SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 19 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.

What is suggested as a solution to groupthink and conformity?

(a)Hiring more senior leaders
(b)Mandating compliance
(c)Encouraging constructive dissent
(d)Expanding digital networks

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The question's 'solution' is the passage's 'remedy': 'However, the remedy to such cognitive myopia lies in institutionalizing dissent.'

The next sentence says what form that dissent takes: 'Constructive disagreement, when encouraged within teams or communities, acts as an intellectual safeguard against tunnel vision.'

Encouraged + constructive disagreement = encouraging constructive dissent → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Hiring more senior leaders — Senior leaders appear nowhere in the passage. Its remedy is about how a group treats disagreement, not about who is hired to lead it.
(b)
Mandating compliance — The reverse of the passage. Compliance is the conformity it warns against, and it wants counterarguments 'respected rather than reprimanded', not obedience enforced.
(d)
Expanding digital networks — The digital world enters the passage as part of the problem — 'digital echo chambers' and algorithms that filter out divergent thought. Expanding networks is never offered as a remedy.

Concept

A solution question is answered where the passage turns from problem to fix. Here the turn is marked by 'However' and the noun 'remedy', a synonym of solution.

The sentences after the turn spell the fix out: constructive disagreement 'encouraged within teams or communities', and a culture where counterarguments are 'respected rather than reprimanded'.

The keyed option restates that fix in the question's own words.

'Institutionalizing dissent' means making disagreement a normal, expected part of how a group works rather than something punished. 'Encouraging constructive dissent' is the plain-English version the options use.

Key facts

The passage: 'the remedy to such cognitive myopia lies in institutionalizing dissent'.
Constructive disagreement, it says, 'acts as an intellectual safeguard against tunnel vision'.
Remedy means a cure or solution, so it answers the question's word 'solution'.

Study next

Turn words that introduce an author's fix: however, the remedy lies in, insteadReverse-meaning distractors in reading comprehensionPassage vocabulary: dissent, contrarian, myopia, institutionalize

Common traps

Choosing 'Mandating compliance' because it sounds like a firm fix — compliance is the conformity the passage attacks.
Reading the digital option as positive because the passage discusses digital life — it names digital echo chambers as a channel of conformity.

The same passage also sets English Q.15 to Q.18 of this shift. Q.15 keys its central idea as 'Valuing consensus over critique' — the problem this remedy answers.

An author's fix is also asked at 19 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.20, where it follows 'Ultimately' and 'Instead, it must strike a delicate balance'.

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.