SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 21 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 18 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.

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: Those most affected by the decision (1)/ appears to be those (2)/ who were never consulted (3)/ during the drafting of the policy. (4)

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

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The subject is Those, a plural pronoun meaning those people. 'Most affected by the decision' only describes them.

A plural subject takes a plural verb, so appears must be appear: 'Those most affected by the decision appear to be those who were never consulted.'

The singular noun decision stands right before the verb and pulls it towards appears, but it sits inside the modifier, not the subject → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
(1) — Those most affected by the decision is sound. Most affected is a shortened relative clause (those who are most affected), and it describes the plural subject correctly.
(c)
(3) — who were never consulted agrees: who stands for the plural those just before it, so were is right, and the past tense fits a drafting that is already over.
(d)
(4) — during the drafting of the policy is a correct time phrase: during takes a noun phrase, and the drafting of the policy is one.

Concept

Subject-verb agreement is decided by the head of the subject, not by the noun nearest the verb.

Here the head is the pronoun Those. Everything between it and the verb, 'most affected by the decision', is a modifier, so the singular decision does not count.

Strip the modifier to test it: 'Those appear to be those who were never consulted.' Appears clashes at once.

The complement after the verb, those who were never consulted, is plural too, so both sides of the verb point to appear.

Key facts

Those used as a pronoun for people is plural: those who, those affected.
A past-participle phrase after a pronoun can stand for a relative clause: those most affected = those who are most affected.
The verb agrees with the head of the subject even when a noun of the other number stands closer to it.

Study next

Agreement after a long subject that ends in a noun of the other numberPronouns that are always plural: those, both, few, many, severalAlong with, as well as and together with after a singular subject

Common traps

Matching the verb to decision, the noun right before it, instead of to Those.
Marking (3) because were and appear differ in tense, when the consultation belongs to the earlier drafting.

The same proximity trap, run the other way, is keyed at 14 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.10: 'The perception that the guidelines are optional rather than compulsory have led', where the singular head perception needs has led.

At 18 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.10, 'The CEO along with his deputies were present' is keyed at segment (2): along with does not make the CEO plural.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Error spotting — all 86 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.