SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 9 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: Although the experiment had been meticulously designed, unforeseen variables ___ the reliability of its conclusions.

(a)undermined
(b)bolstered
(c)ratified
(d)exacerbated

Answer

Why

Correct — A. The trigger is Although. It sets up a contrast: the experiment was carefully designed, yet something went wrong.

So the blank must hurt the conclusions. Undermined means weakened, gradually or from beneath: unforeseen variables undermined the reliability of its conclusions → option (a).

All four options are past-tense verbs, so tense cannot decide. The contrast does.

Why the others are wrong

(b)
bolstered — bolstered means strengthened. Careful design followed by stronger conclusions is no contrast, so it clashes with Although.
(c)
ratified — ratified means formally approved, as a parliament ratifies a treaty. That is the wrong direction for Although, and variables cannot formally approve anything.
(d)
exacerbated — exacerbated means made a bad thing worse, as in exacerbated the crisis. Reliability is a good quality, so exacerbating it makes no sense.

Concept

Connectors tell you the direction of a blank. Although, though, even though and while can signal contrast: the second clause goes against what the first leads you to expect.

Here the first clause is positive, meticulous design. So the blank must be negative, and it must fit its object, the reliability of the conclusions.

Exacerbated is the tempting wrong answer, because it is negative in tone. But it needs an object that is already bad, such as a problem, tension or a shortage. Collocation, not tone, rules it out: you undermine reliability, you exacerbate doubts.

Key facts

Although introduces a contrast between two clauses.
Undermine means to weaken gradually or from beneath.
Exacerbate means to make a problem or bad situation worse.
Ratify means to give formal approval to a treaty, contract or agreement.

Study next

Concessive connectors such as although, though, even though, despite and in spite ofCollocations of undermine and exacerbate, such as undermine confidence and exacerbate tensionsVerbs of strengthening and weakening, such as bolster, buttress, erode and sap

Common traps

Choosing exacerbated because it sounds negative, without checking that it needs a bad thing as its object
Ignoring Although and picking bolstered because meticulous design sounds as if it should strengthen the results

Here the connector Although sets the direction of the blank.

12 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.9 runs the same logic with While: the proposal 'appeared pragmatic on paper', so its implementation proved more complicated than expected (keyed more).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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