SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 17 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 11 September 2026.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
Group thinking, often referred to as groupthink, is a psychological phenomenon wherein the desire for unanimity within a group overrides the motivation to appraise alternative viewpoints critically. It frequently leads to flawed decision-making because dissent is either internally suppressed or socially penalized. Social conformity, its close ally, describes the act of aligning one's beliefs or behaviours with those of a majority, often subconsciously, in pursuit of acceptance or avoidance of conflict. In tightly knit groups—such as corporate boards, political committees, or academic panels—individual members may refrain from expressing contrarian ideas, fearing ostracization or reputational risk. Over time, this collective homogeneity breeds intellectual stagnation, reducing innovation and enhancing vulnerability to strategic errors. The infamous Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger space shuttle disaster are frequently cited as textbook examples of decisions marred by groupthink. Psychologically, the roots of group conformity lie in our evolutionary inclination toward tribal belonging, where deviation was historically associated with survival risk. In modern society, the same instinct manifests through peer pressure, organizational culture, and digital echo chambers. Algorithms reinforce conformity by curating information bubbles that validate existing biases while filtering out divergent thought. However, the remedy to such cognitive myopia lies in institutionalizing dissent. Constructive disagreement, when encouraged within teams or communities, acts as an intellectual safeguard against tunnel vision. Promoting a culture where counterarguments are respected rather than reprimanded can lead to more robust, balanced, and resilient decision-making. In an age dominated by viral trends, polarized discourse, and performative alignment, the courage to question consensus is both rare and essential. True progress emerges not from blind allegiance to majority norms, but from critical inquiry and the audacity to challenge the comfortable.

Which event is cited as a real-world consequence of groupthink?

(a)Cold War treaty signing
(b)Challenger disaster
(c)Brexit vote
(d)The Dot-com crash

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The passage names its real-world cases in one sentence: The infamous Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger space shuttle disaster are frequently cited as textbook examples of decisions marred by groupthink.

The question asks what the passage cites, so the answer must be named there. Of those two cases, the options list the Challenger disaster — option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Cold War treaty signing — No treaty appears in the passage. Its other example, the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961, was a failed military landing in Cuba, not a treaty signing.
(c)
Brexit vote — Brexit is never mentioned. The passage's two named cases are the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger disaster, and neither is a vote.
(d)
The Dot-com crash — The Dot-com crash does not appear in the passage. It may sound like a failure of collective judgement, but the question asks what the passage cites.

Concept

An is cited as question asks for an example the passage itself gives. The answer must be named in the text.

An option that could also illustrate the idea — a market crash, a political vote — is still wrong if the passage never mentions it.

Find the sentence carrying the examples, here the one built on textbook examples of decisions marred by groupthink, and match its names against the options.

The question says real-world consequence of groupthink, where the passage says textbook examples of decisions marred by groupthink. The wording differs, but both point to the same sentence.

Key facts

The passage's two named examples of groupthink: the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger space shuttle disaster.
Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight on 28 January 1986.
The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed military landing on Cuba's coast in April 1961.

Study next

Example questions: matching a passage's named cases against the optionsWhy does the author mention ...? questions, which ask what an example is forEliminating options that fit the theme but are absent from the text

Common traps

Choosing an event you associate with poor collective judgement rather than one the passage names
Linking the Bay of Pigs to the Cold War and picking the treaty option

An example question on another passage appears at 19 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.17, which asks why the author mentions Gandhi's Salt March and Rosa Parks' defiance. It too is answered from the passage's own lines around those names.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
Group thinking, often referred to as groupthink, is a psychological phenomenon wherein the desire for unanimity within a group overrides the motivation to appraise alternative viewpoints critically. It frequently leads to flawed decision-making because dissent is either internally suppressed or socially penalized. Social conformity, its close ally, describes the act of aligning one's beliefs or behaviours with those of a majority, often subconsciously, in pursuit of acceptance or avoidance of conflict. In tightly knit groups—such as corporate boards, political committees, or academic panels—individual members may refrain from expressing contrarian ideas, fearing ostracization or reputational risk. Over time, this collective homogeneity breeds intellectual stagnation, reducing innovation and enhancing vulnerability to strategic errors. The infamous Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger space shuttle disaster are frequently cited as textbook examples of decisions marred by groupthink. Psychologically, the roots of group conformity lie in our evolutionary inclination toward tribal belonging, where deviation was historically associated with survival risk. In modern society, the same instinct manifests through peer pressure, organizational culture, and digital echo chambers. Algorithms reinforce conformity by curating information bubbles that validate existing biases while filtering out divergent thought. However, the remedy to such cognitive myopia lies in institutionalizing dissent. Constructive disagreement, when encouraged within teams or communities, acts as an intellectual safeguard against tunnel vision. Promoting a culture where counterarguments are respected rather than reprimanded can lead to more robust, balanced, and resilient decision-making. In an age dominated by viral trends, polarized discourse, and performative alignment, the courage to question consensus is both rare and essential. True progress emerges not from blind allegiance to majority norms, but from critical inquiry and the audacity to challenge the comfortable.