SSC CGL 2025 PYQ — Question 9

Read the following passage and answer the question based on the passage:

To bifurcate life into immutable dichotomies of joy and sorrow is to misread its most intrinsic rhythm. Human existence unfolds not as a linear progression of happiness or despair, but as a dynamic interplay where each emotion deepens the resonance of the other. The ecstasy of triumph is never as poignant as when preceded by failure; likewise, the pang of loss finds contour only because we have once cherished the presence of what is now absent. Joy and sorrow, then, are not adversaries but co-authors of the same narrative. From antiquity to modernity, philosophical traditions have acknowledged this existential polarity. The Stoics embraced the inevitability of suffering as a precursor to tranquility, while Eastern philosophies like Buddhism anchor themselves in the impermanence of all experiences. In both frameworks, the pursuit of enduring happiness necessitates an acceptance of transience. Without sorrow, joy would be indistinct—a flat and shallow sensation lacking contrast or value. This interdependence is vividly manifest in the mundane. The delight of spring is intensified by the memory of a harsh winter; the serenity of solitude is meaningful only to one who has tasted the cacophony of crowds. Even our personal growth often emerges from crucibles of pain—grief chisels depth into our emotional landscape, refining our capacity for empathy, resilience, and gratitude. To demand unbroken happiness is to seek a monochromatic life—an existence devoid of emotional texture. The beauty of being lies not in circumventing sorrow, but in embracing it as a necessary foil to joy. These twin sentiments coalesce to form the chiaroscuro of consciousness, rendering our lives more vivid, more intricate, more human.