SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 12 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 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: People can seldom access archived manuscripts without clearance.

(a)Archived manuscripts can seldom being accessed without clearance.
(b)Archived manuscripts could seldom be accessed without clearance.
(c)Archived manuscripts can seldom be accessed without clearance.
(d)Archived manuscripts are seldom able to be accessed without clearance.

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The active verb can access is a modal plus bare infinitive. Its passive keeps the modal and adds be + past participle: can be accessed.

The adverb seldom keeps its place right after the modal: can seldom be accessed.

The doer, People, is vague, so the by-phrase is dropped. That gives "Archived manuscripts can seldom be accessed without clearance" — option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Archived manuscripts can seldom being accessed without clearance. — can seldom being accessed puts an -ing form after a modal. A modal takes the bare infinitive, so the passive needs be, not being.
(b)
Archived manuscripts could seldom be accessed without clearance. — could replaces can. A change of voice keeps the modal as it is, and could shifts the sentence towards past or more tentative possibility.
(d)
Archived manuscripts are seldom able to be accessed without clearance. — are seldom able to be accessed swaps the modal can for be able to. A voice change only rearranges the active verb, so this is a paraphrase, not the passive of can access.

Concept

Every passive is be + past participle, with be taking whatever form the active verb requires.

After a modal, be stays bare: can access → can be accessed, must finish → must be finished.

An adverb between the modal and its verb stays there: will never overlook → will never be overlooked.

When the active's doer is a vague word such as people, someone or they, the by-phrase is normally left out of the passive. All four options leave it out, so the choice rests on the verb phrase alone.

Key facts

Passive after a modal: modal + be + past participle (can be accessed).
Changing the voice does not change the modal: can stays can.
A vague doer such as people or someone is normally dropped from the passive.
Seldom means rarely.

Study next

Passive of modal perfects: could have sold → could have been soldPassive questions with a modal: Can you compose a poem? → Can a poem be composed by you?Adverb placement in the passive: may well be reinterpreted

Common traps

Choosing being after the modal because the sentence sounds continuous
Accepting could because it still expresses ability, when a voice change never alters the modal

The same shape is keyed at 12 Sep 2024, 16:00, English Q.1: I will never overlook this creativity becomes This creativity will never be overlooked by me, with will being overlooked as a trap.

At 14 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.11, may well reinterpret becomes may well be reinterpreted.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Active and passive voice — all 132 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.