Preparation
Strategy for English
in all competitive exams in general
and
SSC
CGL in particular
English
Language and Comprehension
Chapter-wise
Syllabus
If you have good command on English Grammar Rules and Vocabulary
Usage along with good Comprehension
Skills, then English Language and Comprehension Section can become your
strength area in SSC CGL 2018-19 Exam. The syllabus for this section is
same in both Tier-I and Tier-II Phase of SSC CGL 2018-19 Exam. We have done
chapter-wise analysis to help you score high in this section.
SSC CGL
2018-19 English Language and Comprehension Preparation Strategy
English Language and Comprehension Section is
considered to be one of the most important and high scoring section of
both Tier-I and Tier-II level of SSC CGL 2018 Exam. As per the
latest notification, SSC will conduct Tier - I CGL Exam generally
in June and Tier-II CGL Exam in September 2019 in online mode.
Questions in this section will be designed to test the candidate‘s
understanding and knowledge of English Language. Answering questions from
English Language and Comprehension Section takes less time as compared to the
other sections. So, if you have good command over English Grammar Rules and
Vocabulary Usage alongwith good Comprehension Skills, then this section can
become your strength area in SSC CGL 2018 Exam.
This section is important in both, Tier-I and Tier-II, levels of
SSC CGL 2018 Exam. So, we have compiled detailed syllabus and analysed it
chapter-wise, so that you can score high in this section. But before analysis,
let’s go through the SSC CGL 2018 Exam Pattern for English Language and
Comprehension Section.
Exam Pattern of English
Language and Comprehension Section for SSC CGL 2018-19 Exam
Before starting the preparation, it is imperative to study the
exam pattern first. This section tests the candidates’ ability to understand
correct grammar usage, vocabulary usage and basic comprehension skills.
So, let’s look at the exam pattern of English Language and
Comprehension Section in both Tier-I and Tier-II Phase of SSC CGL 2018-19 Exam:
In SSC CGL Tier-I Exam, English Language and
Comprehension section consists of 25 multiple-choice questions and each
question carries 2 marks. In this exam, 0.50 marks are deducted as
penalty for each wrong answer.
|
SSC
CGL Tier-I Exam (Objective)
|
Questions
|
Marks
|
Time
|
|
General
Intelligence & Reasoning
|
25
|
50
|
60
minutes (Total)
|
|
General
Awareness
|
25
|
50
|
|
|
Quantitative
Aptitude
|
25
|
50
|
|
|
English
Language and Comprehension
|
25
|
50
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
100
|
200
|
In SSC CGL Tier-II Exam, Paper II - English Language
and Comprehension consists of 200 multiple-choice questions and each
question carries 1 marks. The duration of this exam is 2 hours. In this
exam, 0.25 marks are deducted as penalty for each wrong answer.
|
SSC
CGL Tier-II Exam (Objective)
|
No
of Questions
|
Max
Marks
|
Exam
Duration
|
|
Paper
– II: English Language and Comprehension
|
200
|
200
|
2
Hours
|
Chapter-wise Syllabus
of English Language and Comprehension Section for SSC CGL 2018-19 Exam
After going through the exam pattern, next step is to understand
the topic-wise syllabus of English Language and Comprehension Section.Below
are the major categories covered in SSC CGL Tier-I and Tier-II Exams under the
English Language and Comprehension Section:
The syllabus is almost the same for both Tier I and Tier-II SSC
CGL Exam except the below topics are not part of Tier-I Exam:
·
Cloze Test
·
Active-Passive Voice
·
Direct-Indirect Speech
·
Para jumbles
·
Jumbled Sentence
So students can avoid practicing the above topics for SSC CGL
Tier-I 2018-19 Exam.
The above table is just a brief of Syllabus for English Language
and Comprehension Section of SSC CGL Tier-I and Tier-II Exams. Students must go
through the detailed analysis of this section to build a proper strategy for
scoring high in this section.
SSC Tier-I and Tier-II
Chapter-wise Analysis of English Language and Comprehension Section
Before starting exam preparation, candidates must make a list of
important topics from which questions have been asked frequently in the English
Language and Comprehension Section of SSC CGL Tier-I Exam. Also, with
increasing number of students every year there is a cut throat competition.
Therefore, it is required to analyze previous year papers and compare the
break-up of questions to identify the high scoring areas in this section.
