SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 15 of 75

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 :
In the relentless pursuit of excellence, the dichotomy between hard work and smart work emerges not merely as a matter of preference but as a nuanced dialectic in the broader schema of human productivity. Hard work—often equated with sheer diligence, indefatigable endurance, and linear perseverance—has historically been valorized as the cornerstone of achievement. The laboring individual, armed with nothing but obstinacy and time, is celebrated in folklore and biographies alike. However, in an era punctuated by algorithmic precision and cognitive economy, such traditional notions increasingly invite scrutiny. Contrastingly, smart work embodies a strategic orchestration of effort—an application of metacognition, resource optimization, and situational analysis. It seeks to minimize entropy in labor while maximizing the return on cognitive and physical investment. Smart workers interrogate systems, deconstruct inefficiencies, and leverage available tools—be they digital frameworks or social capital—to expedite outcomes. They transcend the treadmill of unidirectional exertion by inserting intelligence into execution. Nevertheless, the glorification of smart work without the substratum of hard work yields its own inadequacies. Smartness devoid of rigor often culminates in superficiality—a veneer of competence that collapses under sustained demand. Likewise, unmitigated hard work, devoid of strategic redirection, can lead to burnout and inefficacy. Hence, the contemporary paradigm necessitates a confluence: the sagacious worker is one who tempers grit with guile, who labors not just with effort but with efficacy. The juxtaposition, then, is not binary but complementary. To romanticize either extreme is to overlook the variegated realities of performance. In the crucible of modern challenges, the symbiotic blend of persistence and precision is what renders output sustainable and impact magnified. In essence, success is not the fruit of blind toil or cunning alone, but the synthesis of intelligent perseverance.

Which of the following best captures the tone of the author in the passage?

(a)Dogmatic
(b)Reverent
(c)Analytical
(d)Indifferent

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The author weighs both sides before judging. Hard work gets its due and its limit: it can lead to burnout and inefficacy. Smart work gets the same test: Smartness devoid of rigor often culminates in superficiality.

The verdict is reasoned, not declared: The juxtaposition, then, is not binary but complementary. Breaking an idea into parts and weighing them is an analytical tone → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Dogmatic — Dogmatic means insisting that one view is beyond question. This author rejects both extremes: To romanticize either extreme is to overlook the variegated realities of performance.
(b)
Reverent — Reverent means deeply respectful. The author reports that hard work has historically been valorized, then adds that such traditional notions increasingly invite scrutiny. That is weighing, not reverence.
(d)
Indifferent — Indifferent means not caring either way. The author takes a clear position: the contemporary paradigm necessitates a confluence of the two.

Concept

Tone is the writer's attitude, read from word choice and from how the argument moves.

This passage moves in steps. It presents hard work, then smart work, sets out the limits of each, and ends in a synthesis. Its vocabulary is the vocabulary of analysis: dichotomy, dialectic, schema, paradigm, juxtaposition.

An analytical tone examines an idea part by part and reasons to a conclusion, without cheering, mocking or shrugging.

Analytical does not mean neutral. The author reaches a firm view, a blend of the two, but gets there by weighing evidence, which is what separates it from dogmatic.

Key facts

Dogmatic: asserting opinions as undeniably true.
Reverent: showing deep respect or awe.
Analytical: examining something by breaking it into parts and reasoning about them.
Indifferent: having no interest or concern either way.

Study next

Tone labels that pair a judgement with balance, such as balanced and cautionarySeparating what a passage reports from what the author holdsVocabulary of argument: dichotomy, dialectic, juxtaposition, synthesis

Common traps

Reading the high-flown vocabulary as dogmatic, when the author weighs both sides before concluding
Taking the reported praise of hard work, celebrated in folklore and biographies alike, as the author's own reverence

Tone is also keyed at 16 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.22, where a passage weighing freedom against responsibility is Balanced and cautionary, and at 18 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.20, keyed Reflective and critical.

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 :
In the relentless pursuit of excellence, the dichotomy between hard work and smart work emerges not merely as a matter of preference but as a nuanced dialectic in the broader schema of human productivity. Hard work—often equated with sheer diligence, indefatigable endurance, and linear perseverance—has historically been valorized as the cornerstone of achievement. The laboring individual, armed with nothing but obstinacy and time, is celebrated in folklore and biographies alike. However, in an era punctuated by algorithmic precision and cognitive economy, such traditional notions increasingly invite scrutiny. Contrastingly, smart work embodies a strategic orchestration of effort—an application of metacognition, resource optimization, and situational analysis. It seeks to minimize entropy in labor while maximizing the return on cognitive and physical investment. Smart workers interrogate systems, deconstruct inefficiencies, and leverage available tools—be they digital frameworks or social capital—to expedite outcomes. They transcend the treadmill of unidirectional exertion by inserting intelligence into execution. Nevertheless, the glorification of smart work without the substratum of hard work yields its own inadequacies. Smartness devoid of rigor often culminates in superficiality—a veneer of competence that collapses under sustained demand. Likewise, unmitigated hard work, devoid of strategic redirection, can lead to burnout and inefficacy. Hence, the contemporary paradigm necessitates a confluence: the sagacious worker is one who tempers grit with guile, who labors not just with effort but with efficacy. The juxtaposition, then, is not binary but complementary. To romanticize either extreme is to overlook the variegated realities of performance. In the crucible of modern challenges, the symbiotic blend of persistence and precision is what renders output sustainable and impact magnified. In essence, success is not the fruit of blind toil or cunning alone, but the synthesis of intelligent perseverance.