SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 21 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Awareness · 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 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.

In the context of the Rigveda, what does the term ‘Rik’ signify?

(a)Ritual sacrifice
(b)Divine law
(c)Sacred hymn
(d)Ancient melody

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Rik (ṛc) comes from a root meaning 'to praise'. A rik is a verse of praise, and the Rigveda is the collection of such hymns, addressed to gods such as Agni, Indra and Soma.

So the name itself means the Veda of hymns → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Ritual sacrifice — Ritual sacrifice is yajna. Its formulas are gathered in the Yajurveda, named after yajus, the sacrificial formula, not after the rik.
(b)
Divine law — Divine law, the cosmic and moral order, is rita (ṛta). It is an idea the Rigveda's hymns praise, not what the word rik means.
(d)
Ancient melody — Melody belongs to the Samaveda, from saman, a chant. Its songs set Rigvedic verses to music, but rik names the verse, not the tune.

Concept

Each of the first three Vedas is named for what it holds:
Rigveda: riks, verses of praise
Samaveda: samans, chants
Yajurveda: yajus, sacrificial formulas

The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas. Its more than a thousand hymns are arranged in ten books called mandalas.

Strictly, a rik is a single verse, and a hymn made of several verses is a sukta, 'well said'. Among the four options, 'Sacred hymn' is the nearest meaning, and it is the one the key takes.

Key facts

A rik is a verse of praise, and the Rigveda is the Veda of such verses.
The Rigveda has ten books, called mandalas.
A hymn of the Rigveda is called a sukta, meaning 'well said'.
Rita (ṛta) is the Vedic idea of cosmic and moral order.

Study next

The six Vedangas and what each coversRigvedic assemblies: the sabha and the samitiThe Gayatri mantra and the Purusha Sukta of the Rigveda

Common traps

Picking 'Ancient melody' because the Vedas were chanted: melody is the Samaveda's, and the rik is the words.
Picking 'Divine law' because rita sounds like rik: rita is the cosmic order, rik is the verse.

Here a Vedic term is asked by its meaning. Vedic vocabulary is also asked at 24 Sep 2024, 16:00, GA Q.22, which keys gomat for a wealthy person, and the Vedangas at 12 Sep 2024, 12:30, GA Q.22.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: History — all 154 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.