SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 10 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.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Instruction: Identify the assumptions that must hold for the statement to be valid, then choose the correct option. Statement: Despite increasing consumer interest, electric vehicles are still significantly more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles, and subsidies are essential to boost their adoption. Assumptions: I. The price difference is a major barrier to widespread adoption of electric vehicles. II. Subsidies can make electric vehicles affordable for consumers. III. The adoption of electric vehicles will significantly reduce carbon emissions.

(a)Only I and II are implicit
(b)Only II and III are implicit
(c)All are implicit
(d)Only I is implicit

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: an assumption is what the statement must take for granted to make sense.

I is implicit. Calling EVs more expensive and subsidies essential assumes the price gap is what holds adoption back.

II is implicit. Prescribing subsidies to boost adoption assumes subsidies can make EVs affordable.

III is not. The statement never says why adoption matters, so carbon emissions lie outside it.

I and II together → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
Only II and III are implicit — It drops I, which the statement leans on: subsidies are essential because price holds adoption back. And it adds III, which the statement never raises.
(c)
All are implicit — III is the extra. The statement argues about price and subsidies and gives no reason for wanting more EVs, so emissions are not assumed.
(d)
Only I is implicit — It misses II. Calling subsidies essential to boost adoption takes for granted that subsidies can bring EVs within reach of buyers.

Concept

An assumption is an unstated premise: take it away and the statement stops making sense. Test each one by negating it.

Not I: if price were no barrier, subsidies would not be essential.
Not II: if subsidies could not make EVs affordable, recommending them would be pointless.
Not III: if EVs did nothing for emissions, the statement would still stand, since it never mentions them.

III may well be true, but truth is not the test. An assumption must be needed by this statement, and this statement never mentions emissions.

Key facts

An assumption is implicit only if the statement depends on it.
Negation test: if denying it makes the statement pointless or false, it is implicit.
A true but unrelated claim, such as III here, is not an assumption.

Study next

Statement and conclusion questionsCourse-of-action questionsCause-and-effect statements

Common traps

Marking III implicit because it sounds true, although the statement never mentions emissions
Missing II because the statement says subsidies are essential, not that they work

12 Sep 2025, 16:00, Reasoning Q.6 uses the same instruction on an automation statement and also keys Only I and II, leaving out III, a claim that automation will replace human labor in all sectors.

14 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.5 does the same with job displacement from automation and AI, keyed Only I and II, where III claims the displacement is temporary.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Critical thinking — all 9 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.

Instruction: Identify the assumptions that must hold for the statement to be valid, then choose the correct option. Statement: Despite increasing consumer interest, electric vehicles are still significantly more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles, and subsidies are essential to boost their adoption. Assumptions: I. The price difference is a major barrier to widespread adoption of electric vehicles. II. Subsidies can make electric vehicles affordable for consumers. III. The adoption of electric vehicles will significantly reduce carbon emissions.

(a)Only I and II are implicit
(b)Only II and III are implicit
(c)All are implicit
(d)Only I is implicit