SSC CGL 2025 Tier-II · Paper-I, 19 January 2026 · English Language and Comprehension · Question 27 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).

Which defects in character does the name "Pride and Prejudice" primarily refer to?

(a)Arrogance of Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins’s servility
(b)Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice
(c)Lydia's erratic behavior and Wickham's deceits
(d)Mr. Bennet’s wit and Mrs. Bennet’s fussiness

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The passage states it outright: '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.'

It then shows each flaw: Darcy 'shows a haughty character', and Elizabeth 'very quickly showed prejudice against him' → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Arrogance of Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins’s servility — Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins appear in the passage as symbols of 'the hard and silly aspects of class consciousness', not as the flaws the title names.
(c)
Lydia's erratic behavior and Wickham's deceits — Lydia and Wickham appear as a couple 'full of passion but irresponsible', and Wickham as 'the deceiving Mr. Wickham'. The passage never ties either to the title.
(d)
Mr. Bennet’s wit and Mrs. Bennet’s fussiness — Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are never described in the passage, and wit is not a defect of character. The title names two flaws: pride and prejudice.

Concept

When a question asks what a title or phrase refers to, find the sentence where the passage explains it. Here one clause does it: the title 'indicates the character flaws that drive much of the conflict in this novel'.

The passage then ties pride to Darcy, 'rich and high-ranking' and haughty, and prejudice to Elizabeth, offended by his 'initial lack of warmth' and 'misled by the deceiving Mr. Wickham'.

Key facts

The passage says the title indicates 'the character flaws that drive much of the conflict in this novel'.
It ties pride to Darcy, who is 'very superior by virtue of his class'.
It ties prejudice to Elizabeth, offended by Darcy and misled by Wickham.

Study next

Title-meaning questions: find where the passage explains the titleTelling the characters a passage uses as examples from those it names as the subjectCharacter words from the passage: haughty, obsequious, imperious

Common traps

Picking Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins because arrogance sounds like pride — the passage uses them for class consciousness, not for the title
Picking Lydia and Wickham because Wickham misled Elizabeth — his deceit feeds her prejudice, but the title names her prejudice, not his deceit

On the same passage, 19 Jan 2026, 11:00 AM, English Q.28 asks what Lady Catherine stands for; the passage's answer there is class consciousness, not either of the title's flaws.

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).