SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 18 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 2 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 11 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.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word: EBULLIENT

(a)Depressed
(b)Dull
(c)Enthusiastic
(d)Calm

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Ebullient means enthusiastic and high-spirited: bubbling over with energy and cheer.

Enthusiastic means showing intense, eager enjoyment or interest. It shares the core of ebullient, lively excitement → option (c).

The Latin gives the picture. Ebullire means 'to boil over', from ex, 'out', and bullire, 'to bubble'. An ebullient person bubbles over.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Depressed — Depressed means low in spirits and dejected. That is the far end of the mood scale from ebullient, so it is an antonym.
(b)
Dull — Dull means lacking liveliness, interest or energy. Liveliness is exactly what ebullient describes, so dull points the opposite way.
(d)
Calm — Calm means quiet and free from agitation. An ebullient person is bubbling over, not settled, so calm stands nearer the opposite pole.

Concept

A synonym item turns on the word's core sense. Ebullient describes a person overflowing with cheerful, lively energy.

Depressed, Dull and Calm all describe low or settled energy, so they sit at the quiet end of the scale. Enthusiastic is the lone option at the lively end.

The noun is ebullience. Both words come from the Latin for boiling over, the same picture as calling someone bubbly.

Ebullient once described liquid that was literally boiling and bubbling. That sense is now archaic, and the figurative sense, enthusiastic and high-spirited, is the one tested here.

Key facts

Ebullient means enthusiastic and high-spirited.
It comes from Latin ebullire, 'to boil over', from ex, 'out', and bullire, 'to bubble'.
The verb boil also comes from Latin bullire.
Depressed, dull and calm all describe low or settled energy, the opposite of ebullient.

Study next

Near-synonyms of ebullient, such as exuberant, effervescent, buoyant and vivaciousLow-energy antonyms, such as lethargic, listless and moroseLook-alike words that differ in sense, such as ebullient and emollient

Common traps

Confusing ebullient with emollient, 'soothing', and then picking Calm

Enthusiastic is also keyed at 17 Sep 2024, 16:00, English Q.15, there as the antonym of Reluctant.

The lively-mood family returns at 11 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.19, where Jovial is keyed Cheerful.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Synonyms — all 112 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.