SSC CGL – ssc cgl 22nd sep-2025

Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word:

SENTIENT

Explanation: Sentient means able to feel, perceive, or experience things consciously. Therefore, “Conscious” is the most appropriate synonym because it conveys awareness and the ability to sense or understand. The other options, such as “Lifeless,” “Dead,” and “Unaware,” express the opposite idea of lacking awareness or life.

Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word.

Dissemble

Explanation: Dissemble means to hide one’s real feelings, intentions, or beliefs by pretending. Its antonym is “Reveal,” which means to make something known or visible. “Disguise,” “Obscure,” and “Pretend” are close to the idea of hiding or concealing, so they cannot be the correct antonyms.

Choose the correct meaning of idiom:

Cook someone’s goose

Explanation: The idiom “cook someone’s goose” means to spoil, ruin, or destroy someone’s chances, plans, or prospects. It does not mean helping someone, saving someone, or merely making fun of someone. Therefore, “Ruin someone’s plans or prospects” correctly expresses the meaning of the idiom.

Choose the correct meaning of idiom:

To sup with the devil

Explanation: The idiom “to sup with the devil” means to deal with, associate with, or cooperate with a dangerous, dishonest, or morally corrupt person. Hence, “To collaborate with someone morally compromised” is the correct meaning. The other options do not convey the idea of risky association with an immoral person.

Select the correct spelling of a word meaning

'having a strong, regular beat'.

Explanation: The correct spelling is “Rhythmic,” which means having rhythm or a regular beat. The other options are misspellings because they either omit or misplace letters from the correct spelling. Therefore, “Rhythmic” is the only correctly spelt option.

Select the correct spelling of a word meaning

'undoubtedly true'.

Explanation: “Incontrovertible” means impossible to deny or dispute, and it is the correct spelling of the word meaning “undoubtedly true.” The other options contain incorrect vowel placement or wrong letter combinations, so they are not acceptable spellings.

Choose the correct one-word substitute for:

'Fear of confined spaces'.

Explanation: Claustrophobia means an extreme or irrational fear of confined or enclosed spaces. Agoraphobia is fear of open or crowded places, hydrophobia is fear of water, and acrophobia is fear of heights. Therefore, “Claustrophobia” is the correct one-word substitute.

Choose the correct one-word substitute for:

'A place where coins are made'.

Explanation: A mint is a place where coins are manufactured. A smithy is a blacksmith’s workshop, a foundry is a place where metal is cast, and a furnace is used for heating or melting materials. Therefore, “Mint” is the correct substitute for a place where coins are made.

Global sustainability discourse has not so much evolved as ossified into a lexicon of managerial (1) _____—terms engineered more for reputational lubrication than ecological redress. What was once a moral reckoning with planetary precarity now traffics in dashboards and metrics, calibrated less to redistribute power than to launder it. Words like “resilience,” “stakeholder engagement,” and “net-zero” populate position papers, their meanings stretched until they acquire the elasticity of (2) _____. In this semantic economy, language ceases to be revelatory and becomes performative. Reports teeter on euphemism; declarations bristle with procedural piety. Crises are not named; they are (3) _____ into ‘developmental challenges.’ The grammar of suffering is bleached, even as the facts remain uncompromising. What emerges is not truth, but a choreography of credibility—an affective simulation of care. Meanwhile, epistemic asymmetries persist: indigenous knowledge is (4) _____ as “local insight,” offered just enough space to decorate, never to reorient. Environmental justice, once confrontational, now wears a diplomatic smile, folded neatly into intergovernmental communiqués. If sustainability is to escape the orbit of self-congratulation, it must surrender its obsession with optics and inhabit the discomfort of history. Anything less is not stewardship—it is semantic (5) _____ masquerading as progress.

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

Explanation: The sentence says that managerial terms are engineered more for “reputational lubrication” than ecological redress. The word “lubricants” fits this idea because it suggests language used to smooth over reputational concerns rather than solve real ecological problems. The other options do not connect as naturally with the phrase “reputational lubrication.”

Global sustainability discourse has not so much evolved as ossified into a lexicon of managerial (1) _____—terms engineered more for reputational lubrication than ecological redress. What was once a moral reckoning with planetary precarity now traffics in dashboards and metrics, calibrated less to redistribute power than to launder it. Words like “resilience,” “stakeholder engagement,” and “net-zero” populate position papers, their meanings stretched until they acquire the elasticity of (2) _____. In this semantic economy, language ceases to be revelatory and becomes performative. Reports teeter on euphemism; declarations bristle with procedural piety. Crises are not named; they are (3) _____ into ‘developmental challenges.’ The grammar of suffering is bleached, even as the facts remain uncompromising. What emerges is not truth, but a choreography of credibility—an affective simulation of care. Meanwhile, epistemic asymmetries persist: indigenous knowledge is (4) _____ as “local insight,” offered just enough space to decorate, never to reorient. Environmental justice, once confrontational, now wears a diplomatic smile, folded neatly into intergovernmental communiqués. If sustainability is to escape the orbit of self-congratulation, it must surrender its obsession with optics and inhabit the discomfort of history. Anything less is not stewardship—it is semantic (5) _____ masquerading as progress.

