SSC GD English Questions with Answers: Quick Answer
This page gives 20 original SSC GD English questions with answers and full step-by-step explanations. Every question is written for the English or Hindi part of the SSC GD Constable computer-based test: 20 questions of 2 marks each in a paper of 80 questions for 160 marks in 60 minutes, with 0.25 mark deducted for each wrong answer and no sectional timing. The set covers what the section actually tests at Class 10 level — error spotting, synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, spelling and fillers — plus a short reading passage.
Key takeaway: 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. Work them in about 15 minutes — that is 45 seconds per question, the pace the real paper allows — and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
How to Use This Set
GD English is the gentlest English section in SSC exams, but it still punishes carelessness. The questions are short, so the trap is usually a single word: a plural noun where a singular belongs, a misspelt word that looks right, an idiom taken literally. Two habits help. First, in error spotting, say the sentence aloud in your head — a wrong verb usually sounds wrong before you can explain why. Second, in idioms, never translate word by word: "to bite the dust" has nothing to do with dust. The answer key is spread evenly across all four options, so no guessing pattern helps; only the explanations do.
SSC GD English Method Box
- Error spotting: find the subject first, then check the verb. "The sceneries of Kashmir" is wrong before you reach the verb, because "scenery" has no plural.
- Synonyms and antonyms: eliminate what you know. If three options point one way and one points the other, the odd one out is usually the answer.
- Idioms: learn the meaning, not the words. "Once in a blue moon" means very rarely — the moon is never actually blue.
- One-word substitution: break the definition into its key word. "A place where birds are kept" — the key word is "birds", and the Latin root for bird is "avis", giving "aviary".
- Spelling: sound the word out syllable by syllable. "Occurrence" is oc-cur-rence: double c, double r.
Question 1 — Error Spotting
Q1. Find the part with the error: (A) The sceneries / (B) of Kashmir are / (C) very beautiful / (D) in winter.
(A) The sceneries (B) of Kashmir are (C) very beautiful (D) in winter
Answer: (A) The sceneries. "Scenery" is an uncountable noun — it has no plural form, so "sceneries" is wrong. The correct sentence is "The scenery of Kashmir is very beautiful in winter." Note that once the subject becomes singular "scenery", the verb in part (B) must also change from "are" to "is" — but the error the question asks for is in part (A), where the plural was formed.
Question 2 — Synonym
Q2. Choose the word nearest in meaning to BRAVE.
(A) Cowardly (B) Courageous (C) Weak (D) Timid
Answer: (B) Courageous. Brave means not afraid in the face of danger, and courageous means exactly the same thing. The other three options are opposites: cowardly, weak and timid all describe a lack of courage.
Question 3 — Antonym
Q3. Choose the word opposite in meaning to ANCIENT.
(A) Old (B) Antique (C) Modern (D) Historic
Answer: (C) Modern. Ancient means belonging to a very long time ago; modern means belonging to the present time. "Old", "antique" and "historic" are all close in meaning to ancient, not opposite to it.
Question 4 — Idiom
Q4. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom "to bite the dust".
(A) To eat dirt (B) To work hard (C) To be successful (D) To be defeated
Answer: (D) To be defeated. "To bite the dust" means to fail or to be defeated — originally the image of a fallen soldier or a beaten horse falling face-first into the dust. It has nothing to do with eating. In a sentence: "The champion team bit the dust in the semi-final."
Question 5 — One-Word Substitution
Q5. Choose the one word for: "A person who can use both hands equally well."
(A) Ambidextrous (B) Versatile (C) Ambiguous (D) Flexible
Answer: (A) Ambidextrous. From Latin "ambi" (both) and "dexter" (right-handed): a person equally skilled with both hands. "Versatile" means able to do many things well, "ambiguous" means unclear in meaning, and "flexible" means able to bend — none of them is about hands.
Question 6 — Spelling
Q6. Choose the correctly spelt word.
(A) Occurence (B) Occurrence (C) Ocurrence (D) Occurrance
Answer: (B) Occurrence. The word is spelt oc-cur-rence: double "c" and double "r", ending in "-ence". Option (A) has only one "r", option (C) has only one "c", and option (D) ends in "-ance". Say it syllable by syllable — oc-cur-rence — and the double letters fall into place.
Question 7 — Error Spotting
Q7. Find the part with the error: (A) The teacher asked / (B) the students to / (C) submit there homework / (D) by Monday.
