SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 13 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 18 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:
In contemporary discourse, the debate between entrepreneurship and conventional employment has gained remarkable traction. While traditional employment offers predictability, structured growth, and a defined career trajectory, entrepreneurship appeals to those seeking autonomy, innovation, and the potential for exponential returns. However, both paths are fraught with distinct advantages and inherent uncertainties. Employment, particularly within established organizations, provides financial stability, social recognition, and institutional support. Employees are not burdened with existential risks such as capital loss or market unpredictability. Instead, they operate within frameworks of responsibility and hierarchy, where risk is absorbed at higher managerial levels. For many, this structure offers psychological comfort and a clear roadmap for progression. Conversely, entrepreneurship demands resilience, resourcefulness, and a high tolerance for ambiguity. Entrepreneurs must navigate volatile markets, regulatory complexities, and the absence of assured income—challenges often underestimated by aspirants. Yet, for those with a risk appetite and creative acumen, entrepreneurship promises a unique form of fulfillment. It allows individuals to disrupt existing paradigms, build ventures from the ground up, and possibly shape industries. Societal perceptions further complicate the dichotomy. In many cultures, steady employment is seen as the hallmark of success, while entrepreneurial endeavors are often perceived as reckless or unstable—until they succeed. This perception, however, is gradually shifting as global startup ecosystems mature and innovation becomes synonymous with progress. The real decision, therefore, lies not in which path is superior but in aligning one’s temperament, values, and long-term goals with the demands of each route. Entrepreneurship may offer liberation, but it is not without sacrifice. Employment may provide security, but it can come at the cost of creative constraint. A reflective, context-aware approach—not blind aspiration—is essential for navigating this professional crossroads.

What is implied by “absence of assured income” in the context of entrepreneurship?

(a)Entrepreneurs always work voluntarily
(b)No fixed salary or stable cash flow
(c)Profits are guaranteed from start
(d)Income is controlled by the government

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The phrase closes a list of hardships: 'Entrepreneurs must navigate volatile markets, regulatory complexities, and the absence of assured income—challenges often underestimated by aspirants.'

Assured means guaranteed. Income that is not assured may or may not arrive, which is what 'no fixed salary or stable cash flow' says.

The passage sets this against employment, which 'provides financial stability'.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Entrepreneurs always work voluntarily — The phrase is about income, not motivation. The passage never says entrepreneurs work voluntarily, and 'always' is an absolute it gives no support for.
(c)
Profits are guaranteed from start — The reverse of the phrase. Absence of assured income means earnings are not guaranteed, while guaranteed profits from the start would be assured income.
(d)
Income is controlled by the government — Regulatory complexities is a separate item in the same list. The passage never says the government controls an entrepreneur's income; the phrase is about uncertainty, not control.

Concept

An implied-meaning question asks what a phrase amounts to in its own sentence, so read that sentence before the options.

Here the phrase is one of three challenges entrepreneurs 'must navigate', beside volatile markets and regulatory complexities. All three are forms of uncertainty, which is why the passage says entrepreneurship demands 'a high tolerance for ambiguity'.

The sentence's own gloss, 'challenges often underestimated by aspirants', confirms the phrase names a difficulty, which is enough to rule out option (c).

Option (c) reuses the idea of assured (guaranteed) but drops the word 'absence', which flips the meaning.

Key facts

Assured means guaranteed or certain, so 'absence of assured income' is income that is not guaranteed.
The passage lists it with volatile markets and regulatory complexities as challenges entrepreneurs 'must navigate'.
The passage's contrast is employment, which 'provides financial stability'.

Study next

Inferring a phrase's meaning from the list it sits inNegation traps: options that drop 'absence of', 'not' or 'without'Contrast signals in a passage: While, Conversely, Yet

Common traps

Picking (c) because 'guaranteed' echoes 'assured' — the phrase says assured income is absent.
Picking (d) because 'regulatory complexities' sits in the same sentence — it is a separate challenge.

The same 'What is implied by' frame appears at 15 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.18 (art as an 'epistemological act') and 17 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.17 (native languages called 'vernaculars').

This passage also sets English Q.15, Q.16, Q.17 and Q.19 of this shift.

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:
In contemporary discourse, the debate between entrepreneurship and conventional employment has gained remarkable traction. While traditional employment offers predictability, structured growth, and a defined career trajectory, entrepreneurship appeals to those seeking autonomy, innovation, and the potential for exponential returns. However, both paths are fraught with distinct advantages and inherent uncertainties. Employment, particularly within established organizations, provides financial stability, social recognition, and institutional support. Employees are not burdened with existential risks such as capital loss or market unpredictability. Instead, they operate within frameworks of responsibility and hierarchy, where risk is absorbed at higher managerial levels. For many, this structure offers psychological comfort and a clear roadmap for progression. Conversely, entrepreneurship demands resilience, resourcefulness, and a high tolerance for ambiguity. Entrepreneurs must navigate volatile markets, regulatory complexities, and the absence of assured income—challenges often underestimated by aspirants. Yet, for those with a risk appetite and creative acumen, entrepreneurship promises a unique form of fulfillment. It allows individuals to disrupt existing paradigms, build ventures from the ground up, and possibly shape industries. Societal perceptions further complicate the dichotomy. In many cultures, steady employment is seen as the hallmark of success, while entrepreneurial endeavors are often perceived as reckless or unstable—until they succeed. This perception, however, is gradually shifting as global startup ecosystems mature and innovation becomes synonymous with progress. The real decision, therefore, lies not in which path is superior but in aligning one’s temperament, values, and long-term goals with the demands of each route. Entrepreneurship may offer liberation, but it is not without sacrifice. Employment may provide security, but it can come at the cost of creative constraint. A reflective, context-aware approach—not blind aspiration—is essential for navigating this professional crossroads.