SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 6 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.

Choose the correct one-word substitution for: ‘A general pardon granted by a government’.

(a)Amnesty
(b)Reprieve
(c)Clemency
(d)Parole

Answer

Why

Correct — A. The trigger is general: the pardon covers a whole class of offenders, not one convict.

An amnesty is an official pardon of that kind, granted by a government, as when political prisoners are freed, or people who hand in weapons are promised they will not be prosecuted → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
Reprieve — Reprieve cancels or postpones a punishment, classically a death sentence, for a particular prisoner. It halts one sentence instead of pardoning a whole class.
(c)
Clemency — Clemency is mercy or leniency, the quality shown when a punishment is softened. It names the mercy, not the general pardon a government proclaims.
(d)
Parole — Parole is the early release of a prisoner on a promise of good behaviour. The conviction still stands, so it is not a pardon at all.

Concept

Amnesty comes from Greek amnēstia, 'forgetfulness', the same root as amnesia. The state agrees to overlook a set of offences.

Its hallmark is that it is general: it covers a class of people or offences, often political ones, and may be declared for a fixed period.

A reprieve stops or delays one punishment, and parole lets one prisoner out early under conditions. Neither is a pardon.

All four options come from one legal field, so the word 'general' in the definition does the deciding.

Key facts

Amnesty: an official pardon granted to a group of offenders, often for political offences.
It comes from Greek amnēstia, 'forgetfulness', the root of amnesia.
Reprieve: cancellation or postponement of a punishment, especially a death sentence.
Article 72 of the Constitution of India names pardons, reprieves, respites and remissions of punishment side by side, as distinct things the President may grant.

Study next

Mercy words in law: pardon, remission, commutation, respiteAmnesty and amnesia — one Greek root for forgettingAcquittal versus pardon: found not guilty versus forgiven after conviction

Common traps

Picking Clemency because it means mercy, without noticing the definition asks for a general pardon
Treating reprieve or parole as a pardon, when one halts a punishment and the other shortens time served

A definition phrase with four options from one legal field, so a single word in the definition, 'general', decides.

The same family is tested at 20 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.7, where 'Cancellation of a penalty or debt.' is keyed Remission, and Reprieve and Pardon are wrong options.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: One-word substitution — all 125 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.