The Secret Way to Prepare Well for English Questions in SSC CGL 2018
Dear Aspirants,
It is advantageous for the students to know about the number of questions that may be asked to them from each topic. So, the topic-wise breakup of number of questions asked from each topic in SSC- CGL English (tier I and II) is given below:
Vocabulary
|
Tier I |
Tier II |
|
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
| Antonym |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
| Synonym/Substitution |
10 |
5 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
15 |
| Idioms |
0 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
10 |
| Spelling |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
| Fill In Blanks |
0 |
15 |
5 |
30 |
20 |
10 |
| Vocab Subtotal |
20 |
35 |
30 |
55 |
45 |
41 |
Grammar
|
Tier I |
Tier II |
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
| Sentence Correction |
5 |
5 |
5 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
| Sentence Improvement |
5 |
5 |
5 |
20 |
20 |
22 |
| Direct-Indirect |
5 |
5 |
0 |
25 |
25 |
27 |
| Active-Passive |
5 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
| Grammar Subtotal |
20 |
15 |
10 |
85 |
85 |
89 |
Sentence Arrangement + Comprehension
|
Tier I |
Tier II |
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
| Sentence Arrangement |
5 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
20 |
20 |
| Comprehension |
5 |
0 |
10 |
50 |
50 |
50 |
| Subtotal |
10 |
0 |
10 |
60 |
70 |
70 |
Overall: SSC CGL -English (Tier 1 & 2)
|
|
Tier I |
Tier II |
|
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
Vocabulary
|
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Fill in the blanks (single statement)
- Fill in the blank (huge paragraph)
- Spelling mistake
- Idioms and phrases
- One word substitution (similar to synonyms)
|
20 |
35 |
30 |
55 |
45 |
41 |
Grammar
|
- Sentence improvement
- sentence correction
- Active passive
- Direct-indirect
|
20 |
15 |
10 |
85 |
85 |
89 |
Comprehension
|
- Comprehension
- Sentence Arrangement
|
10 |
0 |
10 |
60 |
70 |
70 |
| Total |
Grand Total |
50 |
50 |
50 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
- The SSC exams, the English questions usually come in the multiple of “fives” e.g. 5 question on synonyms, then 5 on antonyms and so on. (tier 1)
- Similarly in tier-ii, 10 questions on fill in the blanks, 20 questions on active passive and so on.
- Please do not live in overconfidence that “SSC is a very easy exam and I’m a master of English. So I don’t need to prepare anything for vocabulary or grammar.“
- If you observe the previous SSC papers particularly the tier-II papers of English, the vocabulary portion is not “very easy” at times, they ask meaning of words that are not used in the day to day English.
- Similarly, a lot of things that we say and write in English in our day-to-day life, are not grammatically correct. So you may not be able to tick the right choice in sentence correct/ improvement question.
First of all, get a fullscape notebook / diary. Divide it into two parts
- Grammar
- Vocabulary. (last 50 pages)
Vocabulary?
Vocabulary is of critical importance in SSC exam because of the following reasons
- There are direct questions on synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases.
- You can read the passage faster, if your vocabulary is good, else you’ll have to pause and think.
- In comprehension passages, some questions are in the format of “what is the meaning of XYZ word in the sentence”
Apart from SSC, if you’re planning to appear for CAPF , LIC or PSU exams – they usually have a descriptive paper (précis, letter writing, essay etc.)
- If you’re planning for UPSC, or State PSC, both have compulsory English paper during Mains. Again (précis, letter writing, essay etc.)
- So, you’ll have to write English essay someday and without good vocabulary you can’t write a decent essay.
English Grammar: Approach
In the SSC exam, you have to face English grammar in following areas
- Sentence correction
- Sentence improvement.
- Active passive
- direct indirect speech
Approaching Grammar
Task #1: Active Passive (voice) and Direct-Indirect (speech)
- This is no-excuse topic. Because it relies on a set of simple rules, almost like math formulas.
- And usually Tier I has 10 questions on Voice+speech
- and tier-II has almost 40-45 questions on these two topics alone.
- Understand the grammar rules and practice maximum questions.
- In your “diary” note down any special/odd rules you come across- including example sentences.
Task #2: Sentence Correction+Improvement
To master sentence correction, you’ve to master two subtopics:
- Grammar rules
- Phrasal verbs
Grammar Rules
- First of all you need to know the grammar rules. But you don’t need to know all grammar rules!
- Because in competitive exam, sentence correction relies on certain specific mistakes only.
For instance,
“I think its time to call it quits.” is wrong.
It should be, ” I think it’s time to call it quits.”
Phrasal Verbs
- Important phrasal verbs should be kept in mind otherwise it is difficult to solve the paper.
For instance, ” She bore out the prize.” is wrong.
It should be, ” She bore away the prize.”
The phrase “bore away” means to win.
Comprehension + Sentence Arrangement
- Just one word: Practice.
- The best source for practice= old papers of SSC, IBPS etc.
Hope the above given ideas will help you in the forthcoming SSC CGL examination 2018.
All the Best !
Avision
Howrah, Liluah & Kolkata
Leave a Reply