SarkariPYQ

SSC CGL 2023 PYQ — Question 4

SSC CGL - 21 July 2023 - Shift 4 • English • Q4

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In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given.Select the most appropriate option for each number.

The challenge in Madras high court to the Emergency-era shifting of education from state list to concurrent list (1) _______ a futile exercise in turning back the clock. Forty-six years have passed (2) _______ the 42 Constitution Amendment Act. In this period, the education sector has seen far too many changes, and most can’t be (3) _______ . For instance, a common national medical test now allows students the ease of appearing for just one examination instead of multiple ones conducted by each state. States still enjoy (4) _______ to operate their own universities, schools and education syllabus. Private sector is also flourishing in education. And the policy tinkering at all levels goes on. UGC is restructuring UG, PG and doctoral programmes. States are trying out clustering of schools, closing down smaller schools. Instruction in English seems to have lost favour at the Centre, even though society is (5) _______ headed in the opposite direction. But the moot point is no one entity can claim complete control. It is a diverse ecosystem. Far more important issues than locating education in the Constitution are at stake.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 2.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. since.

In your passage, the 2nd blank is filled with “since” because the sentence is referring to the point in time when something happened — the enactment of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act — and counting the duration from that moment until now.

Here’s the reasoning step-by-step:

  • 'Since' is used to show the starting point of an action or situation that continues up to the present.

  • The sentence 'Forty-six years have passed since the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act' means that 46 years have elapsed from the time when the Act was enacted until now.