categories i.e. Vocabulary, Grammar and Cloze Test. The section contains a total of 25 questions worth 50 marks with questions asked under the categories mentioned above. Let us take a look at the different topics based on which questions were asked in the exam last year.

Vocabulary

Questions asked in this category covered a very wide range of the candidates’ knowledge regarding the different types of questions.

Synonyms & Antonyms

The latest trend of the SSC CGL exam has shown more inclination towards antonyms as it also tests the candidate’s ability to apply their knowledge of vocabulary in a more comprehensive manner. Some of the questions asked on this topic are:

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the bold word.

• Her dog can climb under the fence.
• Henry is so servile that other people take advantage of him.
• The thief was caught with a spurious Picasso painting.
• Israel has been a staunch ally of the United States.
• The musician gave a dismal performance of a few old melodies at last night’s concert.

Select the most appropriate SYNONYM of the given word

• Zealous
• Insidious
• Abound
• Modest

One Word Substitution

The topic of one-word substitution tests the candidates’ ability to choose the correct option that summarises the given group of words. Some of the questions asked in CGL last year are as follows:

• A thing fit to eat
• A person who hates and avoids other people
• Life history written by oneself

Idioms & Phrases

These are unique sets of words that represent a particular meaning or theme. The candidates have to select the most appropriate meanings of these idioms and phrases from the options provided. Some of the questions asked on this topic were:

• Lily-livered
• To Bell the Cat
• A hard nut to crack
• A rainy day
• Gets on my nerves

Misspelt words

One of the most tricky portions of the English Comprehension section of the SSC CGL Tier 1 exam is the questions based on the correct and incorrect spellings of the words in use. It tests the candidates’ ability to pay attention to details.

• Glittering
• Association
• Approach
• Implementation
• Bellwether
• Something

Phrasal Verb & Homonyms

These two topics are generally ignored by the candidates during the preparation period as the previous year’s questions do not contain many questions on them. However, questions on both these topics are seen in the English Comprehension Section of last year’s SSC CGL Exam.

Grammar

Questions asked in this category of the English Comprehension section were from the topics of Sentence correction, Voice, Error Detection, Sentence Correction, Correct usage of words and Tense.

Sentence Correction

The questions asked in this section test the candidate’s ability to apply the rules of grammar that they have learned and arrive at the most appropriate solution to the incorrect sentence provided in the question.

Voice

The topic of Voice contains questions based on the concept of changing the sentence provided from active to passive voice and vice versa. It also utilizes the concepts of various parts of speech.

Error Detection

The process of answering questions asked in this topic involves a sound knowledge of grammar rules, proper use of vocabulary and elimination of incorrect options. It can be considered a precursor to sentence correction.

Correct usage of Words

When the knowledge of vocabulary is combined with the rules of grammar and presented in the format of fill-in-the-blanks, we get a unique question that tests the candidates’ grip on all these concepts. The proper usage of various words is an important aspect of English Comprehension and each candidate should be well versed in it.

Tense

Last year some questions were asked primarily focussed on the knowledge of various concepts of tense. The questions were provided in a ‘do as directed’ format and candidates were supposed to choose the correct option.

Para Jumbles and Cloze Test

These topics are present in the English Comprehension section of the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam to test the candidates’ overall knowledge of the English Language encompassing all the areas i.e. vocabulary, grammar and comprehension. In the cloze test, questions are asked in a paragraph format with options to fill in the 5 blanks to make the paragraph meaningful. On the other hand, questions of para jumbles are there to test the candidate’s ability to make a meaningful paragraph out of the given sentences.