SSC CGL Adjective Questions with Detailed Solutions

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (b) After a prolonged illness, Sunita was too weak to walk.
Explanation: The original sentence wrongly uses "so … to". The correlative "so" must be followed by "that" + clause (so weak that she could not walk), whereas "too" is followed by "to" + infinitive (too weak to walk). Option (b) uses the correct "too + adjective + to-infinitive" structure, which already carries a negative sense (she could not walk). Option (a) lacks the verb "was" and wrongly pairs "too" with "that"; option (c) uses "too … so that" and the wrong pronoun "he"; option (d) repeats the original error.
Grammatical rule used: "Too + adjective/adverb + to + V1" expresses excess and has a negative meaning. "So + adjective/adverb + that + subject + verb" expresses result.
Example: He is too tired to work. / He is so tired that he cannot work.
Information Booster: Never use "not" after "too … to", since the structure is already negative (❌ too weak not to walk). Also, "too" should not be used in place of "very" in positive statements (❌ I am too happy to meet you → ✅ I am very happy to meet you).

Option (c) contains an error.
The word stressed is an adjective used mainly to describe a person who is experiencing mental or emotional pressure. Here, the sentence refers to noise, which causes stress rather than experiences it. Therefore, stressful should be used instead of stressed.
The correct sentence is: “You always have noise in the city and it is very stressful.”
Grammatical rule used:
-ed adjectives generally describe the person or thing experiencing a feeling, whereas -ing adjectives describe the person or thing that causes the feeling.
Example:
· I am bored. → I experience boredom.
· The lecture is boring. → The lecture causes boredom.
Information Booster: Common pairs include interested/interesting, tired/tiring, confused/confusing, excited/exciting, annoyed/annoying. Use -ed for the experiencer and -ing for the cause.

Option (b) contains an error.
The error is “much more sleeker.” The word sleeker is already the comparative form of sleek. Therefore, using more before it creates a double comparative, which is grammatically incorrect.
The correct sentence is: “The new smartphone is much sleeker and lighter than the previous model.”
Grammatical rule used:
Comparative adjectives should not normally be preceded by more when they already take the -er comparative ending.
Example:
· Incorrect: She is more taller than her sister.
· Correct: She is taller than her sister.
· Correct: She is much taller than her sister.
Information Booster: Some adjectives use more + adjective for comparison, especially longer adjectives:
· beautiful → more beautiful
· expensive → more expensive
· But short adjectives generally take -er:
· tall → taller
· sleek → sleeker

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (b) the most influential leader.
Explanation: The adjective “influential” is a long adjective, so its superlative form is made using “most”: most influential. When a superlative adjective is used before a singular countable noun, it is normally preceded by the definite article “the.”
Therefore, the correct phrase is “the most influential leader.” The sentence means that he wishes to become the most influential leader in the country representing marginalised communities.
Grammatical rule used:
Superlative adjectives generally take “the” before them.
Structure:
the + most + adjective + singular countable noun
Example: She is the most talented student in the class.
Information Booster ��:
For short adjectives, use -est:
· tall → the tallest
· strong → the strongest
For longer adjectives, use most:
· influential → the most influential
· beautiful → the most beautiful
However, “most” without “the” can sometimes mean “very” rather than functioning as a superlative: It was a most interesting experience.

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (c) in a green dress, walked the dog.
The sentence should clearly state that the girl was wearing a green dress while she walked the dog. The phrase “in a green dress” functions as a prepositional phrase describing the girl, and it should be placed before the main verb walked.
Correct sentence: The girl, in a green dress, walked the dog.
Or: The girl in a green dress walked the dog.
Grammatical rule used: A descriptive phrase should be placed close to the noun or pronoun it modifies. The phrase in a green dress describes the girl, not the dog.
Example: The boy in a blue shirt won the race.
Information Booster: A misplaced modifier can create ambiguity or unintentionally suggest that the wrong noun is being described.

The correct option is (d) She is the most intelligent student in the class.

Explanation: When comparing one person with the whole group (in the class), we must use the superlative degree of the adjective. The superlative of 'intelligent' is 'most intelligent', and it must always be preceded by the definite article 'the'.

