SSC CPO English Questions with Answers: Quick Answer
This page gives 20 original SSC CPO English questions with answers and full explanations. The set covers both papers of the examination. Questions 1 to 10 are written at Paper 1 level for the English Comprehension part: 25 questions for 25 marks, with a 15-minute sectional timer and 0.25 deducted for each wrong answer. Questions 11 to 20 are written at Paper 2 level, where English Comprehension carries 100 questions for 200 marks, each question worth 2 marks with 0.50 deducted for each wrong answer, and the difficulty is higher than Paper 1. The topics are the ones the examination actually tests: reading comprehension, cloze passages, error spotting, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, spelling, voice, narration and sentence improvement.
These 20 questions are original practice questions written for this page. They are not previous-year questions and are not copied from any paper, book or website. They are modelled on the style and difficulty of the CPO English parts, so they work as a timed drill: 20 questions in about 12 minutes at Paper 1 pace. Every answer follows a stated grammar rule or a standard word meaning, and the rule is given with the answer. As of 2 November 2026, the pattern figures on this page follow the official SSC CPO scheme described on the syllabus page linked below. No examination dates are stated on this page.
SSC CPO English Method Box
Keep these ideas in front of you while you work through the questions. Almost every English question is one of them in disguise.
- Comprehension: the answer is always in the passage. Read the question first, then find the sentence that answers it. An option that sounds true but is not stated in the passage is wrong.
- Error spotting: find the subject and the verb first and check that they agree. A plural noun after "of" does not make the subject plural: "the quality of the apples" takes a singular verb, because the subject is "quality".
- Tense: "since" with a point of time takes the present perfect: "has been working since morning". "By the time" with a future reference takes the future perfect. Mixing the two is the most common tense error in Paper 2.
- Voice and narration: in passive voice, the object becomes the subject and the verb takes "was/were + past participle". In indirect speech, "will" becomes "would" and "can" becomes "could" when the reporting verb is in the past.
- Sentence improvement: the correct option must be both grammatical and idiomatic. "In spite of" is correct; "despite of" is not, because "despite" never takes "of".
Shortcut habit: in error-spotting questions, cover the phrase between the subject and the verb and read the two together. "The quality of the apples was good" is correct, and the error becomes visible the moment the middle phrase is covered.
Questions 1 to 4 — Reading Comprehension
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Discipline in a uniformed service is not built in a single day. It is built in small acts repeated until they need no thought: reporting on time, keeping equipment ready, following an order without argument, and helping a colleague who is struggling. A young recruit at a training academy learns this slowly. In the first week, the early mornings feel impossible and the drills feel endless. By the third week, the same recruit wakes before the alarm and checks his kit without being told. The change is not in the body alone. The recruit begins to trust the person standing next to him, because that person has shared the same mornings and the same drills. Officers say that this trust is the real product of training. A team that trusts each other will hold its position when orders are unclear and conditions are hard. Discipline, in the end, is trust made into a habit.
Q1. According to the passage, how is discipline built?
(A) In small acts repeated until they need no thought (B) In a single day of hard training (C) By punishment alone (D) By orders from senior officers
Answer: (A) In small acts repeated until they need no thought. The passage opens with this exact idea: discipline is built in small acts repeated until they need no thought.
Q2. What changes in the recruit by the third week?
(A) He stops attending drills (B) He wakes before the alarm and checks his kit without being told (C) He asks for easier duties (D) He leaves the academy
Answer: (B) He wakes before the alarm and checks his kit without being told. The passage states this directly as the sign of the change in the third week.
Q3. According to the passage, what is the real product of training?
(A) Physical strength (B) Obedience to orders (C) Knowledge of drills (D) Trust between team members
Answer: (D) Trust between team members. The passage says officers call trust the real product of training, because a team that trusts each other holds its position when conditions are hard.
Q4. What is the main idea of the passage?
(A) Discipline is trust made into a habit (B) Training academies are too strict (C) Early mornings are the hardest part of training (D) Officers should give fewer orders
Answer: (A) Discipline is trust made into a habit. The passage ends with this sentence, which sums up its argument: repeated small acts build trust, and trust becomes discipline.
