SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 15 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.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
The proliferation of social media has fundamentally transformed the democratic landscape, acting both as a catalyst for civic engagement and a conduit for manipulation. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, once relegated to the domain of personal expression, now serve as powerful instruments of political discourse, enabling citizens to articulate opinions, mobilize for causes, and scrutinize authority in real-time. At its core, democracy thrives on the free flow of information, and social media ostensibly democratizes this process by dismantling traditional gatekeeping. Political leaders communicate directly with constituents, bypassing editorial filters, while grassroots movements harness virality to amplify marginalized voices. During critical events—be it elections, protests, or legislative debates—social media acts as a digital agora, fostering participatory dialogue that was once confined to town halls or print columns. However, this unprecedented openness is double-edged. The same platforms that disseminate truth can also propagate misinformation, polarize public opinion, and algorithmically reinforce ideological silos. Electoral interference through fake accounts, coordinated trolling, and the spread of disinformation campaigns have threatened electoral integrity in several democracies. Moreover, emotionally charged content, optimized for engagement rather than accuracy, often eclipses nuanced debate, reducing political discourse to a cacophony of outrage. The role of social media in democracy, therefore, is contingent not just on its technological architecture, but on the ethical frameworks governing its use. Regulatory oversight, media literacy, and algorithmic transparency are essential to harness its democratic potential while mitigating its subversive tendencies. In essence, social media is neither inherently virtuous nor inherently corrosive—it is a mirror of societal intent. Whether it becomes a pillar of democratic resilience or a tool of populist distortion depends largely on how it is wielded by citizens, institutions, and platforms alike.

What primary democratic function does social media serve, as per the paragraph?

(a)Promoting entertainment
(b)Replacing newspapers
(c)Facilitating free flow of information
(d)Organizing trade unions

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The passage names the function directly: "At its core, democracy thrives on the free flow of information, and social media ostensibly democratizes this process by dismantling traditional gatekeeping."

At its core marks the central claim, and the sentence after it shows the function at work: leaders reach constituents directly, bypassing editorial filters. That is option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Promoting entertainment — Entertainment is never named. The passage says the platforms were once relegated to personal expression and now serve as instruments of political discourse.
(b)
Replacing newspapers — Replacing newspapers overreaches. Dialogue was once confined to town halls or print columns, and social media widens it; the passage never says the press is replaced.
(d)
Organizing trade unions — Trade unions do not appear. The passage speaks of citizens mobilizing for causes and of grassroots movements, not of organised labour.

Concept

A main-function question asks for the idea the author presents as central, not for any detail that appears in the passage.

Signposts point to it. At its core introduces the author's central claim: democracy depends on the free flow of information, and social media spreads it by removing gatekeepers.

The examples around that sentence, from citizens voicing opinions to movements going viral, all illustrate the same function.

The author hedges with ostensibly, meaning 'apparently', and the passage then turns to misinformation and manipulation. The question asks for the function the passage assigns to social media, and the free flow of information is the one it names.

Key facts

Ostensibly means apparently: as it seems or is claimed, though perhaps not in fact.
Gatekeeping here means editors and institutions deciding what information reaches the public.
An agora was the public open space of an ancient Greek city, used for assemblies and markets.

Study next

Signposts that mark a central claim: At its core, In essence, thereforeTelling a stated function apart from the examples that illustrate itVocabulary from this passage: ostensibly, agora, gatekeeping

Common traps

Choosing replacing newspapers because the passage mentions print columns and editorial filters
Taking the later warnings about misinformation as a reason to doubt the function the passage names

The same passage carries English Q.15 to Q.19 of this shift. Q.19 is keyed to societal intent and ethical usage, which rests on the passage's line that social media is a mirror of societal intent.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Reading comprehension — all 128 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
The proliferation of social media has fundamentally transformed the democratic landscape, acting both as a catalyst for civic engagement and a conduit for manipulation. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, once relegated to the domain of personal expression, now serve as powerful instruments of political discourse, enabling citizens to articulate opinions, mobilize for causes, and scrutinize authority in real-time. At its core, democracy thrives on the free flow of information, and social media ostensibly democratizes this process by dismantling traditional gatekeeping. Political leaders communicate directly with constituents, bypassing editorial filters, while grassroots movements harness virality to amplify marginalized voices. During critical events—be it elections, protests, or legislative debates—social media acts as a digital agora, fostering participatory dialogue that was once confined to town halls or print columns. However, this unprecedented openness is double-edged. The same platforms that disseminate truth can also propagate misinformation, polarize public opinion, and algorithmically reinforce ideological silos. Electoral interference through fake accounts, coordinated trolling, and the spread of disinformation campaigns have threatened electoral integrity in several democracies. Moreover, emotionally charged content, optimized for engagement rather than accuracy, often eclipses nuanced debate, reducing political discourse to a cacophony of outrage. The role of social media in democracy, therefore, is contingent not just on its technological architecture, but on the ethical frameworks governing its use. Regulatory oversight, media literacy, and algorithmic transparency are essential to harness its democratic potential while mitigating its subversive tendencies. In essence, social media is neither inherently virtuous nor inherently corrosive—it is a mirror of societal intent. Whether it becomes a pillar of democratic resilience or a tool of populist distortion depends largely on how it is wielded by citizens, institutions, and platforms alike.