SSC CGL 2025 Tier-II · Paper-I, 19 January 2026 · English Language and Comprehension · Question 11 of 150

We transcribed this text from the pictures of a candidate's response sheet for this paper; the answer is the key SSC marked with a green tick 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. This paper reaches us as a candidate's response sheet saved as pictures, so we transcribed the text from those pictures, and a second reader checked every question against them; where the layout carries meaning, we show the picture too. Each answer is the key SSC marked with a green tick 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. UnlockIAS wrote the solutions.

Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence. “Call the first witness,” said the judge.

(a)The judge ordered them to call the first witness.
(b)The judge asked if they would call the first witness.
(c)The judge ordered that called the first witness.
(d)The judge said that the first witness should be called.

Answer

Why

Correct — A. The direct speech is an imperative: an order with no subject.

An order is reported with a command verb (ordered, commanded, told), then the person ordered, then a to-infinitive: ordered them to call.

The judge names no listener, so the report supplies a pronoun, them, for whoever is being ordered. The judge ordered them to call the first witness is option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
The judge asked if they would call the first witness. — asked if they would call turns the order into a yes/no question. The judge was not asking whether they would call the witness; he was telling them to.
(c)
The judge ordered that called the first witness. — ordered that called gives the that-clause a past verb with no subject. An order is reported with to + base verb (to call), not with a past tense.
(d)
The judge said that the first witness should be called. — said that ... should be called is grammatical, but plain said drops the force of the order, and the passive clause changes its voice. Ordered + person + to-infinitive reports it directly.

Concept

The type of sentence decides the reporting pattern.

Statement: said/told + that-clause.
Question: asked + if/whether or a wh-word.
Order or request: ordered/told/requested/advised + person + to-infinitive.

The verb chosen shows the tone: ordered or commanded for a judge's instruction, requested for a polite ask, advised for advice. A negative order takes not to: told them not to call.

A that ... should clause is not wrong in itself: 17 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.22 keys She advised that he should not be disturbed during the meeting for Let him not be disturbed during the meeting. What sinks the should-option here is plain said, which carries no order.

Key facts

Imperative → indirect: verb of command + person + to-infinitive (ordered them to call).
Negative imperative: not + to-infinitive (Don't shout → told us not to shout).
Say needs to before a person (said to me), while tell takes the person directly (told me).

Study next

Reporting requests with please: requested + person + to-infinitiveReporting let's sentences: suggested that we shouldReporting exclamations: exclaimed with joy or sorrow that

Common traps

Reporting an order with asked if, as though it were a question.
Keeping said, which carries no command, when the sentence is an order.

An order is reported the same way at 14 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.22 (Open the window → She told me to open the window), where She said me to open the window is a wrong option.

This paper reports a question instead at 19 Jan 2026, 11:00 AM, English Q.1.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Narration — all 27 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.