Let’s take a look at the analysis of SSC CGL Tier-I and Tier-II
Exam for English Language and Comprehension Topics Section:
|
Category
|
Topics
|
Tier-I
(No. Of Questions Asked)
|
Tier-II
(No. Of Questions Asked)
|
|
Vocabulary
|
Synonyms
& Antonyms
|
2-3
|
0-5
|
|
Fill
in the blanks
|
1-2
|
0-5
|
|
|
Cloze
Test
|
10
|
||
|
Spelling
Test
|
1-2
|
0-5
|
|
|
Idioms
and Phrases
|
1-2
|
5
|
|
|
One-word
substitution
|
1-2
|
5
|
|
|
Sentence
or Phrase Improvement
|
1-2
|
5-10
|
|
|
Grammar
|
Sentence
correction/ Spotting the error
|
2-3
|
10
|
|
Fill
in the blanks
|
2-3
|
0-5
|
|
|
Sentence
or Phrase Improvement
|
2-3
|
5-10
|
|
|
Active-Passive
Voice
|
10
|
||
|
Direct-Indirect
Speech
|
10
|
||
|
Comprehension
|
Reading
Comprehension
|
5
|
25-30
|
|
Sentence
Rearrangement
|
Parajumbles
|
5
|
|
|
Jumbled
Sentence
|
5-10
|
||
|
Total
|
25
|
200
|
|
Let’s have a look in detail the different categories from which
the questions are asked in both SSC CGL Tier-I and Tier-II Exam:
Vocabulary Usage:
1. Synonyms
and Antonyms – Synonyms mean the words which have the same or nearly the
same meaning as another word or other words in a language. An Antonym is the
opposite of another word. For example, the Antonym of day is night.
2. Cloze
Test – This test consist of a passage with blanks and we have to
complete the reading by filling up the blanks. Students should focus on reading
the passage very carefully and then you’ll be able to figure out the right or
appropriate words to be filled.
3. Fill in
the blanks – Under this topic, you are required to find a suitable word
to fill in. It constitutes questions which have only blanks. Remember to read
the statement carefully and choose the most appropriate option.
4. Spelling
Test - Spelling skills can be improved mainly by putting in
efforts like looking up a word you're not sure of, keeping the dictionary at
hand, keeping a list of words you know you have trouble with.
5. Idioms
and Phrases – The common question which was asked in the SSC Exams are
Idioms and Phrases. The topic usually has good weightage in the exam, so
prepare them well.
6. One-word
substitution - One word substitution means a word that replace a group of
words or sentences without creating or changing the exact meaning of sentences.
7. Sentence
or Phrase Improvement – In terms of vocabulary usage, this topic means using
appropriate words or phrases to improve the senctence given in the question.
Grammar Usage:
1. Sentence
correction/ Spotting the error – Follow the grammar
rules in this section like subject-verb agreement, Verb time Sequences,
etc
2. Fill in
the blanks - This section is dedicated to target or find a suitable
word to fill in. It constitutes questions which have only blanks.
3. Sentence
or Phrase Improvement - This topic is just an
extension of correct grammatical usage. However, in this section students not
only require a good Knowledge of "correct grammatical usage," but
they also need to look for answers that are concise and not redundant.
4. Active/
Passive Voice - In this topic, a sentence will be given in Active/ Passive
Voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, you are required to select the
one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/ Active.
5. Direct-Indirect
Speech - In this topic, a sentence will be given Indirect/Direct Speech.
Out of the four alternatives suggested, you are required to select the one
which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct Speech.
Reading Comprehension:
Reading Comprehension is one of the most critical topics of
English Language and Comprehension Section. Therefore, the students should
devote ample time in the preparation of this section. For doing this, a proper
strategy has to be framed and followed to optimally utilize the limited time
available for the preparation.
Sentence Rearrangement:
Sentence rearrangement is an important part of the English
Language section in various competitive exams. It consists of a group of
jumbled up sentences. The goal is to rearrange the sentences in the original
sequence. Questions from this section can be asked in the form of various
sentences and various paragraphs.
Now, let’s have a look at the percentage distribution of
different topics from this section in SSC CGL Tier-I and Tier-II Exam:
If we look at the pie chart, it can be derived that Vocabulary
Usage (48%) and Grammar Usage (32%) categories
form a major portion and Reading Comprehension (20%) forms a
minor portion of the English Language and Comprehension Section in SSC
CGL Tier-I Exam. Normally, questions asked in this section are direct and
quite easy. Therefore, candidates can score really well in this section.
