SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 20 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Awareness · Question 21 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.

According to the Global Firepower (GFP) methodology, what is the purpose of using special modifiers like bonuses and penalties in its ranking formula?

(a)To exclude non-military nations from the ranking
(b)To prioritize countries with higher nuclear stockpiles
(c)To balance rankings between technologically advanced and lesser-developed nations
(d)To calculate the GDP-to-defense budget ratio

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Global Firepower states its method in one sentence: its in-house formula 'allows for smaller, more technologically-advanced, nations to compete with larger, lesser-developed powers', and special modifiers, in the form of bonuses and penalties, are applied to further refine the list.

The modifiers serve that balancing aim → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
To exclude non-military nations from the ranking — The modifiers refine the list of ranked nations by adjusting scores. GFP does not describe them as a filter that excludes any nation from the ranking.
(b)
To prioritize countries with higher nuclear stockpiles — Nuclear stockpile size is not the purpose GFP gives for its modifiers. Its stated aim is to let smaller, technologically advanced nations compete with larger ones.
(d)
To calculate the GDP-to-defense budget ratio — The defence budget is one of GFP's 60-plus factors, but the modifiers adjust the final score. GFP does not describe them as a way to compute a GDP-to-defence ratio.

Concept

The Global Firepower index ranks countries by conventional military strength. It combines over 60 individual factors into one PowerIndex (PwrIndx) score, and the list is compiled annually.

A perfect score is 0.0000, which GFP calls realistically unattainable, so a smaller score means a stronger military. GFP says its formula is built so that smaller, advanced nations can compete with larger ones.

In GFP's sentence the balancing is credited to the formula as a whole, and the modifiers 'further refine' the list. The question folds the two together, but option (c) is still the one that matches GFP's own description.

Key facts

Global Firepower combines over 60 individual factors into a PowerIndex (PwrIndx) score.
A perfect PwrIndx score is 0.0000, so a smaller score means greater conventional military strength.
GFP applies special modifiers, in the form of bonuses and penalties, to refine its annual list.

Study next

SIPRI's data on military expenditure and arms transfersThe Global Peace Index, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace

Common traps

Reading a lower PowerIndex as a weaker military: in GFP's scale, a smaller score means a stronger one.
Assuming the bonuses reward nuclear arsenals: GFP's stated aim for its formula is to let smaller, advanced nations compete with larger ones.

Here the index is tested on its method. At 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, GA Q.20 it is tested on its inputs, where the key is the defence budget.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Economic Scene — all 144 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.