Study Material — 1 PYQs (2019–2019) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC CHSL Odd Sentence Out is a frequently tested subtopic — 1 previous year questions from 2019–2019 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
1 questions from actual SSC CHSL papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12019Previous Year Pattern
In the following passage, one sentence does not fit with the theme and flow of the paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out.
(A) The invention of the printing press in the 15th century revolutionised the spread of information across Europe.
(B) Books became affordable and accessible to the common people, breaking the monopoly of the clergy on knowledge.
(C) The monsoon season brings heavy rainfall to the Indian subcontinent between June and September.
(D) This technological advancement paved the way for the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution.
(E) Printed materials enabled faster dissemination of ideas and challenged established authorities.
Concept Notes
Odd Sentence Out— Rules & Concept
Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
TOPIC CHECK
All sentences should discuss the SAME main idea. If one sentence jumps to a different topic, it's odd.
2
COHERENCE
Sentences should flow together like a story. They should have a logical connection—cause-effect, example-explanation, or continuous thought.
3. TIME & TENSE: Check if all sentences use consistent time references. If three talk about past and one about future without reason, the odd one stands out.
4.
PERSON & PERSPECTIVE: If three sentences use 'he/she/they' and one uses 'I/me,' it may be odd (unless there's a reason).
5. STYLE & TONE: Academic formal writing mixed with casual slang in one sentence makes it odd.
6
SUPPORTING DETAILS
Some sentences support a main idea, one may be random or unrelated information.
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
IN SSC CGL:
- Usually 4 sentences given; choose the odd one (A, B, C, or D).
- Often tests logical sequence and paragraph coherence.
- Questions appear in reading comprehension or standalone para-jumbling sections.
SHORTCUT/TRICK:
"Read the first three sentences and build a mental paragraph. Then check sentence 4 against this frame. If it doesn't fit, it's odd." This is faster than analysing each sentence individually.
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Identify the main topic.
Sentences A, B, D talk about MONSOONS and RAINFALL's effect on farming.
2
Step 2
Check sentence C.
C talks about Delhi being a capital—this is UNRELATED to monsoons or farming.
3
Step 3
Confirm.
A → B (cause-effect: rain → farmers need it) ✓
B → D (elaboration: farming depends on rain) ✓
C → breaks the chain ✗
ANSWER: C is the odd sentence.
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
Students sometimes think an odd sentence is "wrong" grammatically. NOT TRUE. An odd sentence is grammatically correct but THEMATICALLY out of place.
It doesn't belong to the paragraph's topic, even if the sentence itself is well-written.
Key Points to Remember
Odd Sentence Out = the ONE sentence that breaks the topic, flow, or logic of a paragraph.
Always check if all sentences discuss the SAME main idea; the one changing topic is odd.
Use the 3-sentence frame trick: read first three, build the paragraph idea, then test sentence 4.
Look for consistency in tense, person (he/she/I), perspective, and tone across sentences.
An odd sentence is NOT grammatically wrong—it's logically/thematically disconnected from the group.
Typical SSC pattern: 4 sentences, choose 1 odd; appears in reading comprehension or para-jumbling sections.
Exam-Specific Tips
In SSC CGL English, Odd Sentence Out questions typically present 4 sentences with options A, B, C, D.
The odd sentence maintains grammatical correctness but fails coherence and topic alignment.
Common trigger for odd sentences: abrupt topic shift (e.g., discussing agriculture then suddenly Delhi's politics).
Tense inconsistency (mixing past/present/future without logical reason) often marks the odd sentence in SSC exams.
SSC tests paragraph flow recognition through this question type to assess reading comprehension and logical thinking.
The odd sentence typically breaks the cause-effect chain or supporting detail relationship of other three sentences.
Odd Sentence Out questions appear 1-2 times per SSC CGL paper in the Reading Comprehension section.
Practice MCQs
Odd Sentence Out — Practice Questions
24graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 24
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed opening: 'Reading is one of the most valuable skills a person can develop.'
P: It expands vocabulary and improves communication abilities significantly.
Q: Regular reading also enhances concentration and critical thinking skills.
R: Children who read frequently perform better academically than their peers.
S: Therefore, parents and educators should encourage reading habits from an early age.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 2easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed Opening: The monsoon season brings heavy rainfall to most parts of India.
P: Farmers depend on this rainfall for irrigation of their crops.
Q: However, excessive rain sometimes causes flooding in low-lying areas.
R: This water is essential for agriculture and replenishing groundwater reserves.
S: The government has implemented several schemes to manage water resources effectively.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 3easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed opening: 'Renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important for sustainable development.'
P: Solar and wind energy are the most commonly utilised renewable sources globally.
Q: These energy sources produce minimal environmental pollution compared to fossil fuels.
R: Investment in renewable energy infrastructure has increased significantly in the past decade.
S: Governments worldwide are promoting the adoption of clean energy to combat climate change.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 4easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed opening: 'The monsoon season brings heavy rainfall to most parts of India.'
P: Farmers depend on this rainfall for irrigation and crop cultivation.
Q: However, excessive rain sometimes causes flooding in low-lying areas.
R: This water is essential for agriculture and drinking purposes.
S: The government has implemented several schemes to manage water resources effectively.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 5easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed Opening: Reading is one of the most valuable skills a person can develop.
P: It expands vocabulary, improves concentration, and enhances critical thinking abilities.
Q: Regular reading habits from childhood can shape a person's intellectual growth.
R: However, the rise of digital media has reduced reading among young people.