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

Explanation: The passage criticizes sustainability language for becoming flexible, performative, and detached from real action. “Rhetoric” means language used for effect, often without meaningful substance, so “elasticity of rhetoric” fits the context. The words “science,” “sovereignty,” and “urgency” do not match the idea of stretched meanings in public discourse.

Global sustainability discourse has not so much evolved as ossified into a lexicon of managerial (1) _____—terms engineered more for reputational lubrication than ecological redress. What was once a moral reckoning with planetary precarity now traffics in dashboards and metrics, calibrated less to redistribute power than to launder it. Words like “resilience,” “stakeholder engagement,” and “net-zero” populate position papers, their meanings stretched until they acquire the elasticity of (2) _____. In this semantic economy, language ceases to be revelatory and becomes performative. Reports teeter on euphemism; declarations bristle with procedural piety. Crises are not named; they are (3) _____ into ‘developmental challenges.’ The grammar of suffering is bleached, even as the facts remain uncompromising. What emerges is not truth, but a choreography of credibility—an affective simulation of care. Meanwhile, epistemic asymmetries persist: indigenous knowledge is (4) _____ as “local insight,” offered just enough space to decorate, never to reorient. Environmental justice, once confrontational, now wears a diplomatic smile, folded neatly into intergovernmental communiqués. If sustainability is to escape the orbit of self-congratulation, it must surrender its obsession with optics and inhabit the discomfort of history. Anything less is not stewardship—it is semantic (5) _____ masquerading as progress.

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

Explanation: The passage says that crises are not directly named but are converted into softer “developmental challenges.” “Domesticated” fits because it means made manageable, controlled, or less threatening. “Confronted” would mean directly faced, while “pluralized” and “aggravated” do not suit the idea of softening the seriousness of crises.

Global sustainability discourse has not so much evolved as ossified into a lexicon of managerial (1) _____—terms engineered more for reputational lubrication than ecological redress. What was once a moral reckoning with planetary precarity now traffics in dashboards and metrics, calibrated less to redistribute power than to launder it. Words like “resilience,” “stakeholder engagement,” and “net-zero” populate position papers, their meanings stretched until they acquire the elasticity of (2) _____. In this semantic economy, language ceases to be revelatory and becomes performative. Reports teeter on euphemism; declarations bristle with procedural piety. Crises are not named; they are (3) _____ into ‘developmental challenges.’ The grammar of suffering is bleached, even as the facts remain uncompromising. What emerges is not truth, but a choreography of credibility—an affective simulation of care. Meanwhile, epistemic asymmetries persist: indigenous knowledge is (4) _____ as “local insight,” offered just enough space to decorate, never to reorient. Environmental justice, once confrontational, now wears a diplomatic smile, folded neatly into intergovernmental communiqués. If sustainability is to escape the orbit of self-congratulation, it must surrender its obsession with optics and inhabit the discomfort of history. Anything less is not stewardship—it is semantic (5) _____ masquerading as progress.

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

Explanation: The passage says indigenous knowledge is given just enough space to decorate but not enough to reorient policy or thought. “Tokenized” fits because it means included superficially for appearance rather than genuine value. “Silenced,” “extracted,” and “discarded” do not capture this idea of symbolic but shallow inclusion as accurately.

Global sustainability discourse has not so much evolved as ossified into a lexicon of managerial (1) _____—terms engineered more for reputational lubrication than ecological redress. What was once a moral reckoning with planetary precarity now traffics in dashboards and metrics, calibrated less to redistribute power than to launder it. Words like “resilience,” “stakeholder engagement,” and “net-zero” populate position papers, their meanings stretched until they acquire the elasticity of (2) _____. In this semantic economy, language ceases to be revelatory and becomes performative. Reports teeter on euphemism; declarations bristle with procedural piety. Crises are not named; they are (3) _____ into ‘developmental challenges.’ The grammar of suffering is bleached, even as the facts remain uncompromising. What emerges is not truth, but a choreography of credibility—an affective simulation of care. Meanwhile, epistemic asymmetries persist: indigenous knowledge is (4) _____ as “local insight,” offered just enough space to decorate, never to reorient. Environmental justice, once confrontational, now wears a diplomatic smile, folded neatly into intergovernmental communiqués. If sustainability is to escape the orbit of self-congratulation, it must surrender its obsession with optics and inhabit the discomfort of history. Anything less is not stewardship—it is semantic (5) _____ masquerading as progress.

