SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 1 · 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 13 September 2026.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
To bifurcate life into immutable dichotomies of joy and sorrow is to misread its most intrinsic rhythm. Human existence unfolds not as a linear progression of happiness or despair, but as a dynamic interplay where each emotion deepens the resonance of the other. The ecstasy of triumph is never as poignant as when preceded by failure; likewise, the pang of loss finds contour only because we have once cherished the presence of what is now absent. Joy and sorrow, then, are not adversaries but co-authors of the same narrative. From antiquity to modernity, philosophical traditions have acknowledged this existential polarity. The Stoics embraced the inevitability of suffering as a precursor to tranquility, while Eastern philosophies like Buddhism anchor themselves in the impermanence of all experiences. In both frameworks, the pursuit of enduring happiness necessitates an acceptance of transience. Without sorrow, joy would be indistinct—a flat and shallow sensation lacking contrast or value. This interdependence is vividly manifest in the mundane. The delight of spring is intensified by the memory of a harsh winter; the serenity of solitude is meaningful only to one who has tasted the cacophony of crowds. Even our personal growth often emerges from crucibles of pain—grief chisels depth into our emotional landscape, refining our capacity for empathy, resilience, and gratitude. To demand unbroken happiness is to seek a monochromatic life—an existence devoid of emotional texture. The beauty of being lies not in circumventing sorrow, but in embracing it as a necessary foil to joy. These twin sentiments coalesce to form the chiaroscuro of consciousness, rendering our lives more vivid, more intricate, more human.

What is the author’s primary purpose in writing this passage?

(a)To highlight philosophical traditions
(b)To argue that sorrow should be embraced as essential to experiencing true joy
(c)To lament the fragility of happiness
(d)To critique modern emotional detachment

Answer

Why

Correct — B. A primary-purpose answer names what the whole passage argues for. The author states it near the end: 'The beauty of being lies not in circumventing sorrow, but in embracing it as a necessary foil to joy.'

Its 'embracing' matches 'should be embraced', and 'necessary foil to joy' matches 'essential to experiencing true joy' → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
To highlight philosophical traditions — The Stoics and Buddhism are supporting evidence: 'philosophical traditions have acknowledged this existential polarity'. They appear in one stretch to back the thesis, not as its subject.
(c)
To lament the fragility of happiness — The tone is affirmative, not mournful. The passage ends by saying the two sentiments render our lives 'more vivid, more intricate, more human', which is no lament.
(d)
To critique modern emotional detachment — Modern emotional detachment is never discussed. The word 'modernity' appears only in 'From antiquity to modernity', a phrase about how long thinkers have held this view.

Concept

A primary-purpose question asks why the author wrote the whole passage, not what one stretch mentions. Test each option against the opening and closing sentences; in this passage both carry the thesis.

Then sort the options: too narrow (a detail used as evidence), wrong tone (a lament where the author affirms), off-topic (modern detachment), and the one that states the argument.

(a) is true of one part of the passage, which is what makes it tempting. A purpose answer has to cover the whole.

Key facts

The thesis sentence: 'The beauty of being lies not in circumventing sorrow, but in embracing it as a necessary foil to joy.'
A foil is something that sets off another thing by contrast.
The Stoics and Buddhism are cited as support for the thesis, not as its subject.

Study next

Tone questions on the same passage: Q.18 keys 'Philosophical'Telling the thesis from its supporting examples

Common traps

Choosing 'To highlight philosophical traditions' because the Stoics and Buddhism are the most concrete names in the passage
Reading the talk of pain and loss as a lament, when the verdict is that sorrow enriches life

The same passage also carries 15 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.18, which asks the tone and keys 'Philosophical'. A central-idea question from another sitting is 12 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.15 (groupthink, keyed 'Valuing consensus over critique').

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 :
To bifurcate life into immutable dichotomies of joy and sorrow is to misread its most intrinsic rhythm. Human existence unfolds not as a linear progression of happiness or despair, but as a dynamic interplay where each emotion deepens the resonance of the other. The ecstasy of triumph is never as poignant as when preceded by failure; likewise, the pang of loss finds contour only because we have once cherished the presence of what is now absent. Joy and sorrow, then, are not adversaries but co-authors of the same narrative. From antiquity to modernity, philosophical traditions have acknowledged this existential polarity. The Stoics embraced the inevitability of suffering as a precursor to tranquility, while Eastern philosophies like Buddhism anchor themselves in the impermanence of all experiences. In both frameworks, the pursuit of enduring happiness necessitates an acceptance of transience. Without sorrow, joy would be indistinct—a flat and shallow sensation lacking contrast or value. This interdependence is vividly manifest in the mundane. The delight of spring is intensified by the memory of a harsh winter; the serenity of solitude is meaningful only to one who has tasted the cacophony of crowds. Even our personal growth often emerges from crucibles of pain—grief chisels depth into our emotional landscape, refining our capacity for empathy, resilience, and gratitude. To demand unbroken happiness is to seek a monochromatic life—an existence devoid of emotional texture. The beauty of being lies not in circumventing sorrow, but in embracing it as a necessary foil to joy. These twin sentiments coalesce to form the chiaroscuro of consciousness, rendering our lives more vivid, more intricate, more human.