SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 8 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.

Select the correct option: Rare though the phenomenon is, it can occur ___ prolonged drought conditions.

(a)towards
(b)amid
(c)among
(d)under

Answer

Why

Correct — D. The noun after the blank is the trigger: conditions.

Conditions and circumstances pair with under to name what an event depends on: under these conditions, under certain circumstances.

Here the drought is the condition that makes a rare event possible, so 'it can occur under prolonged drought conditions' says exactly that → option (d).

The opening, 'Rare though the phenomenon is', is a concession and does not affect the preposition.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
towards — Towards marks direction or approach, as in towards the door or towards evening. A phenomenon does not move towards conditions, so the line makes no sense with it.
(b)
amid — Amid means 'in the middle of' and sets an event against a backdrop, as in amid the chaos. It does not present the drought as the condition that allows the event, which 'can occur ___ conditions' asks for.
(c)
among — Among places something within a group of separate members, as in among friends. 'Drought conditions' names one situation, not a set of members the phenomenon could be counted in.

Concept

Here the preposition is chosen by the noun it introduces. Conditions takes under when they are what an event depends on: under drought conditions, under laboratory conditions.

The other options each do a different job. Towards is direction. Amid is surroundings, being in the middle of something. Among is being within a group of separate members.

The sentence opens with a concession: Rare though the phenomenon is means although the phenomenon is rare. The adjective comes first, then though, then the subject and verb.

Amid is not ungrammatical here; 'amid drought' is ordinary English. It is the weaker fit because it places the event inside the drought as a backdrop, where the sentence is about the drought as the condition that lets the event happen.

Key facts

Under pairs with conditions and circumstances: under these conditions, under certain circumstances.
Amid means in the middle of, or surrounded by.
Among is used for being one of, or within, a group of separate members.
'Rare though it is' is a concessive pattern meaning 'although it is rare'.

Study next

Fixed preposition-noun pairs such as under pressure, under consideration, at risk and in doubtAmong against between, and amid against amongConcessive patterns such as 'Rich though he is' and 'Try as she might'

Common traps

Choosing among because conditions is plural, without checking that among needs a group of separate members
Choosing amid because 'amid drought' is a familiar pairing
Reading the inverted opening 'Rare though the phenomenon is' as an error

Among is keyed at 11 Sep 2024, 16:00, English Q.22, where Scheduled Tribes are 'among the most marginalised groups', one member of a set, which is what among needs.

A preposition fixed by the word before it is tested at 18 Sep 2024, 09:00, English Q.19, where 'good with running' is keyed as the error.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Fill in the blank — all 40 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.