SSC CGL English · Free notes
Reading Comprehension: SSC CGL English
Reading Comprehension has 148 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank, and 146 of them come from the 2025 shifts, which set long passages of academic writing, most with five questions each. Most are EASY, because the answer is in the passage, but the options are built to look alike. Read the questions first, find each answer's sentence, and choose the option that says what that sentence says, no more and no less, judging words by their sentence and the main idea by the whole passage.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown.
Subtopic notes
Finding Facts in the Passage
64 PYQsQuestions whose answer is stated in the passage: what the passage says about something, or why the author mentions it. The work is finding the right sentence and matching its meaning to an option.
Words and Phrases in Context
34 PYQsQuestions on what a word, phrase or image means as the passage uses it, which can differ from its most common meaning.
Main Idea and Inference
50 PYQsQuestions about the passage as a whole: its central idea, the author's view and tone, what must be true from it, and the options built to look right while saying something else.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 9 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 9 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Watch out for (3)
- Answering from memory of the topic→ Locating the answer line
- Reading only the line with the key word→ Locating the answer line
- Describing the item instead of its purpose→ Why the author mentions something
Watch out for (2)
- Choosing a word's dictionary meaning that the sentence does not use→ A word's meaning in its sentence
- Reading an image literally→ Phrases, images and metaphors
Watch out for (4)
- Picking the most striking detail→ The central idea and the author's view
- Accepting a reasonable guess→ What must be true from the passage
- Trusting an option because it uses the passage's words→ Options that look right
- Overlooking a strong word→ Options that look right
PYQ weightage by concept
7 concepts · 148 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
7 concepts · 148 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Locating the answer line | 51 | 34% |
| Why the author mentions something | 13 | 9% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A word's meaning in its sentence | 22 | 15% |
| Phrases, images and metaphors | 12 | 8% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The central idea and the author's view | 30 | 20% |
| Options that look right | 11 | 7% |
| What must be true from the passage | 9 | 6% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SSC CGL paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.