SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 24 September 2024, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 9 of 98

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 10 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Identify the error in the given sentence. Camels tend to move slowly than other domestic animals in the plains.

(a)domestic animals in the plains.
(b)move slowly
(c)Camels tend to
(d)than other

Answer

Why

Correct — B. In this comparison than needs a comparative before it.

The segment move slowly is the plain positive degree of the adverb. Slowly has more than one syllable, so its comparative is built with more: more slowly.

Corrected, the sentence reads: Camels tend to move more slowly than other domestic animals in the plains. The faulty segment is option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
domestic animals in the plains. — domestic animals in the plains is sound. It is the second half of the comparison and needs no change once the adverb is fixed.
(c)
Camels tend to — Camels tend to is sound. Tend to is followed by the base form of the verb, and move is the base form.
(d)
than other — than other is the trap. Than is the right conjunction for a comparison and other is fine before a plural noun. The fault lies on the adverb side of than, not here.

Concept

Than is the signal here. In a comparison like this one, the word being compared must stand in the comparative degree — faster, better, more slowly.

Adverbs of one syllable usually take -er, as in fast and faster. Adverbs of two or more syllables, and nearly every adverb ending in -ly, take more: more slowly, more carefully, more quickly.

The sentence supplies the second half of the comparison and leaves the first half in the positive. That gap is the planted error.

The correction here is more slowly, not slower. Slower is used as an adverb in everyday speech and many dictionaries accept it, but the textbook comparative of an -ly adverb is the one being tested, and no option offers slower in any case.

Key facts

Than in a comparison requires the comparative degree in the word being compared.
Adverbs ending in -ly form the comparative with more, as in more slowly and more carefully.
Early is the common -ly adverb that still takes -er, giving earlier.

Study next

Degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlativeDouble comparatives such as more faster, and why they are wrongComparisons with as ... as, where the positive degree is correct

Common traps

Blaming than other, when than is the very word that exposes the error
Correcting slowly to slower, which is not on offer here
Reading the sentence for sense, which is intact, instead of for form

The same comparative fault is at 26 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.2, where My colleague always works latest than me is keyed on latest. English Q.16 of this shift is the substitution version of a grammar fault, where nothing else has to become nothing else but while the verb stays makes.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Error spotting — all 69 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.