S: Schools and parents must encourage reading through engaging books and digital platforms.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 6easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed Opening: Climate change is affecting weather patterns across the globe.
P: Scientists have documented rising temperatures and changing precipitation levels.
Q: These changes have serious implications for agriculture, water resources, and biodiversity.
R: International agreements like the Paris Accord aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
S: Individual actions, such as reducing carbon footprint, also contribute to environmental conservation.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 7easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed Opening: The Indian railway system is one of the largest in the world.
P: It connects remote villages to major cities, facilitating trade and commerce.
Q: The railways have played a crucial role in India's economic development.
R: However, the system faces challenges such as overcrowding and maintenance issues.
S: Recent government initiatives aim to modernise the infrastructure and improve passenger experience.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 8easy
Directions: In the following question, four sentences are given labelled P, Q, R, and S. Arrange them in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph.
Fixed Opening: Digital literacy has become increasingly important in the modern workplace.
P: Many companies now require basic computer skills from all employees.
Q: Without these skills, workers struggle to perform their daily tasks efficiently.
R: Educational institutions have begun incorporating technology training into their curricula.
S: This trend reflects the growing dependence of businesses on digital tools and platforms.
Which of the following is the correct arrangement?
Practice 9medium
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: Artificial intelligence has revolutionised data processing and decision-making across industries.
Q: Machine learning algorithms can now identify patterns invisible to human analysts.
R: The average smartphone today contains more computing power than computers from the 1980s.
S: However, AI systems require enormous amounts of training data and computational resources.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 10medium
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: The monsoon season brings heavy rainfall to the Indian subcontinent every year.
Q: Farmers depend entirely on these rains for irrigation and crop cultivation.
R: Climate change has altered rainfall patterns significantly in recent decades.
S: The government has introduced modern irrigation systems to reduce dependency on monsoons.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 11medium
Read the four sentences below. Identify which sentence does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P. Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to global food production and agricultural sustainability.
Q. Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns have already damaged crops in several regions.
R. Organic farming methods, such as composting and crop rotation, improve soil health and reduce chemical dependency.
S. Scientists warn that without immediate action, food shortages could affect millions of people worldwide.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 12medium
Read the four sentences below. Identify which sentence does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century revolutionised the spread of information across Europe.
Q. Before this innovation, books were painstakingly copied by hand, making them extremely rare and expensive.
R. Johannes Gutenberg is credited with developing the first movable-type printing press around 1440.
S. Television became the dominant medium for news distribution in the latter half of the 20th century.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 13medium
Read the four sentences below. Identify which sentence does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P. The monsoon season in India brings both relief and challenges to farmers across the nation.
Q. Heavy rainfall often leads to waterlogging in low-lying areas, destroying crops and livestock.
R. Many agricultural experts recommend crop rotation as a sustainable farming practice.
S. Conversely, insufficient rainfall in some regions causes severe droughts that threaten food security.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 14medium
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: The Indian Constitution is the world's longest written constitution with 395 articles.
Q: It was drafted by a Constituent Assembly led by Dr. Ambedkar over nearly three years.
R: The Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and establishes a democratic framework for governance.
S: India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was instrumental in shaping the nation's foreign policy during the Cold War.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 15medium
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: Traditional agriculture relies heavily on seasonal rainfall and manual labour.
Q: Precision agriculture uses GPS technology and data analytics to optimise crop yields.
R: Farmers in developed nations have adopted these technologies extensively over the past decade.
S: Ancient Egyptian farmers invented the shaduf, a device for lifting water from the Nile.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 16medium
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: The British East India Company initially established trading posts along the Indian coast in the 17th century.
Q: These posts gradually expanded into territorial possessions and military strongholds.
R: The company's charter was revoked in 1874 after the Sepoy Mutiny exposed its administrative failures.
S: Indian independence leaders like Gandhi and Nehru emerged during the 20th century.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 17hard
Identify the sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to global food security and agricultural productivity.
Q: Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns have already reduced crop yields in vulnerable regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
R: Governments must implement sustainable farming practices and invest in climate-resilient crop varieties to mitigate these risks.
S: The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that originated in Italy during the 14th century.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 18hard
Identify the sentence that does NOT fit logically in the paragraph.
P: The British Raj introduced railways across India, fundamentally altering transportation and commerce.
Q: These rail networks connected remote villages to urban centres, facilitating trade and labour mobility.
R: The construction of railways required massive capital investment and displaced thousands of farmers from their ancestral lands.
S: The average rainfall in the Amazon rainforest exceeds 2,000 millimetres annually.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 19hard
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically with the others in the paragraph.
P. Microplastics—tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres—have been detected in human blood, lungs, and organs for the first time.
Q. These particles originate from the breakdown of larger plastic waste, synthetic textiles, and industrial processes.
R. Scientists are still investigating the long-term health effects of microplastic accumulation in the human body.
S. Plastic production should be immediately halted to prevent further environmental contamination.
T. The discovery has alarmed health organisations worldwide and prompted urgent calls for stricter plastic regulations.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
Practice 20hard
Identify the odd sentence that does NOT fit logically with the others in the paragraph.
P. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century fundamentally transformed how information was disseminated across Europe.
Q. Before Gutenberg's innovation, scribes manually copied manuscripts, a process that was labour-intensive and prone to errors.
R. The printing press enabled mass production of books, making knowledge accessible to the middle class and beyond.
S. Today, digital technology has completely replaced the printing press in most developed nations.
T. This democratisation of knowledge sparked the Renaissance and contributed to the scientific revolution.
Which sentence is the odd one out?
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