Are you really aware of SSC English Syllabus

SSC CGL is surely one of the most competitive Govt. Job exams in the country. Over 10 lakh candidates prepare themselves throughout the year for this exam. Many of whom find the English section a tough nut to crack. As regards the English syllabus, the exact words mentioned in the official notification for SSC CGL are: “Candidates’ ability to understand correct English, his basic comprehension and writing ability, etc. would be tested.” Now, this is a broad outline which doesn’t specify the types of questions that you can expect. The teachers providing the Best SSC Coaching Classes in Delhi have, therefore, come up with a blueprint which clearly explains the pattern of English section.

The questions that comprise the English section can be clubbed under 10 heads, as mentioned below-

1.One Word Substitution:

It requires substituting a cluster of words with one single word. One word substitution questions have traditionally been scoring opportunities for candidates, but in the recent past the difficulty level of the questions has increased. Going through past year SSC exam papers is really beneficial, while preparing for these questions. However, ultimately your performance here is dependent on how strong your vocabulary is.

2. Idioms & Phrases:

Every language has its special phrases known as idioms. Idioms have their own meanings; these meanings can’t be arrived at by understanding the words that form the idiom. You can easily expect around 5 questions on idioms in SSC exam English section. A phrasal verb starts with a verb and ends with a preposition. It also has a unique meaning which is different from its literal meaning. Sometimes, your knowledge of phrasal verbs may be tested through sentence improvement questions.

3. Synonyms & Antonyms:

Questions where you have to find a synonym or an antonym of a given word are always there in the exam. The great thing is that these questions are hardly time-consuming. If you have a good vocabulary, you can get all of them right in no time. It will give you an edge over all other candidates whose vocabulary is not up to the mark. So, investing time in improving your vocabulary will definitely give your rich dividends. Make sure you start with learning the high-frequency words and then move on to the words which are not that frequently used.

4. Fill in the Blanks (Sentence Completion):

To achieve high accuracy on these questions you must hone your word usage skills. You must learn not only the meaning of a word and what part of speech it is but also the context in which it is used. Doing all this requires regular reading and focusing on the nuances of the language. At times, prepositions have to be filled in the blanks. Such questions can be mastered by understanding how different prepositions are used and doing a lot of practice questions.

5. Sentence Errors:

Quite often students attempt these questions on the basis of what sounds correct or incorrect. This sort of approach must be done away with because what we speak and what sounds correct is, at times, grammatically incorrect. In our daily communication most of us flout the rules of grammar, without even knowing it. Therefore, learning the fundamentals of English grammar becomes essential. Moreover, you must be able to apply the fundamentals of grammar and find out which part of the sentence is erroneous.

6. Comprehension Passage:

Comprehension passages invariably find a place in SSC CGL. These passages are designed to test your understanding of the written text. The idea here is to check whether you can analyze the information which is given in the form of an unseen passage. Thus, improving your reading comprehension skills becomes an integral part of SSC exam preparation. However, bettering your comprehension alone will not be enough if your reading speed is slow. In this regard, you have to make sure you consciously practice speed reading.

7. Sentence Rearrangement:

Questions based on sentence rearrangement require you to rearrange the sentences in proper order so as to construct a meaningful paragraph. In order to get these questions right, you have to hone your reading skills. Reading will help you realize the sense of continuity which is there among the sentences that are parts of the same paragraph. When attempting sentence rearrangement questions, you must look for how a sentence gets linked with another sentence. Understanding the use of pronouns & connectors and learning the rules of paragraph construction will help you with it.

8. Jumbled up Sentence:

When a lengthy sentence is broken into fragments and you have to sequence them to form the original sentence, such a question is known as a jumbled up sentence question. These questions are pretty easy to handle and you must get all of them right. A basic understanding of verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions is needed to solve these questions. However, you should try to understand the meaning of the sentence first and then start sequencing the fragments which are there in the question.

9. Narration (Direct Speech & Indirect Speech):

The knowledge of converting direct speech into indirect speech and vice-versa must be acquired for sure. Thorough understanding of tenses and modal verbs is required if you want to learn narration well. You should learn how verbs and tenses get transformed when direct speech is changed into indirect speech. Questions based on narration are most important from the perspective of the SSC CGL Tier II exam. From this area, you can easily expect at least 10 questions in Tier II exam.

10. Active Voice & Passive Voice:

The understanding of concepts such as subject, object, transitive verbs, intransitive verbs and tenses is essential over here. Before solving these questions, you should memorize the rules which govern the conversion of active voice into passive voice. However, a word of caution is that you must not mix up these rules with the rules that govern narration. Although active voice & passive voice questions may or may not be there in SSC CGL Tier I exam, they are definitely there in Tier II exam.

Summary: The pattern of questions given over here has been prepared after a lot of research by the best institute for SSC CGL Coaching in Delhi. Following this pattern will ensure that your preparation is totally in sync with the official syllabus for the exam.