Question 5 — Cloze
Q5. Choose the correct word to fill the blank: The recruit ___ the drill every morning before breakfast.
(A) practise (B) practises (C) practising (D) practised
Answer: (B) practises. The subject "recruit" is singular and the sentence describes a routine, so the simple present "practises" is correct. "Practise" is the plural form, and "practised" is past tense.
Question 6 — Subject-Verb Agreement
Q6. Choose the correct word to fill the blank: The quality of the apples ___ good.
(A) were (B) was (C) are (D) have been
Answer: (B) was. The subject is "quality", which is singular, so the verb must be "was". The phrase "of the apples" does not change the subject.
Question 7 — Error Spotting
Q7. Find the part with an error: Neither the officer (A) / nor the constables (B) / was present (C) / at the parade (D).
(A) Part A (B) Part D (C) Part C (D) Part B
Answer: (C) Part C. With "neither/nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject. "Constables" is plural and stands nearest the verb, so the verb must be "were", not "was". The error is in part C.
Question 8 — Error Spotting
Q8. Find the part with an error: He has been (A) / working here (B) / since five years (C) / without a break (D).
(A) Part A (B) Part C (C) Part D (D) Part B
Answer: (B) Part C. "Since" is used with a point of time, such as "since 2020", while "for" is used with a duration, such as "for five years". The correct phrase is "for five years". The error is in part C.
Question 9 — Synonym
Q9. Choose the word closest in meaning to VIGILANT.
(A) Sleepy (B) Careless (C) Watchful (D) Tired
Answer: (C) Watchful. "Vigilant" means keeping careful watch for danger or difficulty, which is "watchful". "Sleepy", "careless" and "tired" are opposites.
Question 10 — Antonym
Q10. Choose the word opposite in meaning to COURAGE.
(A) Fear (B) Bravery (C) Strength (D) Honour
Answer: (A) Fear. "Courage" means the ability to face danger without fear. "Fear" is its opposite. "Bravery" and "strength" are similar in meaning to "courage".
Question 11 — Idiom
Q11. What does the idiom "to let the cat out of the bag" mean?
(A) To free a trapped animal (B) To buy a pet (C) To start a quarrel (D) To reveal a secret
Answer: (D) To reveal a secret. The idiom means to reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake. It has nothing to do with an actual cat.
Question 12 — One-Word Substitution
Q12. Choose the one word for "one who can read and write".
(A) Scholar (B) Poet (C) Literate (D) Writer
Answer: (C) Literate. "Literate" means able to read and write. A scholar is a learned person, and a writer is one who writes, which is narrower than the question asks.
Question 13 — Spelling
Q13. Choose the correctly spelt word.
(A) Accommodate (B) Acommodate (C) Accomodate (D) Accommodatte
Answer: (A) Accommodate. The correct spelling is A-C-C-O-M-M-O-D-A-T-E, with double C and double M. The other options miss one of the doubled letters or add an extra one.
Question 14 — Active and Passive Voice
Q14. Choose the correct passive form of "The officer gave the order."
(A) The order is given by the officer (B) The order has been given by the officer (C) The order had been given by the officer (D) The order was given by the officer
Answer: (D) The order was given by the officer. The sentence is in the simple past, so the passive form uses "was + given". The other options change the tense.
Question 15 — Direct and Indirect Speech
Q15. Choose the correct indirect form of: She said, "I will come tomorrow."
(A) She said that she will come tomorrow (B) She said that I would come tomorrow (C) She said that she would come the next day (D) She says that she would come the next day
Answer: (C) She said that she would come the next day. In indirect speech with a past-tense reporting verb, "will" becomes "would", "I" becomes "she", and "tomorrow" becomes "the next day".
Question 16 — Sentence Improvement
Q16. Choose the correct replacement for the underlined part: Despite of the rain, the parade continued.
(A) In spite the rain (B) Despite the rain (C) Despite of the raining (D) No improvement
Answer: (B) Despite the rain. "Despite" never takes "of", so "despite of" is wrong. "In spite of the rain" would also be correct, but it is not among the options. "Despite the rain" is the correct replacement.