(A) The teacher asked (B) the students to (C) submit there homework (D) by Monday
Answer: (C) submit there homework. "There" shows a place; "their" shows possession. The homework belongs to the students, so it must be "their homework". "There / their / they are" is one of the most repeated confusions in GD papers — if the word can be replaced by "his" or "her", it is "their".
Question 8 — Synonym
Q8. Choose the word nearest in meaning to HONEST.
(A) Cunning (B) Dishonest (C) False (D) Truthful
Answer: (D) Truthful. Honest means telling the truth and not cheating; truthful means the same thing. The other three options are opposites: cunning, dishonest and false all describe someone who hides or twists the truth.
Question 9 — Antonym
Q9. Choose the word opposite in meaning to VICTORY.
(A) Defeat (B) Triumph (C) Success (D) Win
Answer: (A) Defeat. Victory means winning; defeat means losing. "Triumph", "success" and "win" are all synonyms of victory, not opposites.
Question 10 — Idiom
Q10. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom "to break the ice".
(A) To slip on ice (B) To start a conversation (C) To end a friendship (D) To feel cold
Answer: (B) To start a conversation. "To break the ice" means to ease the awkwardness when people meet for the first time, by starting a friendly conversation. In a sentence: "He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting." It has nothing to do with real ice.
Question 11 — One-Word Substitution
Q11. Choose the one word for: "A place where birds are kept."
(A) Apiary (B) Stable (C) Aviary (D) Aquarium
Answer: (C) Aviary. From Latin "avis", meaning bird: an aviary is a large enclosure where birds are kept. The near-miss options are traps — an apiary keeps bees, a stable keeps horses, and an aquarium keeps fish. If you know the root "avis", the answer is free.
Question 12 — Filler
Q12. Choose the word that best fills the blank: The train was delayed ______ heavy rain.
(A) because (B) so (C) but (D) due to
Answer: (D) due to. The sentence needs a phrase meaning "because of" before a noun: "delayed due to heavy rain". "Because" needs a clause after it ("because it was raining"), not a noun. "So" and "but" do not fit the grammar at all — "delayed so heavy rain" is not a sentence.
Reading Comprehension (Questions 13–14)
Read the passage and answer the questions.
The Indian Railways is one of the largest railway networks in the world. Every day it carries millions of passengers — students going to school, workers going to factories, families visiting relatives — and it also carries goods such as coal, grain and steel across the country. Trains run from the snow-covered mountains of Kashmir to the southern tip at Kanyakumari, connecting villages and cities that would otherwise be cut off from each other. For most Indians, the railway is not just a way to travel; it is the cheapest and most familiar way to reach every corner of the country.
Question 13 — Reading Comprehension
Q13. According to the passage, the Indian Railways carries every day:
(A) millions of passengers (B) only goods (C) only students (D) only soldiers
Answer: (A) millions of passengers. The passage says it directly: "Every day it carries millions of passengers — students going to school, workers going to factories, families visiting relatives." Students are one group among many, not the only passengers, and the railway also carries goods — so options (B), (C) and (D) all contradict the passage.
Question 14 — Reading Comprehension
Q14. According to the passage, the Indian Railways network is:
(A) the smallest in the world (B) one of the largest in the world (C) limited to big cities (D) used only for goods
Answer: (B) one of the largest in the world. The first sentence of the passage states it. The passage then proves the point: trains run from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and connect villages and cities — the opposite of a network limited to big cities or used only for goods.
Question 15 — Error Spotting
Q15. Find the part with the error: (A) I have been / (B) living in this city / (C) since five years / (D) No error.
(A) I have been (B) living in this city (C) since five years (D) No error
Answer: (C) since five years. "Since" is used with a point in time — "since 2021", "since Monday". For a length of time, the word is "for": "for five years". The correct sentence is "I have been living in this city for five years." This since/for confusion appears in GD papers almost every year.
Question 16 — Spelling
Q16. Choose the correctly spelt word.
(A) Seperate (B) Seprate (C) Seperete (D) Separate
Answer: (D) Separate. The word is spelt s-e-p-a-r-a-t-e. The trap is the second vowel: people hear "seperate" and write it that way, but the correct vowel is "a". A memory trick: there is "a rat" in sepa-rat-e.
Question 17 — Synonym
Q17. Choose the word nearest in meaning to HAPPY.
