SSC CGL Tier 2 is just 10 days away from now on. The exam that may turn over the new leaf for you comprises English language Section and Quantitative Aptitude carrying 200 marks for each. Today, we will be highlighting the key points that one needs to adopt to score 175+ in CGL Mains Exam along with the mistakes one is required to turn a deaf ear to.
To make it easy for you, let’s divide English Sections into three parts:
1. Vocabulary
2. Grammar
3. Reading Comprehension
1. Vocabulary
Speaking of Vocab Section which compiles Spellings, Antonym/Synonym, One Word Substitution, Idioms and Phrases is not a piece of cake to be mastered in just a few days before the exam. One must mug up 10-20 words each day from the word lists focused on SSC Exams or other govt exams with its synonyms, antonyms and proper usage. Develop the habit of revision whether by reading them again and again or using them while having conversations with others. Try to speak in English for reading ability and read daily English newspapers like – Hindustan Times, Times of India etc. to add celerity for reading comprehension section.
Now the important thing to pay heed is to avoid learning excessive words all at once, doing so makes everything aberrant and you being end up guessing the wrong option in the exam. Also you must need to know which words are worth reading and learning for the exam. To recover from this, Solve Previous Years’ question papers and mock tests daily which are enough to make you aware of the important word lists under Vocabulary Section.
Idioms and Phrases: It is a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language. Every language has its own collection of wise sayings underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. Their meanings are generally easy to crack at the first glimpse but if having any difficulty, deduce the meaning according to your understanding of the sentence or by eliminating options method. Learn from previous year exams idioms and phrases as SSC often repeats them.
Section.
| S.No | Topic | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number Of Questions | ||||||
| 1 |
Spot the error
|
20 | – | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 2 |
Fill In the Blanks
|
5 | – | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 3 |
Synonyms
|
3 | – | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 |
Antonyms
|
3 | – | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 |
Spelling/detecting mis-spelt words
|
3 | – | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 |
Idioms & Phrases
|
10 | – | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 7 |
One word substitution
|
12 | – | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| 8 |
Improvement of sentences
|
22 | – | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 9 |
Active/Passive voice of verbs
|
20 | – | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 10 |
Conversion into direct/indirect narration
|
27 | – | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| 11 |
Jumbled Paragraph
|
20 | – | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 12 |
cloze passage
|
25 | – | 25 | 25 | 24 |
| 13 |
Comprehension Passage
|
30 | – | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 200 Questions | |||||
Direct/Indirect Narration / Voices & Jumbled Sentence- Narration/Voice contain simple rules which on learning by heart once can be beneficial for you in acquiring accurate score for you in English Section. For Rearrangement the Sentences portion, look for either starting, ending or one pair of sentence. Try to make the sentence meaningful by taking each option separately and eventually you will eliminate the wrong option ending up finding the correct one.
It depends on one’s reading pace. Reading skills and imprinting its meaning quickly in your mind to be able to answer the questions asked is all that this section demands. Answers of RC will be in the paragraph only, so escape from applying your own knowledge. In cloze test, read the complete passage to understand the relation among the words and conveyed message. Make wise selection of the words that fit according to the story of passage and eliminate options if the passage stymies you in getting its sense. Practice at least 5-6 Cloze Test Daily to bolster the grip of correct grammatical usage of words.
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