English Practice Paper 25- SBI Associates Clerk

 

Bank Clerk English practice paper SBI ASSO

(Exam Held on 16-1-2011) Based on memory

Directions—(Q. 1 to 10) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

Once upon a time there lived a queen in the city of Benaras. Her name was Khema and she was the wife of King Bahuputtaka. One night, the Queen had a dream of a beautiful golden goose that spoke with great wisdom, almost as if he was a sage. She told her husband that she desperately wanted to see a bird just like the one in her dream. So the King asked his ministers to find out all that they could about a bird such as this. He was told that such a bird did exist but was extremely rare and difficult to find. They advised him to build a beautiful lake on the outskirts of Benaras so that he may attract such rare and lovely creatures to reside there. In this way the queen might have her wish.

Towards the north, on Mount Cittakuta, there lived about ninety thousand wild geese headed by a beautiful golden goose called King Dhatarattha. He got to hear of this exquisite lake surrounded by water lilies and lotuses floating on the surface. The King had invited all the birds to come and live on it, promising that none of them would ever be harmed. Corn was scattered on a daily basis in order to attract the birds. So a couple of geese went up to their King, the golden goose and told him that they were quite tired of living up on the mountains and would like to see this wonderful lake where they had been promised food and protection. The king agreed to their request and took the flock down south towards Benaras. Meanwhile, at the lake King Bahuputtaka had placed hunters all around in order to capture any golden goose that happened to pass by. So the next morning when the headhunter saw this flock of geese approaching he was very excited to see their golden leader. He immediately went about setting up a snare amongst the water lilies and lotuses, as he knew that the leader would definitely be the first to alight.

The whole flock came flying down in one mighty swoop and as expected it was the King's foot that touched the water first. He was ensnared and could not escape. Seeing this, the other geese flew into a panic. But none had the courage to try to free their king and so flew back to Mount Cittacuta for safety. All except one. He was the chief captain, Sumukha. King Dhatarattha entreated him to fly to safety too, as he would surely be captured if he stayed by his side. But Sumukha replied that he would never desert his master in the face of danger and would either try to save him or die by his side.

At this point the hunter approached and as Sumukha saw him he decided to appeal to his compassion. The hunter asked the golden goose how come he had not noticed the trap that was set. The golden goose replied that when one's time was up it was no use to struggle against what was fated and one must just accept it. The huntsman was very impressed with his grace and wisdom. He then turned to Sumukha and asked why he had not fled with the other birds even though he was free to do so. Sumukha answered that the golden goose was his King, best friend and master and that he could never desert him even at the cost of his own life. Hearing this, the hunter realised that these were a couple of rare birds of great nobility. He did not much care for his own King's reward and decided to do the right thing and set them free. He told Sumukha that as he was ready to die for his King he would set them both free to fly wherever they wish.

1. Why were the geese keen on visiting the lake in Benaras ?
(A) They were invited personally by king Bahuputtaka
(B) They were tired of their old lake
(C) They were amused by the water lilies and lotuses
(D) The lake was not very far from the mountains
(E) To lake was to be source of good food and protection
Ans : (C)

2. Why did the king approach the ministers ?
(A) In order to find out the best location for the lake
(B) In order to find out if a golden goose existed
(C) To enquire about his wife's dreams
(D) To devise a plan to capture all rare bird species
(E) To enquire about the best hunter in the locality
Ans : (B)

3. What advice did the ministers give to the king ?
(A) That no such golden goose existed and he was only wasting his time searching for one
(B) To create an artificial golden goose for the queen
(C) To build a lake in order to attract the golden goose
(D) To open a sanctuary of rare birds for the queen
(E) To have a beautiful garden surrounded by flowers and trees
Ans : (C)


4. Which of the following statements would best describe the qualities of Sumukha ?
(1) Betrayer of the flock, (2) The Selfless Goose
(3) Loyal towards the king, (4) The naive and ignorant goose
(A) Only (1), (B) Only (2), (C) Only (3) and (4), (D) Only (1) and (4), (E) Only (2) and (3)
Ans : (E)

