SSC CGL Tier 1 English Comprehension Questions and Answers Free Online Mock Test 25

1 .Direction : In Question nos. 1 to 10, you have two brief passages with 5 questions each. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each questi on out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate oval [ ] in the Answer Sheet.
PASSAGE-1
Have you ever noticed strange bumps on stems, leaves, flowers, or tree branches? Well, they are part of the plant and grown by the plant, but they are homes for tiny insects! These bumps are called galls. Insects form gall. The plant does not decide to grow them. Typically, a female insect lay her eggs on a plant. After baby insects hatch special chemicals are left on the plants. These special chemicals cause the plant to bubble up and form a gall. Once a gall has grown, the insects have a safe place to live and eat. Or do they?
Other animals, besides insects, benefit from gall. Galls are also great places for birds and small animals to find a meal. Woodpeckers, squirrels, mice and batsâ€“all use galls as a source for a tasty insect snack. If a gall has a large hole poked into it a, larger creature may have stopped for a bite.
Now that you know what a gall is, you will probably begin to notice them everywhere. Look around. You may even decide to break open a gall and take a peek inside. If the gall has a little hole,the owner has probably left. Can you believe it? A little house for an insect made by a plant!

Based on information given in the passage, it can be understood that an unhatched insect egg laid on a plant would most likely cause:

A. the plant to die

B. no gall to form

C. a large gall

D. a bird to eat the egg

View Answer

Discuss in Forum

2 .Which statement from the passage best describes how galls are formed?

A. â€˜Once a gall has grown, the insects have a safe place to live and eat, or do they?â€™

B. â€˜These bumps are called gallsâ€™

C. â€˜These special chemicals cause the plant to bubble up and form a gall.â€™

D. â€˜Typically, a female insect lays her eggs on a plant.â€™

View Answer

Discuss in Forum

3 .In the passage the author asks the question â€˜or do they?â€™ The author does this to:

A. explain why insects may not be safe inside their galls.

B. ask the reader if the insects are safe inside their galls

C. admits that he or she does not really know the answer.

D. encourage us to keep reading to discover the answer

View Answer

Discuss in Forum

4 .Benefit belongs to which of the following word groups?

A. love, adore, like

B. hurt, offend, upset

C. teach, instruct, direct

D. gain, advantage, profit

View Answer

Discuss in Forum

5 .If a gall has a large hole in it, this means that:

A. a larger creature may have stopped for a bite.

B. the owner has probably left.

C. special chemicals are left on the plant.

D. they are homes for tiny insects

View Answer

Discuss in Forum

6 .PASSAGE-2
During his early days as editor of the popular magazine, Saturday Evening Post, George Lorimer did much of the reading of unsolicited stories. This meant endless hours of sitting at the desk, pouring over big stacks of manuscripts, trying to decide which were worthy of publication and which were not. Lorimer became an expert at making these decisions.
One day he received a huffy letter from a would-be writer who had a complaint. â€œLast week you rejected my story,â€™ she wrote. â€œI am positive you did not read it, because, as a test, I pasted together pages 14, 15, 16. The manuscript came back with the pages still pasted. There is no question in my mind but that you are a sham and a disgrace to your profession.â€™
Lorimerâ€™s reply was succinct: â€˜Madam, at breakfast when I crack open an egg, I donâ€™t have to eat the whole egg to know it is bad.â€

Lorimer did much reading of the stories

A. if they were the solicited ones

B. when they appeared to be bad

C. when they were from women writers

D. when they came unsolicited