Question 17 — Cloze
Q17. Choose the correct word to fill the blank: The cadets marched ___ the ground in perfect order.
(A) across (B) besides (C) between (D) against
Answer: (A) across. "Across" is the preposition for movement from one side of an open area to the other. "Besides" means "in addition to", and "against" gives the wrong sense.
Question 18 — Synonym
Q18. Choose the word closest in meaning to ZEAL.
(A) Laziness (B) Anger (C) Enthusiasm (D) Patience
Answer: (C) Enthusiasm. "Zeal" means great energy and enthusiasm for a cause or activity. "Laziness" is its opposite.
Question 19 — Antonym
Q19. Choose the word opposite in meaning to HUMBLE.
(A) Modest (B) Meek (C) Gentle (D) Proud
Answer: (D) Proud. "Humble" means having a modest view of one's importance. "Proud" means having a high view of one's importance, which is its opposite. "Modest", "meek" and "gentle" are similar in meaning to "humble".
Question 20 — One-Word Substitution
Q20. Choose the one word for "a place where birds are kept".
(A) Apiary (B) Aquarium (C) Stable (D) Aviary
Answer: (D) Aviary. An aviary is a large enclosure for keeping birds. An apiary keeps bees, an aquarium keeps fish, and a stable keeps horses.
How to Use These Questions
More solved sets: SSC CPO Reasoning Questions with Answers: Solved Practice Set.
Attempt all 20 questions in 12 minutes at Paper 1 pace, then check the explanations for every question you missed or guessed. For each miss, write the rule that was missed: an agreement rule, a tense rule, a preposition rule or a word meaning. The English part is the most scoring part of Paper 1 for candidates who read regularly, because every question follows a fixed rule and none of them needs calculation. In Paper 2, where English carries 200 marks and decides the final merit, the same rules apply at a higher difficulty, so the method on this page transfers directly.
- Check the full scheme: SSC CPO syllabus 2026 — Paper 1 and Paper 2 pattern, 0.25 and 0.50 negative marking, PET and PST stages.
- Practise GK next: SSC CPO GK questions — 20 original GK questions for the same examination.
- Check the cut-off picture: SSC CPO cut off — the cut-off page for the examination.
- Check the physical standards: SSC CPO physical test 2026 — PET and PST standards for the Sub-Inspector posts.
- Attempt a Paper 1 mock: SSC CPO Paper 1 full mock test 04 — the complete 100-question Paper 1 under exam conditions.
SSC CPO English Questions FAQs
How many English questions are there in SSC CPO Paper 1 and Paper 2?
Paper 1 has 25 English Comprehension questions for 25 marks, inside a 100-question paper with a 15-minute timer per part. Paper 2 has 100 English Comprehension questions for 200 marks, inside a 160-question paper, where each question carries 2 marks and the difficulty is higher.
What is the marking scheme for CPO English questions?
In Paper 1, each question carries 1 mark and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer. In Paper 2, each question carries 2 marks and 0.50 marks are deducted for each wrong answer. A blank answer loses nothing in either paper.
Which English topics matter most for SSC CPO?
Reading comprehension, cloze passages, error spotting, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, spelling, voice, narration and sentence improvement. Paper 2 tests the same topics at a higher difficulty and with longer passages, so the rules on this page transfer directly.
Are these 20 questions from previous-year papers?
No. They are original practice questions written for this page and modelled on the style and level of the CPO English parts. The comprehension passage is an original story written for this page, and every answer follows a stated grammar rule or a standard word meaning.
How should I prepare for the Paper 2 English section?
Read one editorial every day and note unfamiliar words with their meanings. Revise the grammar rules for agreement, tense, voice and narration from a fixed list, and practise one comprehension passage daily under a timer.
Sources
- SSC CPO examination scheme: Paper 1 with 100 questions for 100 marks in 1 hour and Paper 2 with 160 questions for 320 marks in 2 hours, as described on this site's SSC CPO syllabus 2026 page, which follows the official SSC notice.
- All 20 questions, options and solutions on this page are original and were written for this page. The comprehension passage is an original story written for this page, and every answer follows a stated grammar rule or a standard word meaning.
Last checked: 2 November 2026.