SarkariPYQ

SSC CHSL 2023 PYQ — Question 1

SSC CHSL - 09 March 2023 - Shift 2 • English • Q1

Back to paper

In the following passage some of the words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully
and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.
In a new study (1)____in Nature Human Behaviour, we have now shown that, in 2021,
(2)__ expectancy rebounded somewhat in most western European countries (3)__
eastern Europe and the US witnessed additional losses. However, only Norway (4) __ its
pre-pandemic life expectancy in 2021, and everywhere is worse off than it would (5) __
have been without the pandemic.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.
 

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is option 2 i.e likely.

 

Context: The sentence is discussing a hypothetical situation i.e. what life expectancy “would have been” if the pandemic had not happened. So, we need a word that modifies a conditional outcome and expresses probability or expectation.

Meaning of “likely”:

Likely means "probably" or "expected to happen."
Example: Without treatment, the disease is likely to get worse.

Grammatical structure: This sentence uses the third conditional form: would + have + past participle is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past.

Hence, the chosen option will be correct.