SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 20 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.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
Democracy is frequently extolled as the political system that best guarantees individual liberty. Enshrined in constitutional rights and protected by the rule of law, freedom of speech, association, religion, and conscience are regarded as hallmarks of democratic governance. However, what is less frequently acknowledged—but equally vital—is the reciprocal pillar of responsibility without which such freedoms can degenerate into chaos, polarization, or authoritarian backlashes. Freedom in a democracy is not absolute; it exists within a framework of mutual restraint and civic discipline. The right to express dissent, for instance, is foundational. Yet when freedom of expression is weaponized to disseminate hate speech, misinformation, or seditious propaganda, it ceases to serve the democratic cause. Responsibility thus entails a conscious engagement with the implications of one’s actions—not just their legality, but their ethical and civic consequences. The challenge lies in reconciling liberty with accountability in pluralistic societies. With diverse cultural, ideological, and economic constituencies, democracies are inherently sites of contention. In such contexts, responsibility demands more than legal compliance—it requires empathy, critical thinking, and a commitment to collective well-being. A citizen’s right to protest, for example, must be exercised with awareness of public order and respect for differing viewpoints. Similarly, the freedom to vote must be matched by an obligation to make informed choices, unswayed by populism, prejudice, or manipulation. The tension between freedom and responsibility is perhaps most visible during moments of crisis—be it a pandemic, a communal riot, or a constitutional standoff. In such times, the temptation to prioritize personal liberty at the cost of collective safety can prove fatal. Refusal to wear masks during a health emergency or the viral spread of unverified news during civil unrest exemplify how unbridled freedom can undermine democratic resilience. Moreover, democracy itself is not self-sustaining; it requires vigilant citizens who recognize that rights are not entitlements in perpetuity, but privileges preserved through active participation. When freedom is divorced from responsibility, democratic institutions become vulnerable to erosion—from within. Demagogues often rise not solely because of state failure, but due to civic apathy or irresponsible use of democratic freedoms by the populace itself. Therefore, in any functioning democracy, freedom and responsibility are not opposing forces but mutually reinforcing imperatives. The preservation of liberty necessitates a citizenry capable of ethical judgment, informed debate, and constructive dissent. In the absence of responsibility, freedom risks transforming from a catalyst of justice into a vehicle of division. Democracy survives not just through the laws it enacts, but through the civic virtues its citizens embody.

What is implied about the relationship between citizens and democratic institutions?

(a)Citizens cannot influence institutions
(b)Institutions are entirely self-preserving
(c)Citizens play an active role in sustaining democracy
(d)Democratic institutions should restrict citizens' rights

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The passage says democracy "is not self-sustaining; it requires vigilant citizens who recognize that rights are not entitlements in perpetuity, but privileges preserved through active participation."

If democracy cannot sustain itself and needs citizens' participation, citizens help sustain it.

The last sentence agrees: democracy survives "through the civic virtues its citizens embody" → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Citizens cannot influence institutions — Cannot influence is contradicted: "civic apathy or irresponsible use of democratic freedoms by the populace itself" helps demagogues rise, and institutions erode "from within".
(b)
Institutions are entirely self-preserving — Entirely self-preserving turns the passage around. It says democracy "is not self-sustaining" and needs vigilant citizens.
(d)
Democratic institutions should restrict citizens' rights — Restrict citizens' rights is never argued. The restraint the passage wants is the citizens' own, "mutual restraint and civic discipline", and it warns of "authoritarian backlashes".

Concept

An inference question asks what the passage commits you to, even where no sentence says it in the option's words.

The passage never writes that citizens sustain democracy. It says democracy "is not self-sustaining" and "requires vigilant citizens" — put together, those leave one reading.

The erosion sentences agree: institutions weaken "from within", and demagogues rise partly through "civic apathy".

The passage does not make citizens the sole support of democracy: it survives "not just through the laws it enacts" but through its citizens. The key says citizens play an active role, which is all the passage supports.

Key facts

Democracy "is not self-sustaining" and "requires vigilant citizens".
Rights are "privileges preserved through active participation", not "entitlements in perpetuity".
Democracy survives "not just through the laws it enacts, but through the civic virtues its citizens embody".

Study next

Inference questions: combining two stated claims into one conclusionOptions that drop a passage's negation: not self-sustaining against self-preserving

Common traps

Choosing 'self-preserving' because it echoes 'self-sustaining' — the passage puts not in front of it.
Reading "mutual restraint" as a call for institutions to curb rights — the restraint is the citizens' own.

English Q.18 on this passage asks the direct version: what happens when freedom is exercised without responsibility, keyed misuse and societal harm.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Reading comprehension — all 128 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
Democracy is frequently extolled as the political system that best guarantees individual liberty. Enshrined in constitutional rights and protected by the rule of law, freedom of speech, association, religion, and conscience are regarded as hallmarks of democratic governance. However, what is less frequently acknowledged—but equally vital—is the reciprocal pillar of responsibility without which such freedoms can degenerate into chaos, polarization, or authoritarian backlashes. Freedom in a democracy is not absolute; it exists within a framework of mutual restraint and civic discipline. The right to express dissent, for instance, is foundational. Yet when freedom of expression is weaponized to disseminate hate speech, misinformation, or seditious propaganda, it ceases to serve the democratic cause. Responsibility thus entails a conscious engagement with the implications of one’s actions—not just their legality, but their ethical and civic consequences. The challenge lies in reconciling liberty with accountability in pluralistic societies. With diverse cultural, ideological, and economic constituencies, democracies are inherently sites of contention. In such contexts, responsibility demands more than legal compliance—it requires empathy, critical thinking, and a commitment to collective well-being. A citizen’s right to protest, for example, must be exercised with awareness of public order and respect for differing viewpoints. Similarly, the freedom to vote must be matched by an obligation to make informed choices, unswayed by populism, prejudice, or manipulation. The tension between freedom and responsibility is perhaps most visible during moments of crisis—be it a pandemic, a communal riot, or a constitutional standoff. In such times, the temptation to prioritize personal liberty at the cost of collective safety can prove fatal. Refusal to wear masks during a health emergency or the viral spread of unverified news during civil unrest exemplify how unbridled freedom can undermine democratic resilience. Moreover, democracy itself is not self-sustaining; it requires vigilant citizens who recognize that rights are not entitlements in perpetuity, but privileges preserved through active participation. When freedom is divorced from responsibility, democratic institutions become vulnerable to erosion—from within. Demagogues often rise not solely because of state failure, but due to civic apathy or irresponsible use of democratic freedoms by the populace itself. Therefore, in any functioning democracy, freedom and responsibility are not opposing forces but mutually reinforcing imperatives. The preservation of liberty necessitates a citizenry capable of ethical judgment, informed debate, and constructive dissent. In the absence of responsibility, freedom risks transforming from a catalyst of justice into a vehicle of division. Democracy survives not just through the laws it enacts, but through the civic virtues its citizens embody.