SSC CPO · Topic Collection

English Comprehension PYQs

Reading comprehension, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, idiom usage, error spotting, sentence improvement, and cloze tests.

4100 Total Questions67 Official PapersYears: 2017–2025Search in English Comprehension
Showing questions 21–40 of 4100Page 2 of 100
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 21

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Spot the correct spelling of a word meaning “charitable”. 

  1. AOption (a)

    Elemosynary 

  2. BOption (b)

    Eleemosynary 

  3. COption (c)

    Eleemosinary 

  4. DOption (d)

    Elemosynery 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

Elemosynary 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 22

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Choose the correct one-word substitute for: 'The practice of attributing human traits to non-humans.' 

  1. AOption (a)

    Zoomorphism 

  2. BOption (b)

    Theomorphism 

  3. COption (c)

    Anthropomorphism 

  4. DOption (d)

    Animism 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

Zoomorphism 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 23

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

In the given passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage intently and choose the most appropriate option to fill in each blank:

In the contemporary epoch of algorithmic governance and hyper-networked economies, the discourse of agency has undergone a paradigmatic mutation.

No longer anchored in traditional notions of volition or deliberation, subjectivity is increasingly ______ (1) by ambient infrastructures that anticipate, nudge, and pre-empt decision-making before cognition consolidates intention. In such a regime, autonomy becomes retroactive-a post-facto narrative stitched together by feedback loops of personalization, predictive modeling, and biometric calibration. The liberal ideal of the rational actor, so central to modern jurisprudence and economic theory, finds itself _______ (2) under the weight of distributed cognition, machinic interpellation, and environmental scripting. Agency, in this schema, is not exercised but programmed; it is neither given nor seized but orchestrated through micro-environmental cues and algorithmic affordances. The individual becomes less a sovereign self than a _______ (3) node in a probabilistic matrix of behavioral speculation. Within this ontological reconfiguration, resistance too undergoes a semiotic shift. Acts of refusal no longer manifest through overt defiance but through obfuscation, misalignment, and withdrawal from legibility. Yet even these gestures risk being _______(4) by the very systems they attempt to subvert-recuperated as marketable deviance, branded subcultures, or managed dissent. If every deviation is eventually re-circulated as novelty, then the terrain of the political itself becomes ________ (5)-evacuated of antagonism and steeped in simulation.

What should come in the place of blank number (1)?

  1. AOption (a)

    foreclosed

  2. BOption (b)

    automated

  3. COption (c)

    colonized

  4. DOption (d)

    mediated

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

foreclosed

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 24

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

In the given passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage intently and choose the most appropriate option to fill in each blank:

In the contemporary epoch of algorithmic governance and hyper-networked economies, the discourse of agency has undergone a paradigmatic mutation.

No longer anchored in traditional notions of volition or deliberation, subjectivity is increasingly ______ (1) by ambient infrastructures that anticipate, nudge, and pre-empt decision-making before cognition consolidates intention. In such a regime, autonomy becomes retroactive-a post-facto narrative stitched together by feedback loops of personalization, predictive modeling, and biometric calibration. The liberal ideal of the rational actor, so central to modern jurisprudence and economic theory, finds itself _______ (2) under the weight of distributed cognition, machinic interpellation, and environmental scripting. Agency, in this schema, is not exercised but programmed; it is neither given nor seized but orchestrated through micro-environmental cues and algorithmic affordances. The individual becomes less a sovereign self than a _______ (3) node in a probabilistic matrix of behavioral speculation. Within this ontological reconfiguration, resistance too undergoes a semiotic shift. Acts of refusal no longer manifest through overt defiance but through obfuscation, misalignment, and withdrawal from legibility. Yet even these gestures risk being _______(4) by the very systems they attempt to subvert-recuperated as marketable deviance, branded subcultures, or managed dissent. If every deviation is eventually re-circulated as novelty, then the terrain of the political itself becomes ________ (5)-evacuated of antagonism and steeped in simulation.

What should come in the place of blank number (2)? 

  1. AOption (a)

    undermined 

  2. BOption (b)

    valorized 

  3. COption (c)

    suspended 

  4. DOption (d)

    superseded 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

undermined 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 25

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

In the given passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage intently and choose the most appropriate option to fill in each blank:

In the contemporary epoch of algorithmic governance and hyper-networked economies, the discourse of agency has undergone a paradigmatic mutation.

