SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 14 September 2025, Shift 1 · 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:
India’s tryst with the Olympic Games began in 1900, when Norman Pritchard, a British-Indian athlete, clinched two silver medals in athletics. However, it wasn’t until the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics that India emerged as a formidable force in hockey, winning its first team gold. What followed was a golden era, where the Indian men’s hockey team dominated the Olympic arena with eight gold medals between 1928 and 1980—an unmatched legacy. Despite this early excellence, India’s Olympic journey has been riddled with inconsistencies. Post-1980, a conspicuous medal drought gripped the nation, exposing systemic inefficiencies: lack of infrastructure, inadequate training, and minimal grassroots scouting. Athletes often relied more on personal resilience than institutional support to achieve global recognition. The 21st century, however, has ushered in a phase of cautious optimism. With the establishment of bodies like the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and increased corporate sponsorship, Indian athletes now enjoy improved access to international-level coaching, nutrition, and psychological training. The medal tallies, though modest, have seen an upward trend—symbolized by Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in javelin at Tokyo 2020. What’s most heartening is the diversification of sports. No longer confined to hockey and wrestling, India is now making strides in disciplines like badminton, shooting, boxing, and athletics. Equally noteworthy is the rising representation and success of Indian women athletes, who have frequently been the torchbearers in recent Olympic outings. Yet, challenges remain. The transition from potential to podium demands long-term investment, scientific sports management, and societal encouragement that transcends cricket-centric fandom. While India’s Olympic identity is still evolving, the collective ambition is clearer than ever: to transform from a participant nation into a sporting powerhouse.

What is implied about India’s Olympic aspirations?

(a)They rely entirely on foreign coaching
(b)They aim for consistent participation
(c)They are growing but need sustained reforms
(d)They are limited to traditional sports

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The growth half is stated outright. The 21st century 'has ushered in a phase of cautious optimism', and medal tallies 'have seen an upward trend'.

The reform half follows 'Yet, challenges remain': 'The transition from potential to podium demands long-term investment, scientific sports management, and societal encouragement…'

Growing, and needing sustained reform to go further → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
They rely entirely on foreign coaching — Entirely has no support. The passage mentions improved access to international-level coaching, listed beside nutrition and psychological training — access to a standard of coaching, not total reliance on foreign coaches.
(b)
They aim for consistent participation — The ambition is to move beyond participation: 'to transform from a participant nation into a sporting powerhouse'. Participation is the stage the passage wants to leave, not the goal.
(d)
They are limited to traditional sports — The passage says the opposite: India is 'No longer confined to hockey and wrestling' and is making strides in badminton, shooting, boxing, and athletics.

Concept

An implied question asks for a conclusion the passage supports without stating it in one sentence. Build it from the passage's turns: 'however' brings the 21st-century optimism, and 'Yet, challenges remain' brings the to-do list.

The right option holds both halves. An option that keeps only the good news, or only the problem, misreads the balance of the closing lines.

Option (b) borrows the passage's own word participant, which is why it tempts. The closing sentence uses that word for the stage India wants to leave behind.

Key facts

The passage calls the 21st-century phase one of 'cautious optimism'.
It says the transition 'from potential to podium' demands long-term investment, scientific sports management and societal encouragement.
Its stated ambition is 'to transform from a participant nation into a sporting powerhouse'.

Study next

Inference questions: combining two statements the passage makes separatelyContrast signals in a passage: however, yet, whileAbsolute words in options, such as entirely, and checking the passage supports them

Common traps

Picking 'consistent participation' because participant appears in the last sentence — the passage wants to move beyond being a participant nation.
Reading 'international-level coaching' as dependence on foreign coaches — the passage describes improved access, not reliance.

The same passage also sets English Q.15 to Q.18 of this shift.

Q.18 asks for the encouraging trend — more sports and women athletes — which is the growth half of the answer here.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage:
India’s tryst with the Olympic Games began in 1900, when Norman Pritchard, a British-Indian athlete, clinched two silver medals in athletics. However, it wasn’t until the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics that India emerged as a formidable force in hockey, winning its first team gold. What followed was a golden era, where the Indian men’s hockey team dominated the Olympic arena with eight gold medals between 1928 and 1980—an unmatched legacy. Despite this early excellence, India’s Olympic journey has been riddled with inconsistencies. Post-1980, a conspicuous medal drought gripped the nation, exposing systemic inefficiencies: lack of infrastructure, inadequate training, and minimal grassroots scouting. Athletes often relied more on personal resilience than institutional support to achieve global recognition. The 21st century, however, has ushered in a phase of cautious optimism. With the establishment of bodies like the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and increased corporate sponsorship, Indian athletes now enjoy improved access to international-level coaching, nutrition, and psychological training. The medal tallies, though modest, have seen an upward trend—symbolized by Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in javelin at Tokyo 2020. What’s most heartening is the diversification of sports. No longer confined to hockey and wrestling, India is now making strides in disciplines like badminton, shooting, boxing, and athletics. Equally noteworthy is the rising representation and success of Indian women athletes, who have frequently been the torchbearers in recent Olympic outings. Yet, challenges remain. The transition from potential to podium demands long-term investment, scientific sports management, and societal encouragement that transcends cricket-centric fandom. While India’s Olympic identity is still evolving, the collective ambition is clearer than ever: to transform from a participant nation into a sporting powerhouse.