SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 12 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.

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.

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: Not only the minister but also the bureaucrats (1)/ has been accused of manipulating (2)/ the data presented in the economic survey (3)/ to align with political interests. (4)

(a)(1)
(b)(2)
(c)(3)
(d)(4)

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The two subjects are joined by not only ... but also, and with this pair the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.

The nearer subject is the bureaucrats, plural, so has been accused must become have been accused.

The error is in part (2) → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
(1) — Not only the minister but also the bureaucrats is a complete, parallel pair — a noun phrase after each half. The fault lies in the verb that follows.
(c)
(3) — the data presented in the economic survey is the object of manipulating. No verb in this part agrees with data, so its singular-or-plural question never arises.
(d)
(4) — to align with political interests is an infinitive of purpose, and align correctly takes with. The part is sound.

Concept

When two subjects are joined by not only ... but also, either ... or or neither ... nor, the verb agrees with the second subject, the one nearer to it.

Not only the minister but also the bureaucrats have been accused.
Not only the bureaucrats but also the minister has been accused.

Joined by and instead, the minister and the bureaucrats take a plural verb as a pair.

Key facts

With not only X but also Y as the subject, the verb agrees with Y.
Either ... or and neither ... nor follow the same nearer-subject rule.
Accused takes of + -ing: accused of manipulating.

Study next

Subject-verb agreement with either ... or and neither ... norAgreement with as well as, along with and together withParallel structure after not only ... but also

Common traps

Agreeing the verb with the minister, the singular noun that opens the sentence, instead of with bureaucrats beside the verb
Suspecting part (3) because data can be singular or plural — no verb in that part depends on it

The same nearer-subject rule decides 16 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.21 (Neither the manager nor the employees was available → were available) and 22 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.16 (Neither the manager nor the employees has submitted, error in part (2)).

At 13 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.10 it runs in reverse: the nearer subject, the legal counsel, is singular, so were briefed is the error.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Error spotting — all 121 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.