IBPS Clerk English Sample Practice Paper- 56

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Directions—(Q. 1–12) 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.

Long ago, the country of Gandhara was ruled by a just and good king Vidyadhara. His subjects were very happy, but as the king grew older, everyone grew more and more worried because the king did not have any children who could take over the kingdom after him. The king was an avid gardener. He spent a lot of time tending to his garden, planting the finest flowers, fruit trees and vegetables. One day, after he finished working in his garden, he proclaimed, ‘I will distribute some seeds to all the children in the kingdom. The one who grows the biggest, healthiest plant within three months will become the prince or the princess.’

The next day there was a long queue of anxious parents and children outside the palace. Everyone was eager to get a seed and grow the best plant. Pingala, a poor farmer’s son, was among the children. Like the king, he too was fond of gardening and grew beautiful plants in his backyard. He took the seed from the king and planted it in a pot with great care. Some weeks passed and he plied it with water and manure, but the plant did not appear. Pingala tried changing the soil and transferred the seed to another pot, but even by the end of three months, nothing appeared.

At last the day came when all the children had to go to the king to show the plant they had grown. They went walking to the palace dressed in their best, holding beautiful plants in their hands. Only Pingala stood sadly, watching them go by. Pingala’s father had watched his son working hard with the seed and felt sorry for him. ‘Why don’t you go to the king with your empty pot ?’ he suggested. ‘At least he will know you tried your best.’ So Pingala too wore his best suit and joined the others outside the palace, holding his empty pot in his hand and ignoring the laughter around him. Soon the king arrived and began his inspection. The pots held flowers of different shades, beautiful and healthy, but the king did not look happy. At the end of the queue stood Pingala, and when the king reached him, he stopped in surprise.

‘My son, why have you come with an empty pot ? Could you not grow anything ?’ Pingala looked down and said, ‘Forgive me, your highness. I tried my best, I gave it the best soil and manure I had, but the plant would
not grow.’

Now the king’s face broke into a smile. He enveloped Pingala in his arms and announced, ‘This boy truly deserves to be crowned the prince ! I had given everyone roasted seeds, which would never grow. I wanted to see which child was the most honest one, and would admit he or she would not be able to grow anything. Only this young boy told the truth. I am sure he will rule this kingdom one day with truth and honesty.’

And indeed that was what happened. When the king grew old and died, Pingala, who had learnt everything from him, came to the throne and ruled Gandhara justly for many years.

1. Why did the king distribute seeds to all children in his kingdom ?
(A) It was part of one of the rituals of the kingdom, (B) He wanted to see who could grow the tallest plant
(C) He finished all his work in the garden and had extra seeds left
(D) He wanted to inculcate the hobby of gardening among the children of his kingdom, (E) None of these
Ans : (E)

2. Why was Pingala holding an empty pot in his hands ?
(1) He could not grow the seed the king gave him., (2) His plant did not survive after the second month.
(3) He wanted to be different from the other children.
(A) Only (1), (B) Only (2), (C) Only (3), (D) Only (1) and (2), (E) Only (1) and (3)
Ans : (A)

3. Why did Pingala’s father encourage him to go to the king with an empty pot ?
(1) He wanted the king to know that his son tried his best to grow the plant.
(2) He wanted his son to be noticed by the king.
(3) He wanted the king to realise that he had cheated his son.
(A) Only (1), (B) Only (2), (C) Only (3), (D) Only (1) and (2), (E) None of these
Ans : (D)

4. Which of the following word is most opposite to the word Admit printed in bold in the above story ?
(A) Reject , (B) Deny, (C) Dismiss, (D) Disclose, (E) Confess
Ans : (B)

5. Which of the following sentence/s is true of Pingala’s father ?
(1) He was a farmer by profession. (2) He was very encouraging towards his son.
(3) He was a poor man.
(A) Only (1), (B) Only (2) and (3), (C) Only (2), (D) Only (3), (E) All (1), (2) and (3)
Ans : (E)

