SSC CGL Fill in the Blanks Questions (Vocabulary, Prepositions, Phrasal Verbs & Grammar)

Fill in the Blanks Tests — Pick a Level and Start

Tap a level to see every test in it. Level 1 is set at real SSC CGL difficulty — start there once the common words and prepositions are fresh. Level 2 is pitched above the exam, with tougher vocabulary and options that sit very close together.

Level 1 SSC CGL Level Checking… View tests

Same difficulty as the real SSC CGL and CHSL paper. Everyday-to-moderate vocabulary chosen from a clear clue in the sentence, fixed prepositions (fond of, depend on, senior to), common phrasal verbs and idioms, confusable pairs like affect / effect, tense with since, for and ago, articles, quantifiers and the linking words although, unless and so that. A steady score here means the chapter is exam-ready.

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Level 2 Above SSC CGL Level Checking… View tests

Harder than the exam asks. Richer vocabulary (sanguine, perfunctory, laconic, venal), look-alike options such as eminent / imminent and credible / creditable, formal prepositions (conducive to, tantamount to, devoid of), inversion after Never and Hardly, third and mixed conditionals, lest … should, and two-blank questions where each option is a pair of words. Every wrong option is close to the answer but still definitely wrong.

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Every fill in the blanks question asks one thing: which option fits this sentence in both grammar and meaning? The answer is never a matter of taste — the sentence always carries a clue that decides it: a contrast word like although, a cause like because, a time word like since, or the word just before the blank that needs a fixed preposition.

Marks are lost in three places. The first is picking a word that sounds right but has the wrong shade of meaning — credible where the sentence wants creditable. The second is ignoring the signal word, so a positive word goes into a blank that although has made negative. The third is the wrong preposition after a familiar word — senior than instead of senior to.

SSC CGL Previous Year Papers Free Online Test Attempt SSC CGL Mock Test 2026 Free

How Many Fill in the Blanks Questions Are Asked in SSC CGL?

Fill in the blanks is a regular part of the English section — usually two or three single-blank questions in a Tier I shift, and more in CHSL and Tier II. The cloze test is the same skill across a whole passage. The kinds of blank that come up are listed below, most common first.

Kind of blank	How often
Vocabulary in context (verb, noun, adjective, adverb)	The most common form
Contrast or cause clue (although, but, because, so)	Common
Fixed preposition after a word (fond of, depend on)	Common
Phrasal verb, idiom or collocation	Regular
Confusable pair (affect / effect, principle / principal)	Regular
Grammar blank: tense, conjunction, article, modal	Occasional

Blanks spread across a whole passage are practised in the separate Cloze Test chapter, and single-word meanings in Synonyms and Antonyms.

What You Will Practice in the Fill in the Blanks Chapter

Vocabulary

Verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs whose meaning the sentence fixes
Contrast clues (although, despite, unlike) and cause clues (because, so, as a result)
Confusable pairs and look-alike words
Collocations (make a decision, pay attention, lodge a complaint), phrasal verbs and idioms

Grammar

Fixed prepositions, and prepositions of time and place
Linking words and correlative pairs (unless, lest, no sooner … than, not only … but also)
Tenses, verb patterns, passive voice, conditionals and modals
Articles, quantifiers, relative pronouns, degrees of comparison, agreement and question tags

Level 2 extras

Two-blank questions where each option is a pair of words
Inversion after Never, Seldom and Hardly; mixed and inverted conditionals

Clue words worth knowing instantly

Clue in the sentence	What it tells you about the blank
although, though, despite, yet, but, unlike	The blank goes against the other idea
because, since, so, therefore, as a result	The blank agrees with the cause or the result
and, as well as, also, a comma listing qualities	The blank has the same tone as its neighbours
since / for + a period, still true now	Present perfect: has / have + V3 or has been + -ing
ago, yesterday, last year	Simple past, never present perfect
a word just before the blank (fond, senior, prefer)	Its fixed preposition: of, to, to

Read the whole sentence before looking at the options. Decide whether the blank needs a positive or a negative word, and which part of speech, then pick.

The three mistakes that cost the most marks

Choosing the word you know best. A familiar word is not the right word unless the clue supports it.
Missing the signal word. “Although”, “despite” and “unlike” reverse the sense of the blank.
Forgetting fixed prepositions. “Prefer tea to coffee”, “senior to him”, “comply with the rules”.