No longer anchored in traditional notions of volition or deliberation, subjectivity is increasingly ______ (1) by ambient infrastructures that anticipate, nudge, and pre-empt decision-making before cognition consolidates intention. In such a regime, autonomy becomes retroactive-a post-facto narrative stitched together by feedback loops of personalization, predictive modeling, and biometric calibration. The liberal ideal of the rational actor, so central to modern jurisprudence and economic theory, finds itself _______ (2) under the weight of distributed cognition, machinic interpellation, and environmental scripting. Agency, in this schema, is not exercised but programmed; it is neither given nor seized but orchestrated through micro-environmental cues and algorithmic affordances. The individual becomes less a sovereign self than a _______ (3) node in a probabilistic matrix of behavioral speculation. Within this ontological reconfiguration, resistance too undergoes a semiotic shift. Acts of refusal no longer manifest through overt defiance but through obfuscation, misalignment, and withdrawal from legibility. Yet even these gestures risk being _______(4) by the very systems they attempt to subvert-recuperated as marketable deviance, branded subcultures, or managed dissent. If every deviation is eventually re-circulated as novelty, then the terrain of the political itself becomes ________ (5)-evacuated of antagonism and steeped in simulation.

What should come in the place of blank number (3)? 

  1. AOption (a)

    recursive 

  2. BOption (b)

    relational 

  3. COption (c)

    datafied 

  4. DOption (d)

    dormant 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

recursive 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 26

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

In the given passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage intently and choose the most appropriate option to fill in each blank:

In the contemporary epoch of algorithmic governance and hyper-networked economies, the discourse of agency has undergone a paradigmatic mutation.

No longer anchored in traditional notions of volition or deliberation, subjectivity is increasingly ______ (1) by ambient infrastructures that anticipate, nudge, and pre-empt decision-making before cognition consolidates intention. In such a regime, autonomy becomes retroactive-a post-facto narrative stitched together by feedback loops of personalization, predictive modeling, and biometric calibration. The liberal ideal of the rational actor, so central to modern jurisprudence and economic theory, finds itself _______ (2) under the weight of distributed cognition, machinic interpellation, and environmental scripting. Agency, in this schema, is not exercised but programmed; it is neither given nor seized but orchestrated through micro-environmental cues and algorithmic affordances. The individual becomes less a sovereign self than a _______ (3) node in a probabilistic matrix of behavioral speculation. Within this ontological reconfiguration, resistance too undergoes a semiotic shift. Acts of refusal no longer manifest through overt defiance but through obfuscation, misalignment, and withdrawal from legibility. Yet even these gestures risk being _______(4) by the very systems they attempt to subvert-recuperated as marketable deviance, branded subcultures, or managed dissent. If every deviation is eventually re-circulated as novelty, then the terrain of the political itself becomes ________ (5)-evacuated of antagonism and steeped in simulation.

What should come in the place of blank number (4)? 

  1. AOption (a)

    co-opted 

  2. BOption (b)

    invalidated  

  3. COption (c)

    misread 

  4. DOption (d)

    repelled 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

co-opted 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 27

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

In the given passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage intently and choose the most appropriate option to fill in each blank:

In the contemporary epoch of algorithmic governance and hyper-networked economies, the discourse of agency has undergone a paradigmatic mutation.

No longer anchored in traditional notions of volition or deliberation, subjectivity is increasingly ______ (1) by ambient infrastructures that anticipate, nudge, and pre-empt decision-making before cognition consolidates intention. In such a regime, autonomy becomes retroactive-a post-facto narrative stitched together by feedback loops of personalization, predictive modeling, and biometric calibration. The liberal ideal of the rational actor, so central to modern jurisprudence and economic theory, finds itself _______ (2) under the weight of distributed cognition, machinic interpellation, and environmental scripting. Agency, in this schema, is not exercised but programmed; it is neither given nor seized but orchestrated through micro-environmental cues and algorithmic affordances. The individual becomes less a sovereign self than a _______ (3) node in a probabilistic matrix of behavioral speculation. Within this ontological reconfiguration, resistance too undergoes a semiotic shift. Acts of refusal no longer manifest through overt defiance but through obfuscation, misalignment, and withdrawal from legibility. Yet even these gestures risk being _______(4) by the very systems they attempt to subvert-recuperated as marketable deviance, branded subcultures, or managed dissent. If every deviation is eventually re-circulated as novelty, then the terrain of the political itself becomes ________ (5)-evacuated of antagonism and steeped in simulation.

What should come in the place of blank number (5)? 

  1. AOption (a)

    antagonistic  

  2. BOption (b)

    performative 

  3. COption (c)

    exhausted 

  4. DOption (d)

    illegible 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

antagonistic  

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 28

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Select the correct option:

No other candidate is ____ qualified for the role as she is.

  1. AOption (a)

    So

  2. BOption (b)

    Such

  3. COption (c)

    More

  4. DOption (d)

    as

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

So

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 29

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Select the correct option:

At no point during the trial ___ his composure.

