SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 24 September 2025, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 7 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.

Choose the correct one-word substitute for: 'A person who is skilled in many areas'.

(a)Polymath
(b)Prodigy
(c)Savant
(d)Virtuoso

Answer

Why

Correct — A. The trigger is many areas. A polymath is a person with wide knowledge or skill across many different subjects.

The word shows it: Greek poly-, 'many', + math-, the root of the Greek verb 'to learn'.

The other three name excellence, not breadth → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
Prodigy — Prodigy is a young person with exceptional talent, as in a child prodigy. The word stresses youth and rare ability, not breadth across many areas.
(c)
Savant — Savant means a learned person, especially one with deep knowledge of a specialized field, or in savant syndrome exceptional skill in one narrow area. Breadth is missing.
(d)
Virtuoso — Virtuoso is a person highly skilled in music or another art, especially as a performer. It names mastery of a craft, not range across many subjects.

Concept

One-word substitutes for people are built on a defining trait. Here the trait is range: skill in many areas.

All four options describe exceptional people, and that is the trap. Prodigy is about age, virtuoso about performance, savant about depth of learning. Polymath alone is about breadth.

Leonardo da Vinci, painter, engineer and anatomist, fits the word.

A jack of all trades also does many things, but the full saying, 'jack of all trades, master of none', implies skill in none. Polymath implies real knowledge in each field.

Key facts

Polymath: a person of wide knowledge or skill in many subjects (Greek poly-, 'many').
Prodigy: a young person with exceptional talent.
Virtuoso: a person highly skilled in music or another art.
Savant: a learned person, especially one expert in a specialized field.

Study next

Greek poly- words: polyglot, polygon, polytheism, polymathWords for experts: connoisseur, virtuoso, maestro, savant

Common traps

Choosing prodigy or virtuoso because both mean highly talented. Talent is not the trait asked for: range is.
Confusing polymath with polyglot, a person who knows many languages.

The same frame puts Savante and Virtuoso among the options at 17 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.7, where 'One who pretends to have knowledge or skills' is keyed Charlatan.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: One-word substitution — all 125 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.