Build your English.
Prepare for SSC.

Original fictional practice passage. A town library tested a Saturday repair desk for six weeks. Volunteers helped residents mend simple household items, but they did not handle electrical repairs. Visitors booked a place by phone or at reception. Of the 60 items brought in, 42 were repaired during the sessions. For the remaining items, volunteers explained which parts or specialist skills were needed. Several visitors said they felt more confident about attempting simple repairs themselves. The library decided to collect information about the cost of materials and volunteer availability before considering a longer programme. Its manager said that the number of repaired items was useful, but that learning new skills also mattered.

1. Which statement best summarises the passage?

   1. The library has replaced all professional repair services.
   2. A limited repair pilot produced useful results, and further information will guide its future.
   3. The library repaired every item brought to the desk.
   4. The desk was set up only to sell spare parts.

   Answer B: The passage describes a six-week pilot, repaired items, learning benefits and further checks before expansion. It does not replace professionals or sell parts, and only 42 of 60 items were repaired.

2. Which task did the volunteers explicitly avoid?

   1. Taking bookings at reception
   2. Explaining what parts were needed
   3. Helping with simple household items
   4. Handling electrical repairs

   Answer D: The passage explicitly says the volunteers did not handle electrical repairs. Simple repairs and explanations were part of the service; booking arrangements are not the excluded repair category.

3. How many items were not repaired during the sessions?

   1. 18
   2. 42
   3. 60
   4. 102

   Answer A: Sixty items were brought in and 42 were repaired: 60 minus 42 equals 18. The other numbers are the repaired total, the overall total, or their irrelevant sum.

4. What can reasonably be inferred about a longer programme?

   1. It has already been approved for a year.
   2. It will certainly operate every day.
   3. The library wants to assess resources before deciding.
   4. It will accept only electrical items.

   Answer C: The library will gather material-cost and volunteer-availability information before considering a longer programme. Approval, daily opening and a change to electrical repairs are not established.

5. Why does the manager mention learning new skills?

   1. To claim that repairs are unnecessary
   2. To recognise a benefit beyond the number of repaired items
   3. To promise every visitor a qualification
   4. To explain why all volunteers will be replaced

   Answer B: The manager says learning matters alongside the repair count. This identifies an additional benefit; it neither dismisses repairs nor promises qualifications or staff replacement.

Original fictional practice passage. A community centre introduced a noticeboard for local events. Each notice had to include a date and a contact number so that readers could (1) ___ the details. Volunteers checked new notices before putting them (2) ___ the board. This reduced confusion; (3) ___, some visitors still needed help reading the small print. The centre therefore asked organisers to use (4) ___ lettering. It also kept a printed folder at reception, making the information more (5) ___ to visitors who could not comfortably read the board.

1. Gap 1: Readers could ___ the details.

   1. conceal
   2. abandon
   3. confirm
   4. damage

   Answer C: Confirm means check that information is correct; a date and contact number help readers do this. Conceal means hide, abandon means leave behind, and damage means harm.

2. Gap 2: Putting them ___ the board.

   1. on
   2. underneath of
   3. among
   4. during

   Answer A: A notice is put on a noticeboard. “Underneath of” is unsuitable here, among refers to being within a group, and during refers to time.

3. Gap 3: This reduced confusion; ___, some visitors still needed help.

   1. therefore
   2. similarly
   3. for example
   4. however

   Answer D: However introduces the remaining difficulty despite an improvement. Therefore signals a result, similarly a likeness, and for example an illustration rather than this contrast.

4. Gap 4: Organisers were asked to use ___ lettering.

   1. smaller
   2. larger
   3. invisible
   4. unreadable

   Answer B: Larger lettering responds to the problem of small print. Smaller, invisible and unreadable lettering would worsen access rather than improve it.

5. Gap 5: Making the information more ___ to visitors.

   1. accidental
   2. secret
   3. accessible
   4. expensive

   Answer C: Accessible means easy to reach, obtain or use. The folder offers another way to read the information; it does not make it accidental, secret or costly.

1. Choose the correct verb: Each of the applicants ___ a separate form.

   1. submit
   2. submitting
   3. have submitted
   4. submits

   Answer D: Each takes a singular verb, so submits is correct. Submit and have submitted are plural forms here; submitting alone cannot serve as the finite verb.

2. Identify the incorrect part: (A) She has been working / (B) in this office / (C) since three years.

   1. Part A
   2. Part B
   3. Part C
   4. No error

   Answer C: Use for with a duration: for three years. Since normally introduces a starting point, such as since 2023. The present perfect continuous in A and the place phrase in B are correct.

3. Choose the best replacement for “to postpone” in: They suggested to postpone the meeting.

   1. postponing
   2. postpone
   3. to postponing
   4. No improvement

   Answer A: Suggest can be followed by an -ing form: suggested postponing. It does not take a simple to-infinitive in this construction. A that-clause is another possible structure, but is not an option here.

4. Complete the sentence: We waited for ___ hour before the office opened.

   1. a
   2. an
   3. the an
   4. No article

   Answer B: Hour begins with a vowel sound because h is silent, so use an. A is used before consonant sounds; the an is not a valid article combination, and this singular countable use needs a determiner.

5. Choose the grammatically correct sentence.

   1. The list of names are on the desk.
   2. The list of names have on the desk.
   3. The list of names is on the desk.
   4. The list of names were on the desk.

   Answer C: The head of the subject is the singular noun list, so is agrees with it. Names belongs to the of-phrase. Are and were are plural here; have on is not a suitable predicate for the intended meaning.