Grammatical Rule: Superlative adjectives (like 'the best', 'the most beautiful') are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality. They are used in sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects.
Example: Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system.

Information Booster: Comparative degree ('more intelligent') is used only when comparing two entities. Since 'the class' implies many students, superlative is mandatory.
So the correct answer is (d)

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (a) sings very beautifully.
Explanation: The word in question modifies the verb “sings” — it tells us how the soloist sings. A verb can only be modified by an adverb, never by an adjective. “Beautiful” is an adjective (it qualifies nouns), so it must be replaced by its adverb form “ beautifully”. The tense “sings” is correct, since the sentence describes a habitual fact.
Grammatical rule used: Adjective → qualifies a noun/pronoun; Adverb → modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Example: She dances gracefully (not “graceful”); he speaks clearly (not “clear”).
�� Information Booster: After linking verbs (be, seem, look, taste, feel, smell, sound), an adjective — not an adverb — is used: “The soup tastes good” (not “well”).

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (d) He is superior to.
Explanation: Adjectives of Latin origin ending in -or — superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior, posterior, anterior — are followed by the preposition “ to”, never by “than”. Moreover, these words are already comparative in sense, so they can never be preceded by “more” or “most”. Hence “superior than” must be corrected to “superior to”.
Grammatical rule used: Latin comparatives take “to” instead of “than”, and do not admit “more/most”.
Example: This model is inferior to the earlier one; he is senior to me by three years.
Information Booster: Also remember “prefer A to B” — never “prefer than”. Exception: “prefer to + V1 rather than + V1”.

The correct option to fill in the blank is (d) the best, as good as.
The phrase “in a year” indicates a time period over which several biryanis were eaten, so the superlative degree “the best” is required, and a superlative always takes “the”. The second blank compares two items of equal quality, which requires the positive degree structure “as + adjective + as”.
Example: This is the best film I have seen this year, and it is as gripping as the original.
Explain why other options are incorrect:
· (a) “gooder” is not a word; the comparative of “good” is “better”.
· (b) “the better” is used only when comparing exactly two things (the better of the two).
· (c) “a better” leaves the comparison incomplete and does not suit “in a year”.
�� Information Booster: Comparison of equality → as…as (affirmative) / so…as (negative). Degrees of “good”: good – better – best.

The correct option to fill in the blank is (d) better.
The sentence clearly refers to two detective novels (“Of the two…”), and when a comparison is made between only two persons or things, the comparative degree must be used. “Better” is the comparative form of “well”, and here it correctly modifies the past participle “written” to mean “written in a better manner”.
Example: Of the two candidates, Riya performed better in the interview.
Explain why other options are incorrect:
· more better: This is a double comparative, which is always wrong, since “better” is already the comparative form of “good/well” and cannot take “more” before it.
· best: This is the superlative degree, used only when three or more items are compared; with just two novels it is grammatically unsuitable.
· the best: Besides being superlative, the article “the” makes the error even clearer, as the superlative requires a group of at least three.
�� Information Booster: Comparative degree is used for two; superlative for more than two. Watch for signal phrases such as “of the two”, “between the two”, “the latter” and “the former”, which always demand the comparative. Also note the irregular chains: good/well → better → best; bad/badly → worse → worst; little → less → least.

The error is in (a) talent.
Explanation:
The word talent is a noun that means a natural ability or aptitude to do something well. In the given sentence, the word is used to describe the noun musician. Therefore, an adjective is required instead of a noun.
The adjective form of talent is talented, which means having a natural ability or skill in a particular field.
The correct sentence is:
He is an extremely talented musician.
Hindi Meaning: वह एक अत्यंत प्रतिभाशाली संगीतकार है।
Grammar Rule:
An adjective is used to qualify or describe a noun or pronoun. When describing a person's ability or skill, we use the adjective talented rather than the noun talent.
· Talent (Noun): A natural ability or skill. (प्रतिभा / कौशल)
· Talented (Adjective): Having a natural ability or skill. (प्रतिभाशाली)
· Extremely (Adverb): To a very great degree. (अत्यंत / बहुत अधिक)
Why are the other options correct?
· (b) an: Correct. The word musician begins with a vowel sound, so the article an is appropriate.
· (c) musician: Correct. It is a noun referring to a person who plays or composes music.
· (d) extremely: Correct. It is an adverb of degree that modifies the adjective talented.
Additional Examples:
1. She is a talented artist.
2. He is an extremely talented dancer.
3. The competition attracted many talented musicians.
Information Booster:
Remember the following word forms:

