SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 9 September 2024, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 11 of 100

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 6 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.

The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error. My brother performed / extremely good / in the class test / held yesterday.

(a)held yesterday
(b)extremely good
(c)in the class test
(d)My brother performed

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The segment extremely good describes the verb performed, and an action verb takes an adverb, not an adjective. The repair is extremely well.

Good is an adjective, so it can only follow a linking verb: the food tastes good, she looks good. Perform is not a linking verb, which makes option (b) the faulty segment.

Extremely is not the problem. It is an intensifier and sits equally happily before good or before well.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
held yesterday — held yesterday is a reduced relative clause — the class test (which was) held yesterday. The past participle held is exactly what that reduction requires, so the segment is sound.
(c)
in the class test — in the class test uses the right preposition: performance is measured in a test, in an exam, in an interview. Nothing in this segment needs changing.
(d)
My brother performed — My brother performed pairs a singular subject with the simple past performed, the correct tense for an action completed yesterday.

Concept

The item tests adjective versus adverb of manner. Ask what the word is describing: if it describes the noun, use the adjective; if it describes how the action was done, use the adverb.

Performed is an action verb, so how he performed has to be answered by well. Put a linking verb in its place and the adjective comes back: he looked good.

Well is itself an adjective only in the sense of healthy, as in I feel well now.

SSC marks this format by segment, not by word, so you have to name the whole block that carries the fault even when a single word inside it is wrong.

Key facts

Good is an adjective and well is the corresponding adverb of manner.
Linking verbs such as be, seem, appear, look, sound, taste and feel take an adjective, not an adverb.
Well doubles as an adjective only when it means in good health.

Study next

Adjective or adverb after look, feel, sound and tasteReduced relative clauses such as the test (which was) held yesterdayComparatives shared by the pair, where better and best serve both good and well

Common traps

Hearing extremely good as idiomatic because it is common in speech, and passing the segment as correct.
Blaming held yesterday for being past when the main verb is already past.

The four-segment error item is a fixture of this section. The same format returns at 09 Sep 2024, 09:00, English Q.4 of this shift, where the fault is countability (no informations) rather than word class.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.