SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 10 of 99

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: Much efforts have been made (1)/ by the development team (2)/ to reduce the application's loading time (3)/ without compromising features. (4)/

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

Answer

Why

Correct — A. The trigger is Much efforts. As a quantifier, much takes an uncountable noun (much time, much effort), but efforts is the plural of a countable noun.

Part (1) can be mended within itself:
Many efforts have been made, keeping the plural, or
Much effort has been made, with the singular verb has.

Parts (2), (3) and (4) are sound, so the error is in part (1), option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
(2) — by the development team is the correct agent phrase for the passive have been made: the team made the efforts. Nothing in it needs changing.
(c)
(3) — to reduce the application's loading time is a correct infinitive of purpose, and the possessive application's is properly formed for a singular noun.
(d)
(4) — without compromising features puts a gerund after the preposition without, which is the pattern English requires. The part is error-free.

Concept

Quantifiers must match the noun's countability. Much and little go with uncountable nouns: much time, little patience. Many and few go with plural countable nouns: many attempts, few errors.

Effort can be either. Uncountable, it stays singular (much effort has been made). Countable, it takes -s and a plural verb (many efforts have been made). Part (1) mixes the uncountable quantifier with the countable plural.

With Many, the plural verb have been made is already right. With Much effort, the verb must become has been made. Both repairs stay inside part (1), so the answer is the same either way.

Key facts

Much takes an uncountable noun: much effort, much information, much time.
Many takes a plural countable noun: many efforts, many attempts.
Effort is both countable and uncountable, so the quantifier and the verb must agree with the form chosen.

Study next

Nouns that stay uncountable in standard English: information, advice, luggage, evidenceFew, a few, little and a little, and the change in meaning the article bringsVerb agreement after much of, many of and each of

Common traps

Blaming a later part because it is longer, when the quantifier in part (1) is the fault.
Mending only the noun (Much effort) and leaving the plural verb have in place.
Treating much and many as interchangeable because both mean a large amount.

A quantifier that clashes with its noun also decides 26 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.16, where Several of the evidences puts a count word on an uncountable noun.

9 Sep 2024, 09:00, English Q.4 marks no informations as the error, since information takes no plural -s.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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