6. The king crowned Pingala heir to the kingdom because—
(A) he enjoyed gardening, (B) he was taken aback by his plant
(C) he was the only child to have admitted the truth
(D) he had the most beautiful and healthy plant, (E) he was in awe of his upbringing
Ans : (C)

7. What kind of seeds did the king give to the children ?
(1) The finest seeds he had., (2) Roasted seeds that would never sprout.
(3) Vegetable and fruit seeds.
(A) Only (1), (B) Only (2), (C) Only (3), (D) Only (1) and (3), (E) None of these
Ans : (B)

8. Which of the following statements is false according to the passage ?
(A) Pingala was fond of gardening just like the king
(B) The king did not have any child who could take over the kingdom
(C) Pingala took great care of the seed the king gave him
(D) The seeds that the king gave to the children grew into beautiful and healthy plants
(E) The children were given three months to complete their assignment
Ans : (D)

9. Why did the king call for an inspection of the plants after three months ?
(A) He wanted to see which plant had the most beautiful flower
(B) He wanted to witness the joy on the children’s faces
(C) He wanted to see which plant would be the most useful to him
(D) He wanted to check the children’s gardening skills
(E) He wanted to see which child was honest and would admit the truth
Ans : (E)
Directions—(Q. 10–12) Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

10. Avid: (A) Bright, (B) Intelligent, (C) Enthusiastic, (D) Lazy, (E) Amateur
Ans : (B)

11. Anxious: (A) Depressed, (B) Hopeless, (C) Carefree, (D) Doubtful, (E) Nervous
Ans : (E)

12. Finest: (A) Best, (B) Thinnest, (C) Ordinary, (D) Common, (E) Cheapest
Ans : (A)
Directions—(Q. 13–17) Which of the phrases (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct ? If the sentence is correct as it is given and ‘no correction is required’, mark (E) as the answer.

13. I am very keen to to learned about the town’s history.
(A) to learns, (B) to learn, (C) at learning, (D) to have learn
Ans : (B)

14. For the last three weeks the shop have been closed.
(A) is being closed, (B) has been closed, (C) are closed, (D) to have closed
Ans : (B)

15. If you had spoken to the receptionist, she would tell you where I was—
(A) would told you, (B) will tell you, (C) would have told you, (D) would be telling you
Ans : (C)

16. Many forests are facing the danger to be destroyed.
(A) of being, (B) to have been, (C) to being, (D) having being
Ans : (E)

17. The Science teacher seem to think that all the students in her class were lazy.
(A) to seem to think, (B) seem to be thinking, (C) seem to have thought, (D) seemed to think
Ans : (D)
Directions—(Q. 18–22) 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).

18. We had to (A) / hurry to the airport (B) / as the flight departures (C) / from Mumbai at 6 : 30 pm. (D)
Ans : (C)

19. If you had (A) / watered the plant regularly, (B) / it would not (C) / have died. (D)
Ans : (E)

20. I wonder if (A) / my colleague would (B) / like it to go to (C) / the conference with me. (D)
Ans : (C)

21. We should focus (A) / our attention at (B) / the roads where accidents (C) / have already occurred. (D)
Ans : (D)

22. My friends are (A) / not allowed to (B) / go out without (C) / their parents’ consenting. (D)
Ans : (D)
Directions—(Q. 23–27) In each question below, four words printed in bold 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.

23. The tape (A) recordings contained (B) prove (C) of his involvement in the crime. (D)
Ans : (B)

24. Despite (A) all the research, (B) there is still no cure (C) for the desease. (D)
Ans : (D)

25. Just because something (A) is expansive, (B) it is not necessarily (C) superior. (D)
Ans : (B)

26. Although (A) Goa is a small State, (B) it is very popular (C) with tourists. (D)
Ans : (C)

27. One does not appreciate (A) the importance (B) of good health (C) until one is ill. (D)
Ans : (E)
Directions—(Q. 28–32) Rearrange the following five sentences/ group of sentences (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.
(1) “My horns are my weapons,” said the deer. “I’m sharpening them.”
(2) Frightened by the deer’s sharpened horns, he turned to the fox instead and shot him dead.
(3) The fox wondered why the deer was wasting time sharpening his weapons when there was no danger in sight.
(4) A wild deer was rubbing his horns against a tree. A fox passing by asked him what he was doing.
(5) Just then a hunter appeared at the scene.

28. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 5 , (B) 4, (C) 3, (D) 2, (E) 1
Ans : (B)

29. Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 5 , (B) 4, (C) 3, (D) 2, (E) 1
Ans : (A)

30. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 5 , (B) 4, (C) 3, (D) 2, (E) 1
Ans : (D)

31. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 1 , (B) 2, (C) 3, (D) 4, (E) 5
Ans : (A)

32. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 1 , (B) 2, (C) 3,, (D) 4, (E) 5
Ans : (C)
Directions—(Q. 33–40) 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.

One day, it so happened that Emperor Akbar …(33)… on a rock in his garden. He was in a foul mood that day and the accident made him so …(34)… that he ordered the gardener’s arrest and execution. The next day when the gardener was …(35)… what his last wish would be before he was hanged, he …(36)… an audience with the emperor. His wish was …(37)…, but when the man neared the throne he loudly cleared his throat and spat at the emperor’s feet. The emperor was taken aback and …(38)… to know why he had done such a thing. The gardener had acted on Birbal’s advice and now Birbal stepped forward in the man’s defence. ‘Your Majesty,’ he said, “there could be no person more loyal to you than this unfortunate man. Fearing that people would say you hanged him for a trifle, he has gone out of his way to give you a …(39)… reason for hanging him.’’ The emperor, …(40)… that he was about to do great injustice to an innocent man, set the man free.

33. (A) fall , (B) faltered, (C) bruised, (D) trip, (E) stumbled
Ans : (E)

34. (A) imaginative , (B) troubled, (C) disturb, (D) angry, (E) unfortunate
Ans : (D)

35. (A) understanding, (B) question, (C) told, (D) requested, (E) asked
Ans : (D)

36. (A) willing , (B) requested, (C) said, (D) demand, (E) propose
Ans : (B)

37. (A) granted , (B) presented, (C) privileged, (D) judged, (E) weighed
Ans : (A)

38. (A) claimed , (B) asked, (C) demanded, (D) wanting, (E) seemed
Ans : (C)

39. (A) genuine , (B) some, (C) prized, (D) justly, (E) more
Ans : (A)

40. (A) understands , (B) realising, (C) foresee, (D) announced, (E) thinks
Ans : (D)

Directions–(Q. 41–50) In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage over and try to understand what it is about. Then fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Mark your answer in the Answer sheet.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was born Michael Luther King, Jr., …41… his grandfather had his name …42… to Martin. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, …43… from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B.A. degree in 1948 …44… Morehouse college, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of …45… study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a …46… white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. …47… a fellowship won at Ebenezer he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence …48… the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he …49… and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of …50… intellectual and artistic attainments.

41. (A) And, (B) So, (C) Since, (D) But
Ans : (A)

42. (A) Given , (B) Changed, (C) Become, (D) Made
Ans : (B)

43. (A) Graduating , (B) Finishing, (C) Graduated, (D) Finished
Ans : (C)

44. (A) In , (B) From, (C) By, (D) With,
Ans : (B)

45. (A) Theological, (B) Intellectual, (C) Educational, (D) Psychological
Ans : (A)

46. (A) Predetermined, (B) Predominantly, (C) Significantly, (D) Somewhat
Ans : (B)

47. (A) From , (B) By, (C) With, (D) Through
Ans : (C)

48. (A) For , (B) Of, (C) About, (D) To
Ans : (A)

49. (A) Saw , (B) Eloped, (C) Met, (D) Watched
Ans : (C)

50. (A) Common, (B) Particular, (C) Uncommon, (D) General
Ans : (C)