SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 23 September 2025, Shift 3 · English Comprehension · Question 15 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: The new encryption protocol is capable for thwarting (1)/ sophisticated cyber-intrusions that were previously considered (2)/ impervious to defensive measures (3)/ according to recent white-paper findings. (4)/

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

Answer

Why

Correct — A. Segment (1) reads capable for thwarting.

Capable takes the preposition of, and a verb after of becomes an -ing form: capable of thwarting.

Corrected: 'The new encryption protocol is capable of thwarting sophisticated cyber-intrusions ...'

Segments (2), (3) and (4) are sound, so the error sits in (1) → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
(2) — Were previously considered is a past passive for an earlier time, set against the present 'is capable'. The change of tense is deliberate and correct.
(c)
(3) — Impervious to uses the right preposition: impervious means not affected by, and it takes to. The segment has no error.
(d)
(4) — According to recent white-paper findings is a complete phrase that closes the sentence and cites its source. Nothing in it needs changing.

Concept

Some adjectives fix the preposition after them, and this item tests one such pairing. Capable of is the pattern: capable of flying, capable of thwarting attacks.

Its near-synonym able takes a to-infinitive instead: able to thwart.

Blending the two gives 'capable to thwart', and swapping the preposition gives 'capable for thwarting'. Both are errors.

Key facts

capable of + noun or -ing form: capable of thwarting intrusions.
able to + base verb: able to thwart intrusions.
impervious to: not affected by, or not letting something through.

Study next

Adjective + preposition pairs: capable of, proficient in, averse to, conducive toAble to versus capable of

Common traps

Suspecting segment (3) because impervious is a rare word. Impervious takes to, so the segment is correct.
Blending able to with capable, which produces capable to thwart, as wrong as capable for.

The same adjective is tested at 17 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.10, where 'to make the employees capable to handle' is the error segment, keyed (2).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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