A simple model, in which nuclei are represented as homogeneous spheres of symmetric nuclear matter, is used to study the effects of a self-consistent pairing interaction on the nuclear response. Effects due to the finite size of nuclei are suitably taken into account. The semiclassical equations of motion derived in a previous paper for the time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov problem are solved in an improved (linear) approximation in which the pairing field is allowed to oscillate and to become complex. The new solutions are in good agreement with the old ones and also with the result of well-known quantum approaches. The role of the Pauli principle in eliminating one possible set of solutions is also discussed. The pairing-field fluctu...