(A) Joyful (B) Sad (C) Angry (D) Tired
Answer: (A) Joyful. Happy means feeling pleasure or contentment; joyful means the same thing, often more strongly. "Sad", "angry" and "tired" are all different feelings, not synonyms.
Question 18 — Antonym
Q18. Choose the word opposite in meaning to RICH.
(A) Wealthy (B) Poor (C) Affluent (D) Prosperous
Answer: (B) Poor. Rich means having a lot of money; poor means having very little. "Wealthy", "affluent" and "prosperous" are all synonyms of rich.
Question 19 — Idiom
Q19. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom "once in a blue moon".
(A) Every night (B) Every month (C) Very rarely (D) Every day
Answer: (C) Very rarely. "Once in a blue moon" means something that happens very seldom. In a sentence: "We eat out once in a blue moon." The moon is never actually blue — the phrase is about rarity, not about the moon.
Question 20 — One-Word Substitution
Q20. Choose the one word for: "One who studies the stars."
(A) Geologist (B) Biologist (C) Historian (D) Astronomer
Answer: (D) Astronomer. An astronomer studies the stars and planets. A geologist studies rocks and the earth, a biologist studies living things, and a historian studies the past. The Greek root "astron" (star) gives the answer away.
Common Mistakes in GD English
- Pluralising uncountable nouns. Scenery, furniture, information, advice and luggage have no plural. "Sceneries" and "informations" are always wrong.
- Mixing up there, their and they are. If the word can be replaced by "his", it is "their". If it shows a place, it is "there".
- Using "since" for a length of time. "Since five years" is wrong; "for five years" is right. "Since" needs a starting point, like "since 2021".
- Taking idioms literally. "Bite the dust" and "break the ice" have nothing to do with dust or ice. Learn the meaning as a whole phrase.
- Guessing spellings by sound. "Separate" sounds like "seperate" and "occurrence" sounds like it has one "r". Sound the word out syllable by syllable instead.
Memory Tricks for GD English
- "A rat" in separate. Se-pa-RAT-e. There is a rat in "separate", and that is how you remember the "a".
- Occurrence: double c, double r. Oc-cur-rence. Two c's, two r's — the word occurs twice over.
- Aviary has "avis". Latin for bird is "avis", so an aviary is for birds. An apiary is for bees (apis is Latin for bee).
- Since = starting point, for = length. "Since Monday" (a point), "for five days" (a length). If you can put a number after it, use "for".
- Idioms are pictures, not words. Picture someone falling face-first to bite the dust, and picture a frozen lake cracking to break the ice. The picture is the meaning.
SSC GD English FAQs
How many English questions are there in SSC GD?
20 questions of 2 marks each, in a paper of 80 questions for 160 marks in 60 minutes. You may choose English or Hindi for this part. There is no sectional timing, so you can move freely between the four parts inside the hour.
What is the negative marking in SSC GD English?
0.25 mark is deducted for each wrong answer, in every part of the paper.
Are these GD English questions from previous year papers?
No. All 20 questions on this page are original practice questions written for this page at Class 10 level. They are modelled on the GD English section's style and difficulty. For real previous year papers, see the GD previous year paper note linked below.
Is GD English easier than CHSL or CGL English?
Yes. GD English is set at Class 10 level, while CHSL is 10+2 level and CGL is graduation level. The vocabulary is simpler and the passages are shorter, but the error-spotting traps — subject-verb agreement, since/for, there/their — are the same.
What score should I aim for in GD English?
Aim for 35 or more out of 40. English is the most scoring part of the GD paper for most candidates, because the questions are short and the syllabus is fixed.
Practice Next for SSC GD English
- Pattern: SSC GD exam pattern 2026
- Syllabus: SSC GD syllabus 2026
- Reasoning set: SSC GD reasoning questions
- Maths set: SSC GD maths questions
- Previous papers: SSC GD previous year question paper
- Cut-off: SSC GD cut off
- Salary: SSC GD salary 2026
- Practice: SSC GD English sectional mock test 01, SSC GD English paper 7 February Shift 1, SSC GD full mock test 01
Sources: house SSC GD exam pattern note (80 questions, 160 marks, 60 minutes; 20 questions of 2 marks each in every part; 0.25 negative marking; no sectional timing; final merit on written-test marks only). All 20 questions are original and were written for this page. As of 6 November 2026.