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SSC CGL

Reading Comprehension Questions

20 Reading Comprehension questions from SSC CGL with detailed answers and explanations. Free previous year questions and MCQs.

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20
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5
Easy
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15
Medium
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0
Hard
Years:2026 (20)

Reading ComprehensionSSC CGL(120 of 20)

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Q1mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word surges stated in para1 of the given passage.
Q2easymcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Fill in the blank with the correct information from the passage:

Sir Thomas Philips in ________ years amassed the greatest private library.
Q3easymcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Fill in the blank with the correct information from the passage:

Levin has been warned never to display his humungous collection of books on shelves, as their weight could bring _______.
Q4easymcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Read the passage and answer the following question:

Who can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips?
Q5easymcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Fill in the blank with the correct information from the passage:

Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as _______.
Q6easymcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Fill in the blank with the correct information from the passage:

Sir Thomas amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some _______.
Q7mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word vicinity stated in para2 of the given passage.
Q8mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word bleached stated in para 1 of the given passage.
Q9mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word imperiled stated in para1 of the given passage.
Q10mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word erosion stated in para1 of the given passage.
Q11mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.
Q12mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

As per the World Economic Forum, half the world's GDP depends on _________.
Q13mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

How much forestland, according to the passage, is destroyed every year?
Q14mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons for human-animal conflict?
Q15mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

Select the central theme of the passage.
Q16mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

Select the most appropriate title for the given passage.
Q17mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.
Q18mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.
Q19mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.
Q20mediummcqEnglish LanguageSSC CGL2026
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.

SSC CGL Reading Comprehension — FAQ

How many Reading Comprehension questions come in SSC CGL?
Our database has 20 Reading Comprehension questions from SSC CGL covering 2026 to 2026.
What difficulty are SSC CGL Reading Comprehension questions?
The 20 SSC CGL Reading Comprehension questions include 5 easy, 15 medium and 0 hard level questions.
Where can I find more Reading Comprehension questions for other exams?
Visit /tag/reading-comprehension to see all Reading Comprehension questions across all exams including Competitive Exam, Staff Selection Commission, Mock Exam.