5. What was the king's intention behind building a lake ?
(A) To attract all rare species of living animals and birds
(B) To beautify the city of Benaras
(C) He did not want to go against the wishes of his wife
(D) He wanted to capture the golden goose
(E) He enjoyed bird watching and wanted to create a natural habitat for them
Ans : (D)

6. Why did the head hunter release the king, the golden goose ?
(A) He was impressed by his wisdom and nobility
(B) The geese were a rare species of birds
(C) The golden goose, King Dhatarattha promised him a handsome reward
(D) The hunter sympathised with the golden goose
(E) The hunter did not want the chief captain to lose a friend
Ans : (A)

7. Why did the flock of geese panic and retreat to Mount Cittacuta ?
(A) Their king took the wrong route to the lake and they lost their way
(B) Their king, the golden goose was captured
(C) Their chief captain, Sumukha betrayed the king
(D) They spotted many hunters by the lake, (E) None of these
Ans : (B)

Directions—(Q. 8 to 10) Choose the word which is most nearly the same in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

8. Desert: (A) Displease, (B) Encourage, (C) Instigate, (D) Escort, (E) Abandon
Ans : (E)

9. Exquisite; (A) Expensive, (B) Delicate, (C) Elaborate, (D) Wonderful, (E) Efficient
Ans : (D)

10. Snare: (A) Trap, (B) Alarm, (C) Plan, (D) Arrangement, (E) Protection
Ans : (A)

Directions—(Q. 11 to 15) In each of the following sentences, and idiomatic expression or a proverb is highlighted. Select the alternative which best describes its use in the sentence.

11. The team put their plan into execution the very next day—
(A) proposed a plan, (B) discussed their plan, (C) started thinking about a plan
(D) started carrying out their plan, (E) None of these
Ans : (D)

12. Mrs. Nayak opened the discussion on the “alarming rate of poverty in India”—
(A) started the discussion, (B) gave her opinion in the discussion
(C) did not agree on the discussion, (D) welcomed the people to the discussion
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

13. The course of events made it necessary for Joseph to start working—
(A) events that were planned, (B) long list of future events
(C) A succession of unexpected events
(D) nature of events that followed after Joseph joined work, (E) None of these
Ans : (B)

14. The new law on “Right to Food Safety” will come into force next month—
(A) be forced upon the people, (B) be associated from next month onwards
(C) be implemented next month, (D) be withdrawn next month
(E) be widely rejected next month
Ans : (C)

15. When the girl wanted to stay out past midnight, her father put his foot down ?
(A) gave in to her request, (B) walked away disapprovingly
(C) obstructed her from leaving the house, (D) requested her to be home on time
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

Directions—(Q. 16 to 20) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (E) i.e. ‘No Error’. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any.)

16. Nuclear waste will still being (A) / radioactive even after twenty thousand years, (B) / so it must be disposed (C) / of very carefully. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (A)

17. My friend lived at the top (A) / of an old house (B) / which attic had been (C) / converted into a flat. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (E)

18. A public safety advertising (A) / campaign in Russia (B) / hope to draw attention (C) / of pedestrians crossing the road. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (C)

19. A cash prize was (A) / award to the most (B) / successful salesman of the year (C) / by the President of the company. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (B)

20. The Renaissance was (A) / a time to ‘re-awakening’ (B) / in both the arts (C) / and the sciences. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (C)

Directions—(Q. 21 to 25) Each sentence below has a blank/s, each blank indicates that something has been omitted. Choose the word/s that best fit/s the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

21. Many leading members of the opposition party … to justify the party's decision.
(A) having tried, (B) has tried, (C) have been trying, (D) tries, (E) is trying
Ans : (C)

22. The state-of-the art school is … with a medical clinic and fitness centre.
(A) establish, (B) illustrative, (C) having, (D) equipped, (E) compromising
Ans : (D)

23. The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata, but it stands … and is … in itself.
(A) dependent, incomplete, (B) together, justified, (C) separate, dignified
(D) apart, complete, (E) united, connected
Ans : (D)

