SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 7 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.

Select the correct option: The architect argued that aesthetics should not be subordinated ___ functionality.

(a)at
(b)for
(c)to
(d)with

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The trigger is the verb subordinated. To subordinate one thing to another is to treat it as less important than the other.

So aesthetics 'should not be subordinated to functionality': beauty should not be ranked below usefulness → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
at — at marks a point in place or time, as in at the gate or at noon. It cannot introduce the thing that outranks aesthetics.
(b)
for — for marks purpose or benefit. 'Subordinated for functionality' does not name what aesthetics is ranked below, and the verb takes to for that.
(d)
with — with marks company or means, as in with a friend or with a pen. Subordinate does not pair with it to express rank.

Concept

Some verbs and adjectives fix the preposition that follows them. Subordinate is one: you subordinate A to B, and in the passive A is subordinated to B.

The word explains the pairing. It comes from Latin sub, 'under', and ordinare, 'to arrange in order': placed lower in an order. The same rank sense takes to in inferior to, superior to, junior to and senior to.

The adjective takes to as well: a junior officer is subordinate to a senior one.

Key facts

Subordinate A to B means to treat A as less important than B.
In the passive, A is subordinated to B.
Subordinate comes from Latin sub, 'under', and ordinare, 'to arrange in order'.
Inferior, superior, junior and senior take to, not than.

Study next

Latin comparatives that take to, such as superior, inferior, senior, junior and priorVerbs with fixed prepositions, such as prefer to, abstain from and comply withRank words that take to, such as subject to, secondary to and subservient to

Common traps

Choosing for because the sentence feels like it is about sacrificing beauty for the sake of function
Carrying than into rank words: superior than and inferior than are wrong, and the preposition is to

Here the verb before the blank decides the preposition. A preposition blank is also asked at 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.8 ('occur ___ prolonged drought conditions', keyed under).

14 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.8 tests the pairing from the other side: to is printed, and the blank is the word that takes it ('diametrically ___ to the prevailing orthodoxy', keyed opposed).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Fill in the blank — all 58 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.