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

Explanation: The phrase “semantic camouflage” means using language to hide the lack of real progress. The passage criticizes sustainability discourse for masking reality through polished words and optics. Therefore, “camouflage” best fits the idea of disguising inaction as progress, while the other options do not complete the meaning as precisely.

Select the correct option:

The director objected to the scene, deeming it ___ gratuitous for a family audience.

Explanation: The correct phrase is “too gratuitous,” meaning excessively unnecessary or inappropriate for a family audience. “Very” may intensify an adjective, but “too” specifically shows excess beyond an acceptable limit. “Far” and “much” do not fit grammatically in this sentence.

Select the correct option:

The advisory committee issued a set of guidelines so meticulously worded that any deviation would be tantamount ___ defiance.

Explanation: The correct prepositional phrase is “tantamount to,” which means equivalent in seriousness or effect to something. Therefore, the sentence should read “tantamount to defiance.” The other prepositions “with,” “for,” and “at” are grammatically incorrect with “tantamount.”

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

Neither the manager nor the employees (1)/ has submitted (2)/ their performance logs (3)/ for the current quarter. (4)/

Explanation: In a “neither...nor” construction, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it. Here, the nearer subject is “the employees,” which is plural. Therefore, “has submitted” is incorrect and should be “have submitted.” Hence, the error is in part (2).

Change the following from active to passive:

Historians considered the reforms emblematic of the regime's insecurity.

Explanation: The active sentence has “Historians” as the subject, “considered” as the verb, and “the reforms” as the object. In passive voice, the object becomes the subject: “The reforms were considered...” The agent “by historians” is also retained, making option (b) the correct passive form.

Select the sentence containing the homonym of the highlighted word:

The monk documented the breviarium with precise annotations.

Explanation: In the given sentence, “breviarium” is used in the sense of a written or religious text. A homonym has the same form but a different meaning. In option (c), the context of calibration and voltmeters gives the word a different technical sense, so it contains the homonym of the highlighted word.

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

A bonus will be given to all employees by the management next month.

Explanation: The passive sentence is in the future tense: “will be given.” In active voice, “the management” becomes the subject, “will give” becomes the verb, and “a bonus” remains the object. The time phrase “next month” is also preserved, making option (c) correct.

Choose the most suitable option to replace the highlighted part of the sentence:

The man died by a heart attack.

Explanation: The correct expression is “died of a heart attack.” The phrase “died of” is used for causes such as illness, disease, or medical conditions. “Died by” is incorrect in this context, and the other options are grammatically faulty or unnatural.

Choose the most suitable option to replace the highlighted part of the sentence:

The police is investigating the matter seriously.

Explanation: “Police” is generally treated as a plural noun in standard English when referring to the police force collectively. Therefore, the correct verb is “are,” not “is.” The phrase “are investigating the matter seriously” is both grammatically correct and natural.

A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech.

The geologist explained that tectonic shifts were inevitable.

Explanation: The indirect sentence reports that the geologist explained tectonic shifts “were inevitable.” The direct version should preserve the reported idea closely without changing it into a future statement or a different construction. Option (b) most accurately keeps the tense and meaning given in the sentence.

A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech.

Rita said, “Alas! I am ruined.”

Explanation: The word “Alas!” expresses sorrow, so the reporting verb should show emotion, such as “exclaimed with sorrow.” In indirect speech, “I” changes to “she,” and “am” changes to “was.” Therefore, “Rita exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined” is the correct conversion.

Rearrange the following sentences to form a meaningful passage:

1. The Renaissance marked a revival of classical learning. 2. Artists focused on realism and human emotion. 3. Patronage from wealthy families fueled cultural output. 4. This period reshaped Europe’s intellectual landscape.

Explanation: The passage should begin with the general introduction to the Renaissance as a revival of classical learning. Then, patronage from wealthy families explains what supported cultural output. After that, the focus of artists on realism and emotion is described, and the passage concludes with the overall impact on Europe’s intellectual landscape.

Rearrange the following sentences to form a meaningful passage:

1. This led to significant breakthroughs in medicine. 2. The discovery of penicillin marked a new era. 3. It revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections. 4. Many previously fatal diseases became curable.

Explanation: The logical sequence begins with the discovery of penicillin, which introduced a new era. Next, it explains how penicillin revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections. As a result, many previously fatal diseases became curable. Finally, this led to significant breakthroughs in medicine.