SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 12 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 11 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Change the following from active to passive: They have been neglecting maintenance of the archives for years.

(a)Maintenance of the archives had been neglected by them for years.
(b)Maintenance of the archives is being neglected by them for years.
(c)Maintenance of the archives was being neglected by them for years.
(d)Maintenance of the archives has been being neglected by them for years.

Answer

Why

Correct — D. The active verb have been neglecting is present perfect continuous: have been + the -ing form.

Its passive keeps both layers: has been for the perfect, being for the continuous, then the past participle neglected.

The new subject, maintenance of the archives, is singular, so have becomes has. That gives "Maintenance of the archives has been being neglected by them for years" — option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Maintenance of the archives had been neglected by them for years. — had been is past perfect, so the tense slides back from present to past and the continuous being disappears. The active have been neglecting runs up to now.
(b)
Maintenance of the archives is being neglected by them for years. — is being neglected is present continuous. It keeps the ongoing sense but drops the perfect has been, which carries the neglect from years ago up to now.
(c)
Maintenance of the archives was being neglected by them for years. — was being neglected is past continuous. It moves the action wholly into the past and drops the perfect, so it no longer matches have been neglecting.

Concept

Every passive is be + past participle, with be carrying the tense of the active verb.

Perfect: has built becomes has been built. Continuous: is organising becomes is being organised.

The perfect continuous stacks both: has been neglecting becomes has been being neglected. It sounds heavy because been and being stand side by side, but each piece does its own job.

Every option keeps by them and for years, so the whole decision rests on the verb phrase.

Key facts

Present perfect continuous active: has/have been + -ing form (have been neglecting).
Its passive: has/have been being + past participle (has been being neglected).
The passive auxiliary agrees with the new subject: maintenance is singular, so has.

Study next

Passive of the past perfect continuous: had been being + past participlePassive of the present perfect: has/have been + past participlePassive of the past continuous: was/were being + past participle

Common traps

Rejecting has been being because it sounds heavy, when it is the regular passive of this tense
Keeping have after the singular new subject, maintenance of the archives
Choosing is being neglected, which keeps the continuous but loses the perfect

The two layers of this form are tested one at a time at 17 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.11 (have built → has been built) and 13 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.11 (are organising → is being organised).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Active and passive voice — all 74 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.