Noun	Adjective
Talent	Talented
Beauty	Beautiful
Courage	Courageous
Wisdom	Wise
Strength	Strong

Important: Adverbs of degree such as extremely, highly, very, and remarkably are generally used to modify adjectives.
Example: Extremely talented, highly intelligent, very courageous.
Hence, the correct answer is (a) talent.

The correct answer is (d) more.
Explanation:
The sentence requires a comparative degree of comparison because the efficiency of one person is being compared with that of her colleagues.
The word efficiently is an adverb of manner. To form its comparative degree, we use "more" before the adverb.
Thus, "more efficiently" means performing an action with a greater degree of efficiency than someone else.
The correct sentence is:
She completed the task more efficiently than her colleagues, surprising everyone.
Hindi Meaning: उसने अपने सहकर्मियों की तुलना में कार्य को अधिक कुशलता से पूरा किया, जिससे सभी आश्चर्यचकित हो गए।
Grammar Rule: Degree of Comparison
Adverbs can express three degrees of comparison:

Degree	Example
Positive	She works efficiently.
Comparative	She works more efficiently than her colleagues.
Superlative	She works most efficiently of all.

Why are the other options incorrect?
· (a) Most: It is used to form the superlative degree. The sentence requires a comparative degree because of the word "than."
· (b) Much: It is generally used to modify comparative forms, such as "much more efficiently." However, "much efficiently than" is grammatically incorrect.
· (c) Many: It is used with countable plural nouns, such as "many books" or "many students." It cannot modify the adverb "efficiently."
· (d) More: It correctly forms the comparative degree of the adverb "efficiently."
Additional Examples:
1. He speaks more clearly than his brother.
2. She solved the problem more quickly than the others.
3. The new machine operates more smoothly than the old one.
Information Booster:
Whenever a sentence contains the comparative marker "than", check whether the blank requires a comparative form.
· Efficient → More efficient (adjective)
· Efficiently → More efficiently (adverb)
Hence, the correct answer is (d) more.

Option (b) contains an error.
Detailed explanation: The phrase “Of all the dancers” compares one person with every other member of the group, and such a comparison always requires the superlative degree, not the comparative degree. Hence ‘more gracefully’ must be replaced by ‘most gracefully’. The corrected sentence is: “Of all the dancers, she performed most gracefully.”
Grammatical rule used: With expressions such as ‘of all’, ‘among all’, ‘one of the’, the superlative degree is used; the comparative degree (‘more’, ‘-er’) is used only when two persons or things are compared, usually with ‘than’.
Example: Of all the students, Rahul answered most confidently.
�� Information booster: Adverbs/adjectives of two or more syllables form the superlative with ‘most’ (most gracefully, most beautiful), while short words take ‘-est’ (fastest, tallest). Double superlatives like ‘most gracefullest’ are always incorrect.

Option (c) contains an error.
The adjective senior is one of a small group of comparatives borrowed directly from Latin, and such adjectives are followed by the preposition to, never by the conjunction than. The segment must read she is now senior to. The correct sentence is: Although she joined the department much later, she is now senior to every other officer in the branch.
Grammatical rule used: The Latin comparatives — senior, junior, superior, inferior, prior, posterior, anterior, interior, exterior, major, minor — already contain the comparative sense in their own form and therefore take to rather than than, and are never preceded by more. The same preposition is required by prefer and preferable.
Example: This cloth is superior to that one. / He is junior to me by three years. / Tea is preferable to coffee at this hour.
�� Note: Two further traps follow from the same rule. First, more senior and most junior, though common in speech, are redundant in formal grammar, since the comparative force is already present. Second, prefer takes to, not than — I prefer walking to driving — and when infinitives are compared it takes rather than: I prefer to walk rather than to drive.