SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 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 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.

In the context of the passage, what does the word chiaroscuro most likely mean?

(a)Emotional paralysis
(b)A blend of light and shadow
(c)A musical variation
(d)A specific type of sorrow

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The trigger sentence: 'These twin sentiments coalesce to form the chiaroscuro of consciousness, rendering our lives more vivid, more intricate, more human.'

The twin sentiments are joy and sorrow — one bright, one dark. Their meeting forms the chiaroscuro, so the word names a blend of opposites.

The passage's picture words agree: a life without sorrow is 'monochromatic'. Light and shadow together → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Emotional paralysis — The chiaroscuro makes lives 'more vivid, more intricate'. Paralysis would mean feeling frozen or stopped — the reverse of what the sentence describes.
(c)
A musical variation — Chiaroscuro is a painting term, not a musical one, and the passage frames it visually: its opposite is a 'monochromatic life'.
(d)
A specific type of sorrow — The chiaroscuro is formed by 'twin sentiments' — joy and sorrow together. Sorrow alone is only half of it.

Concept

Chiaroscuro is an Italian art term, from chiaro, 'clear, light', and oscuro, 'dark'. It names the handling of light and shade in a painting or drawing, where contrast gives the picture depth.

The author borrows it for the mind: joy and sorrow play light and shadow. The same idea runs earlier in the passage — without sorrow, joy would be 'a flat and shallow sensation lacking contrast or value'.

You do not need to know the word beforehand. The sentence tells you what forms it — joy and sorrow together — and what it does: it makes life more vivid.

Key facts

Chiaroscuro comes from Italian chiaro ('clear, light') and oscuro ('dark').
In art, chiaroscuro is the treatment of light and shade to create contrast and depth.
Monochromatic means of a single colour — the passage's image for a life without sorrow.

Study next

Art and music terms used as metaphors in proseInferring a rare word from the sentence around itMapping a metaphor back to the idea it stands for

Common traps

Picking 'a musical variation' because the passage's first lines use 'rhythm' and 'resonance' — chiaroscuro sits among visual words and is a painting term.
Choosing 'a specific type of sorrow' because the passage dwells on grief — the word is formed by joy and sorrow together.

The same 'in the context of the passage' framing appears in Tier-II Paper-I, 19 Jan 2026, 11:00, English Q.35, which asks what 'sustainable development' means there.

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.