  1. AOption (a)

    he lost 

  2. BOption (b)

    had he lost 

  3. COption (c)

    did he lose 

  4. DOption (d)

    lost he 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

he lost 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 30

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

The report lacks a clear justification (1)/ for the measures undertaken (2)/ and overlooks the impact (3)/ on a environment. (4)

  1. AOption (a)

    1

  2. BOption (b)

    2

  3. COption (c)

    3

  4. DOption (d)

    4

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

1

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 31

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

The report, which the internal auditor had insisted (1)/ should have been submitted before the board meeting, (2)/ were eventually uploaded (3)/ two hours after the deadline. (4)

  1. AOption (a)

    1

  2. BOption (b)

    2

  3. COption (c)

    3

  4. DOption (d)

    4

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

1

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 32

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

If she be found guilty of any misconduct during her tenure, (1)/ the disciplinary committee reserves the right (2)/ to withhold her pending dues (3)/ or initiate further legal action. (4)

  1. AOption (a)

    1

  2. BOption (b)

    2

  3. COption (c)

    3

  4. DOption (d)

    4

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

1

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 33

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Change the following from active to passive:

They are watching the match live.

  1. AOption (a)

    The match is watched live. 

  2. BOption (b)

    The match is being watched live. 

  3. COption (c)

    The match has been watched live.  

  4. DOption (d)

    The match was being watched live. 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

The match is watched live. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 34

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Change the following from active to passive:

The architect is designing a cantilevered pedestrian bridge.

  1. AOption (a)

    A cantilevered pedestrian bridge has been designed by the architect. 

  2. BOption (b)

    A cantilevered pedestrian bridge was designed by the architect. 

  3. COption (c)

    A cantilevered pedestrian bridge is being designed by the architect. 

  4. DOption (d)

    A cantilevered pedestrian bridge will be designed by the architect. 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

A cantilevered pedestrian bridge has been designed by the architect. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 35

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Change the following from active to passive:

The agency had been monitoring dissent groups covertly for months.

  1. AOption (a)

    Dissent groups had covertly monitored the agency. 

  2. BOption (b)

    Dissent groups had been monitored covertly by the agency for months. 

  3. COption (c)

    Covert monitoring had occurred over months. 

  4. DOption (d)

    The dissent groups were under surveillance. 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

Dissent groups had covertly monitored the agency. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 36

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Select the sentence containing the homonym of the highlighted word:

The scholar examined the chancel at the east end of the church.

  1. AOption (a)

    The chancel was elevated above the nave by a few steps. 

  2. BOption (b)

    The concert began in the chancel with chamber musicians. 

  3. COption (c)

    The builder reinforced the chancel arch using steel ties. 

  4. DOption (d)

    The chemist analyzed the properties of a synthetic chancel.  

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

The chancel was elevated above the nave by a few steps. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 37

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Select the sentence containing the homonym of the highlighted word:

The manuscript contained a siglum to denote a textual variant.

  1. AOption (a)

    The editor inserted the siglum before the footnote. 

  2. BOption (b)

    The lab technician cleaned the siglum from the sample slide.  

  3. COption (c)

    The scholar decoded each siglum used in the Vulgate. 

  4. DOption (d)

    The margin displayed an unknown siglum.  

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

The editor inserted the siglum before the footnote. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 38

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Select the sentence containing the homonym of the highlighted word:

The votive offering rested on a carved mensa.

  1. AOption (a)

    The mason lifted the mensa into place beneath the arch. 

  2. BOption (b)

    The altar's mensa was covered in embroidered linen. 

  3. COption (c)

    The bishop prayed before the marble mensa. 

  4. DOption (d)

    The relics were sealed beneath the mensa. 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

The mason lifted the mensa into place beneath the arch. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 39

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure:

The matter is being investigated by the internal committee.

  1. AOption (a)

    The internal committee investigates the matter. 

  2. BOption (b)

    The internal committee had investigated the matter. 

  3. COption (c)

    The internal committee is investigating the matter.  

  4. DOption (d)

    The internal committee has been investigating the matter. 

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

The internal committee investigates the matter. 

Explanation not yet available.
SSC CPO 2025 Official Paper (Held On 09 Dec, 2025 Shift 1) (Previous Year Paper)·English Comprehension
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Question 40

SSC CPO 2025• English Comprehension• English Comprehension

Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure: 

The law is supposed to be enforced strictly in sensitive areas.

  1. AOption (a)

    The law enforces itself strictly in sensitive areas. 

  2. BOption (b)

    It is supposed that someone strictly enforced the law. 

  3. COption (c)

    Authorities are supposed to enforce the law strictly in sensitive areas. 

  4. DOption (d)

    Strict enforcement of law is supposed in sensitive regions.  

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

The law enforces itself strictly in sensitive areas. 

Explanation not yet available.

How should I prepare for English Comprehension in SSC CPO?

Solving previous year questions by topic helps identify recurring concepts, question patterns, and frequently asked sub-topics. Attempt each question, review the step-by-step explanation, and note down key formulas or facts for quick revision before the exam.