Solved Examples — SSC CGL Fill in the Blanks

Q1. Although the shopkeeper was usually generous, he was strangely ________ when the poor boy asked for a small discount.
(a) kind (b) stingy (c) helpful (d) cheerful

“Although” sets up a contrast with “generous”, so the blank must mean the opposite — unwilling to give. Answer: (b) stingy

Q2. My younger brother is very fond ________ playing chess in the evening.
(a) in (b) with (c) of (d) for

The adjective “fond” always takes “of”: fond of + noun or -ing. Answer: (c) of

Q3. Because of the heavy rain, the school had to ________ the annual sports day until next week.
(a) call off (b) put off (c) give up (d) turn down

“Until next week” shows the event will still happen, only later — so it is postponed, not cancelled. Answer: (b) put off

Q4. She has been working in this bank ________ the last six years.
(a) since (b) from (c) for (d) during

“The last six years” is a length of time, which takes “for”; “since” needs a starting point (since 2020). Answer: (c) for

How the Fill in the Blanks Tests Work

25 questions per test, with a full question palette — answered, skipped, marked for review, not visited.
Vocabulary and grammar in every test — context words, clues, prepositions, phrasal verbs, idioms, confusables and grammar blanks are mixed in each set.
Optional 15-minute timer — with the clock to build exam speed, without it while you are still learning the chapter.
Marking: +2 correct, −0.5 wrong, 0 unattempted — the same scheme as the real paper.
Step-by-step solutions and a shortcut trick open after you submit, question by question — the clue, the meaning of every option, why each wrong option fails, and the trap students fall into.
In English, as in the exam — English Language questions are set in English in SSC CGL and CHSL.
Free with a TrickySSC account — sign in once with Google or your mobile number, and every test is open to you.

How to Prepare Fill in the Blanks for SSC CGL

Find the clue before the options. Underline the signal word — although, because, since, unless — and decide what the blank must mean.
Decide the part of speech. An article before the blank needs a noun; “very” before it needs an adjective; a subject before it needs a verb.
Learn prepositions with their words, not alone. Keep a list: fond of, afraid of, depend on, comply with, senior to, prefer … to.
Study confusables in pairs. Affect / effect, principle / principal, credible / creditable, eminent / imminent — with one sentence each.
Put every option back into the sentence. The right one reads naturally; each wrong one breaks the grammar or the meaning.
Do Level 1 untimed first, then with the 15-minute clock. Move to Level 2 once Level 1 is steady, and then check yourself on a previous year paper.

All SSC CGL Chapter Wise Tests

Every chapter below has its own free Level 1 and Level 2 tests with full solutions.

Browse all 66 chapter tests — Maths (35) · Reasoning (28) · English (3)

English Language

General Intelligence & Reasoning

Quantitative Aptitude (Maths)

SSC CGL Fill in the Blanks — Frequently Asked Questions

How many fill in the blanks questions are asked in SSC CGL?

Usually two or three single-blank questions in a Tier I shift, and more in CHSL and Tier II. The cloze test uses the same skill across a whole passage, so this chapter helps there too.

How do I find the right word for a blank?

Read the whole sentence first and find the clue — a contrast word like although, a cause like because, a time word like since, or the word just before the blank. Decide what the blank must mean and which part of speech it needs, then check each option in the sentence.

What does a contrast clue tell me?

Words like although, though, despite, yet, but and unlike show that the blank goes against the other idea in the sentence. If the first part is positive, the blank is negative, and the other way round.

Are prepositions tested in fill in the blanks?

Yes. Fixed prepositions after a word are a regular blank — fond of, afraid of, depend on, comply with, senior to, prefer one thing to another. Learn each preposition together with its word.

What is a two-blank question?

A sentence with two blanks where each option is a pair of words, filled in order. Level 2 has a few of these. Check both words of a pair: wrong options often get one blank right and the other wrong.

How many questions are in each test?

Twenty-five questions per test, with an optional 15-minute timer and the real exam marking of +2 for a correct answer, −0.5 for a wrong one and 0 for an unattempted question.

Are the tests in English or Hindi?

The fill in the blanks tests are in English, as the English Language section is in SSC CGL and CHSL. Every solution explains the clue, the meaning of each option and the common trap in simple English.

What is the difference between Level 1 and Level 2?

Level 1 is set at real SSC CGL difficulty — everyday-to-moderate words, one clear clue and common prepositions, phrasal verbs and idioms. Level 2 is harder than the exam: richer vocabulary, look-alike options, formal prepositions, inversion, mixed conditionals and two-blank questions.

More Free SSC CGL Practice

SSC CGL English Chapter Wise TestEvery English chapter, Level 1–2 All SSC CGL ChaptersEvery subject in one place SSC CGL Previous Year PapersShift-wise papers with solutions SSC CGL Mock Test 2026Full-length, real sectional timing