1. Choose the closest meaning of concise in “Please give a concise explanation.”

   1. Long and repetitive
   2. Brief and clearly expressed
   3. Angry and insulting
   4. Unrelated to the topic

   Answer B: Concise means expressing something briefly and clearly. It does not mean repetitive, insulting or irrelevant, and brevity alone need not remove essential information.

2. Choose the opposite of scarce in “Clean drinking water was scarce.”

   1. Limited
   2. Rare
   3. Insufficient
   4. Abundant

   Answer D: Abundant means available in large amounts, the opposite of scarce. Limited, rare and insufficient all point towards restricted availability rather than plentiful supply.

3. Choose one word for “a person who studies the origin and history of words”.

   1. Etymologist
   2. Entomologist
   3. Geologist
   4. Meteorologist

   Answer A: An etymologist studies word origins and history. An entomologist studies insects, a geologist studies Earth and rocks, and a meteorologist studies weather and the atmosphere.

4. What does “break the ice” mean in “A short introduction helped break the ice”?

   1. Cancel the event
   2. Cause a disagreement
   3. Make people feel more relaxed at the start
   4. Reveal confidential information

   Answer C: Break the ice means ease initial awkwardness and help people begin interacting. The introduction makes the situation more comfortable; it does not cancel the event, provoke an argument or disclose a secret.

5. Choose the correctly spelt word.

   1. Accomodation
   2. Accommodation
   3. Acommodation
   4. Accommmodation

   Answer B: Accommodation has two c letters and two m letters. A has only one m, C has only one c, and D incorrectly has three m letters.

1. Choose the passive form of “The clerk checked the documents.”

   1. The documents are checked by the clerk.
   2. The clerk was checked by the documents.
   3. The documents were checked by the clerk.
   4. The documents have checked the clerk.

   Answer C: The past-simple passive uses were + checked for the plural subject documents. A changes the tense, B reverses the participants, and D is an active construction with the wrong meaning.

2. Choose the passive form of “They will announce the result tomorrow.”

   1. The result will be announced tomorrow.
   2. The result was announced tomorrow.
   3. The result will announce tomorrow.
   4. The result is announcing tomorrow.

   Answer A: A future-simple passive uses will be + past participle. The agent they can be omitted. B changes the tense; C and D do not provide the required passive construction.

3. Report Ravi’s words using standard tense backshift: Ravi said, “I am tired.”

   1. Ravi said that I was tired.
   2. Ravi said that he is tiring.
   3. Ravi said that he has tired.
   4. Ravi said that he was tired.

   Answer D: Under the instruction to backshift, am becomes was and I refers to Ravi, so it becomes he. A changes the referent; B and C alter the structure and meaning. Present tense can sometimes remain in reporting, but that is not the instruction here.

4. The teacher asked me, “Where do you live?” Choose the correct indirect question.

   1. The teacher asked me where did I live.
   2. The teacher asked me where I lived.
   3. The teacher asked me where do I live.
   4. The teacher asked me that where I live.

   Answer B: An indirect question uses statement order: where I lived. Do-support and question order are removed, and the tense is backshifted here. A and C keep question order; D adds an unsuitable that before where.

5. Choose the active form of “The report is being prepared by Asha.”

   1. Asha prepared the report.
   2. Asha has prepared the report.
   3. Asha is preparing the report.
   4. Asha will prepare the report.

   Answer C: Is being prepared is present continuous passive, so the matching active form is is preparing. The other options change the tense or aspect to past, present perfect or future.

1. Arrange the sentences: A. These labels helped staff find files quickly. B. An office stored its files in identical boxes. C. To solve this problem, the clerk labelled each box. D. Finding a particular file therefore took a long time.

   1. B-C-D-A
   2. D-B-A-C
   3. C-A-B-D
   4. B-D-C-A

   Answer D: B introduces the identical boxes; D explains their consequence. C solves this problem, and A describes the benefit of these labels. The other orders separate a reference from the problem or solution it points to.

2. Arrange the sentences: A. Finally, he emailed the revised version. B. First, Omar wrote a draft notice. C. He then checked it for unclear instructions. D. After that check, he corrected two sentences.

   1. B-C-D-A
   2. B-D-C-A
   3. C-B-A-D
   4. A-B-C-D

   Answer A: First starts the sequence in B. C checks the draft, D explicitly follows that check, and finally in A closes it. The alternatives contradict these time and reference links.

3. Arrange the sentences: A. The organiser used that figure to arrange enough chairs. B. A club asked members to confirm attendance by Friday. C. By the deadline, 28 members had replied. D. The room was therefore ready before the meeting began.

   1. B-A-C-D
   2. C-A-D-B
   3. B-C-A-D
   4. D-B-C-A

   Answer C: B introduces the request and deadline, C supplies the attendance figure, A uses that figure, and D gives the outcome. That figure in A needs the number supplied by C.

4. Arrange these parts to make a grammatical sentence: P. before submitting it / Q. the form carefully / R. please read

   1. Q-P-R
   2. R-Q-P
   3. P-Q-R
   4. R-P-Q

   Answer B: R-Q-P gives “Please read the form carefully before submitting it.” The verb read is followed by its object, and the final phrase explains when the reading must happen. The other sequences do not form the intended grammatical sentence.

5. Arrange the sentences: A. As a result, visitors stopped waiting at the wrong entrance. B. The old sign pointed visitors towards a locked gate. C. The staff replaced it with a sign showing the reception entrance. D. This mistake caused confusion every morning.

   1. B-C-D-A
   2. C-B-A-D
   3. D-A-B-C
   4. B-D-C-A

   Answer D: B explains the faulty sign, D identifies its consequence as this mistake, C introduces the correction, and A gives the result. Putting D after C would wrongly attach the mistake to the corrected sign.