SSC CHSL 2025 PYQ — Question 17

SSC CHSL - 21 Nov 2025 - Shift 3 • English • Q17

Read the passage and answer the following questions:
In an era where urban dwellers frequently lament their paucity of time, cultivating plants that demand minimal vigilance have become almost axiomatic for those seeking verdant comfort within their domiciles. Certain species, endowed with remarkable resilience, can subsist with negligible intervention, thereby mitigating the anxieties often concomitant with horticulture. The snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), for instance, is virtually indomitable. It thrives in variegated light conditions and can endure erratic watering schedules without forfeiting its structural elegance. Likewise, the pothos (Epipremnum aureum), with its luxuriant, trailing foliage, adapts to both dimly lit corners and well-illuminated spaces, performing photosynthesis with an almost stoic persistence. Another exemplar is the aloe Vera, whose succulent leaves serve as reservoirs of moisture, rendering frequent irrigation superfluous. Beyond its ornamental utility, aloe Vera confers medicinal benefits, its gel being esteemed for dermal amelioration. Even the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), seemingly sculpted from emerald wax, flourishes in neglect, tolerating prolonged droughts and low luminosity without capitulating to decay. The allure of such flora lies not merely in their aesthetic contribution but in their implicit lesson: resilience is as captivating as fragility. In cultivating them, one engages in a quiet partnership where human oversight is ancillary, and nature's intrinsic mechanisms orchestrate survival with effortless grace.

Rewrite the following sentence from the passage in passive voice without changing the tense:
'The snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) can endure erratic watering schedules without forfeiting its structural elegance.'

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

Explanation

To rewrite the sentence in the passive voice while maintaining the present tense of the modal verb 'can', the object of the active sentence ('erratic watering schedules') becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Verbal phrase 'can endure' changes to 'can be endured'.

Active sentence components:

Subject: The snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Verb: can endure

Object: erratic watering schedules

Convertion to passive voice:

New Subject: Erratic watering schedules

New Verb Phrase: can be endured

New Agent: by the snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Passive voice: Erratic watering schedules can be endured by the snake plant without forfeiting its structural elegance.