24. The artist's work of art is worthy … praise.
(A) for, (B) of, (C) to, (D) about, (E) to be
Ans : (C)

25. The charity … most of its money through private donations.
(A) receives, (B) borrows, (C) uses, (D) proposes, (E) invests
Ans : (B)

Directions—(Q. 26 to 30) In each question below, four words printed in bold type are given. These are lettered (A), (B), (C) and (D). One of these words printed in bold may either be wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word that is inappropriate or wrongly spelt, if any. The letter of that word is your answer. If all the words printed in bold are correctly spelt and appropriate in the context of the sentence then mark (E) i.e. ‘All Correct’ as your answer.

26. The ship (A) was at sea for many days and finally (B) anchored (C) near the costline. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (D)

27. Employees must familiarise (A) themselves with the health (B) and safety (C) mannual (D) of the organization. All Correct (E)
Ans : (E)

28. The political (A) environment (B) is not condusive (C) to economic reforms. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (C)

29. The report (A) found that the safety (B) equipment had been very poorly (C) maintained. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (B)

30. Some of our regular listeners (A) have complained (B) about the new programme (C) schedule. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (A)

Directions—(Q. 31 to 35) Rearrange the following six sentences / group of sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.

(1) The merchant greedily counted his gold and said, “The purse I dropped had 200 pieces of gold in it. You've already stolen more than the reward ! I Go away or I will tell the police.”

(2) The judge, looking towards the merchant said, “you stated that the purse you lost contained 200 pieces of gold. Well, that's a considerable cost. But, the purse this beggar found had only 100 pieces of gold”.

(3) Being an honest man, the beggar came forward and handed the purse to the merchant saying, “Here is your purse. May I have my reward now ?”

(4) “This purse therefore cannot be the one you lost.” And, with that, the judge gave the purse and all the gold to the beggar.

(5) A beggar found a leather purse that someone had dropped in the marketplace. On opening it, he discovered that it contained 100 pieces of gold. Then he heard a merchant shout, “A reward! A reward to the one who finds my leather purse”.

(6) “I am an honest man,” said the beggar defiantly. “Let us take this matter to the court. The judge patiently listened to both sides of the story.

31. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 5, (B) 2, (C) 4, (D) 3, (E) 6
Ans : (A)

32. Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 4, (B) 6, (C) 2, (D) 5, (E) 3
Ans : (B)

33. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 5, (B) 4, (C) 2, (D) 3, (E) 6
Ans : (C)

34. Which of the following should be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after the rearragement ?
(A) 1, (B) 4, (C) 6, (D) 5, (E) 3
Ans : (B)

35. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 1, (B) 4, (C) 6, (D) 2, (E) 3
Ans : (E)

Directions—(Q. 36 to 40) In the following passage, there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

The Bhagavad Gita is a poem of 700 verses which is a part of the Mahabharata. It is the only philosophical song existing in all languages. Its popularity and influence have never waned. It …36… light and guidance to the troubled mind in times of crisis. It is in the …37… of a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna on the battlefield. Arjuna's mind is troubled at the thought of the killings of his friends and relatives. He cannot conceive of any gain. Arjuna is the …38… of the tortured spirit of man torn by conflicting obligations and

moralities.

The dialogue proceeds and takes us to the higher level of individual duty and social behaviour, application of ethics to practical life and social outlook that should govern all. An attempt is …39… to reconcile the three paths of human advancement– the path of knowlede, the path of action and the path of faith. But more …40… is laid on faith. There is a call of action to meet the obligations of life, keeping in view the spiritual background and the large purpose of the universe.

36. (A) provides, (B) shines, (C) enforces, (D) secures, (E) seeks
Ans : (A)

37. (A) programme, (B) constitution, (C) part, (D) formation, (E) form
Ans : (E)

38. (A) conceived, (B) dream, (C) source, (D) figures, (E) symbol
Ans : (E)

39. (A) generated, (B) made, (C) established, (D) coined, (E) given
Ans : (B)

40. (A) important, (B) significant, (C) declaration, (D) emphasis, (E) blessings
Ans : (D)