SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 19 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 10 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.

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: Neither of the proposed strategies (1)/ seem to address the core issue (2)/ that the committee identified (3)/ during last month’s review. (4)/

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

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The subject is Neither of the proposed strategies, and its head is neither, not strategies.

Neither means 'not the one and not the other', so it takes a singular verb, as each and either do. The plural strategies stands just before the verb and pulls it towards seem.

Part (2) should read "seems to address the core issue" → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
(1) — Neither of the + plural noun is the correct pattern: neither of the strategies, neither of them. The plural belongs here; it is only the lure for the verb in part (2).
(c)
(3) — that the committee identified is a sound relative clause. That refers back to the core issue, and the simple past identified fits a review held last month.
(d)
(4) — last month’s review is a correct singular possessive — one month, so the apostrophe comes before the s — and during + a noun phrase is a normal time expression.

Concept

Neither, either and each are singular pronouns. When one of them stands before of + a plural noun, the verb agrees with the pronoun, not with the noun inside the of-phrase: Neither of the answers is correct.

The of-phrase is the trap, because its plural noun sits next to the verb and sounds like the subject. Cover it and read again: Neither ... seem is plainly wrong.

Neither ... nor works differently: there the verb agrees with the nearer of the two subjects.

Informal English sometimes uses a plural verb after neither of — Neither of them are coming. Formal written English, which this item tests, keeps the verb singular.

Key facts

Neither of + plural noun takes a singular verb in formal English: Neither of the strategies seems to work.
Each of and either of follow the same rule: Each of the members was present.
With neither ... nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject: Neither the manager nor the clerks were told.

Study next

Each of and one of + plural noun: One of the boys has leftNeither ... nor and either ... or: agreement with the nearer subjectThe number of (singular verb) versus a number of (plural verb)

Common traps

Matching the verb to strategies, the plural noun that stands just before it
Suspecting part (1) because Neither of the + plural noun looks like a mismatch

16 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.17 tests the same rule as a replacement item: Neither of the options are suitable for this task, keyed is suitable for this task.

19 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.12 is the each of version (Each of the committee members were obligated), and 13 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.11 the neither ... nor version, where two singular subjects need appears, not appear.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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