SSC CGL 2025 Tier-II · Paper-I, 19 January 2026 · English Language and Comprehension · Question 26 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.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a classic known for its humor and complex characters. The famous first sentence of the book, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife," begins to set up all of the major themes of money, status, and marrying well that are prevalent in 19th-century England. The Bennet family, particularly Elizabeth Bennet, a smart and strong-willed heroine, is the subject of Austen’s commentary on the societal imperative for women to marry well and thereby have a stable income.
The title itself is quite meaningful, as it first indicates the character flaws that drive much of the conflict in this novel, namely Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice. In fact, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, being a rich and high-ranking person, first of all shows a haughty character, thereby being very superior by virtue of his class. Elizabeth, having been offended by his initial lack of warmth, as well as having been misled by the deceiving Mr. Wickham, very quickly showed prejudice against him.
Traces the story of each as they navigate these weaknesses. Darcy needs to lower his pride to appreciate the value of Elizabeth’s inferior standing, though she must see the strength of his superior qualities.
Austen employs irony and satire liberally to point out the absurdities of the class structure. Personages like the obsequious Mr. Collins and the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh symbolize the hard and silly aspects of class consciousness. The sojourn at Darcy’s grand estate, Pemberley, is an important defining instance in which the splendor of the property and the favorable reports of his servants compel Elizabeth to revise her earlier opinion and realize the truth of Darcy’s goodness.
In the final analysis, the novel promotes love marriages, couples like Jane and Bingley, and Elizabeth and Darcy, who have successful marriages because of love, in contrast to couples who marry for convenience (Charlotte Collins and Mr. Collins) or those who are full of passion but irresponsible (Lydia and Wickham).

What are the major themes expressed by the first line of the novel?

(a)Nature and the countryside
(b)Love & War
(c)Wealth, status, and marriage
(d)Education and morality

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The passage glosses the line itself: the famous first sentence 'begins to set up all of the major themes of money, status, and marrying well that are prevalent in 19th-century England.'

Match the three: money is wealth, status is status, and marrying well is marriage → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Nature and the countryside — Nature is not among the themes the passage names for the first line: it lists money, status and marrying well. The countryside is never mentioned.
(b)
Love & War — War is never mentioned in the passage. Love is where the passage ends ('the novel promotes love marriages'), not a theme it says the first line sets up.
(d)
Education and morality — Education and morality are not named in the passage. The first line concerns a man with 'a good fortune' who 'must be in want of a wife'.

Concept

A theme question about a quoted line is answered from what the passage says about the line, not from memory of the novel. This passage glosses the line directly: money, status, and marrying well.

The options then paraphrase. Wealth stands for money, the man's 'good fortune'; marriage stands for marrying well, his need of 'a wife'.

Key facts

The passage says the first sentence sets up 'the major themes of money, status, and marrying well'.
The first sentence it quotes: 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife'.
Fortune in that line means wealth.

Study next

Theme questions: match the passage's own list to an option's paraphraseParaphrase pairs: fortune and wealth, marrying well and marriageMain-idea versus detail questions on a literary passage

Common traps

Choosing Love & War because the passage ends on love marriages — the question asks about the first line, which the passage ties to money, status and marrying well
Answering from memory of the novel instead of from the passage's own gloss

The same passage carries English Q.26 to Q.30 at 19 Jan 2026, 11:00 AM. English Q.30 asks what the novel's conclusion prizes, which is where love marriages belong.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a classic known for its humor and complex characters. The famous first sentence of the book, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife," begins to set up all of the major themes of money, status, and marrying well that are prevalent in 19th-century England. The Bennet family, particularly Elizabeth Bennet, a smart and strong-willed heroine, is the subject of Austen’s commentary on the societal imperative for women to marry well and thereby have a stable income.
The title itself is quite meaningful, as it first indicates the character flaws that drive much of the conflict in this novel, namely Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice. In fact, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, being a rich and high-ranking person, first of all shows a haughty character, thereby being very superior by virtue of his class. Elizabeth, having been offended by his initial lack of warmth, as well as having been misled by the deceiving Mr. Wickham, very quickly showed prejudice against him.
Traces the story of each as they navigate these weaknesses. Darcy needs to lower his pride to appreciate the value of Elizabeth’s inferior standing, though she must see the strength of his superior qualities.
Austen employs irony and satire liberally to point out the absurdities of the class structure. Personages like the obsequious Mr. Collins and the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh symbolize the hard and silly aspects of class consciousness. The sojourn at Darcy’s grand estate, Pemberley, is an important defining instance in which the splendor of the property and the favorable reports of his servants compel Elizabeth to revise her earlier opinion and realize the truth of Darcy’s goodness.
In the final analysis, the novel promotes love marriages, couples like Jane and Bingley, and Elizabeth and Darcy, who have successful marriages because of love, in contrast to couples who marry for convenience (Charlotte Collins and Mr. Collins) or those who are full of passion but irresponsible (Lydia and Wickham).