In SSC CGL Tier-II Phase, English Language and Comprehension is
the second paper. In this paper, major portion is covered by Vocabulary
Usage (40%) and Grammar Usage (35%). The rest minor
portion is covered by the categories – Reading Comprehension (15%) and
Sentence Rearrangement (10%). Students can score well in this paper,
as questions asked in this paper also are direct and quite easy.
The above analysis will help you in finding out which area needs
more practice and time so that you can plan out your study schedule.
How to prepare and score
high in English Language and Comprehension Section - SSC CGL Exam?
After going through the chapter-wise analysis, students prepare a
strategy which will help in strengthening your weak areas. Strategically, you
must start practice with the easy topics for building confidence and scoring
well in this section. As you move on with your practice, start working on the
difficult topics as well.
So, let’s look at some ways through which you will be able to
ace the English Language and Comprehension Section of SSC CGL 2018-19 Exam:
·
Improve your Vocabulary:
Let’s look at some ways
through which you can improve your vocabulary:
1. THESAURUS:
This is an easy way to study and memorize words. There are a lot of online
thesauruses available in which a word and its opposite words can be found in
one place.
2. WORD
LIST: Keep a pocket note book in which you can jot down a few words every day,
say 10-20. The most important thing is you must go through the list frequently.
3. ONLINE
FLASHCARDS: If you use a mobile or a tablet you can download free flash cards
that may help you in learning or remembering new words.
·
Improve your English Grammar:
A proper understanding of Grammar Usage is required for attempting
questions from the section – ‘English Language and Comprehension’. These
types of questions are quite common in all competitive exams and mostly come in
the form of questions like ‘spotting the errors’. Finding an error in a sentence
is a step-by-step process. Students must follow grammar rules while solving
such type of questions.
·
Improve your Reading Comprehension Skills:
Reading comprehension skills cannot be build overnight but it
could be developed inherently through a course of time. In order to crack the
reading comprehension part and to develop reading skills, it is very much
required to develop the habit of reading every day. Reading newspaper is a good
option but just reading hard facts that happen every day cannot be up to the
mark to develop your reading skills. So it is better to prefer feature stories,
opinion pieces in editorials, business magazines, etc., can help you build your
reading and comprehension skills quite faster.
·
Practice Previous Year Question Papers:
Try to practice as much
previous paper as you can. But don’t forget to follow the current structure of
the exam, as exam pattern keeps on changing from time to time.
·
Plan right Strategy :
Follow a proper strategy and a time table for all the sections of
question paper. For English Language and Comprehension Section, try to invest
at least 2 hours every day for better output.
Things to keep in mind
while preparing for English Language and Comprehension Section - SSC CGL Exam
English Language and Comprehension cannot be mastered in a day. A
lot of practice is required alongwith consistency. So, if you want to score
high in this section then plan strategically and follow the below tips:
·
Make reading a habit: Read
newspapers and magazines to improve your reading habits. Learn at least 10 new
English words and meanings daily.
·
Regular Practice: Make a
habit practicing previous year paper and mock test every day to improve your
speed and accuracy. Solve previous year papers as there are many questions
which are repeated.
·
Practice Important Topics: Students
can look into the chapter-wise analysis mentioned above and focus on the
important topics first.
·
Focus on your weak areas: First
try to focus on you weak areas and spend more time improving them. Devote more
time to your weak areas and less time to your strong areas.
·
Read the complete question first: Students
are required to avoid the mistake of reading incomplete questions and arriving
at incorrect answer eventually. Read the questions carefully and check what is
being asked.
·
Rule of Elimination: Use
method of elimination in confusing options and try to get answers by it.
·
Avoid any guess works: Guesswork
may lead you to wrong answers and will increase negative marking. Also, don’t
waste much time on one question and move onto the next if you are not sure
about the correct answer.
So, time has come to start your preparation in a systematic manner
as the SSC CGL Tier –I Exam is approaching very soon. Focus on the Chapter-wise
Analysis mentioned above and build a study plan keeping in mind the structure
of the English Language and Comprehension Section.
You may find the following books useful:
Buy English for General Competition Book preferably Objective English for Competitive Examination Publisher: Tata McGraw-Hill Education India
A good dictionary, preferably Oxford Learner’s
Dictionary
Improving Word Power by Norman Lewis
English Grammar & Composition published by Arihant or
