(Download) Practice Paper for IBPS, Bank Exams "English Language & Comprehension Set-3"
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPREHENSION
Directions (51-60) : Read the following passage to
answer the given questions. Some words/ phrases have been printed in bold to
help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
At first glance, the government seems to have done a U-turn on imposing a
mandatory 2 percent expenditure from company profits on corporate social
responsibility. The Companies Bill reportedly won’t have this provision.
Look closer, and It’s a case of “mandating without mandating”
as an industry voice describes it. The reworked proposal, it’s said, asks
firms to have a formal CSR policy targeting a 2 percent spend, and to
furnish details of funds going to social causes, in annual reports. In other
words, while keeping .up a technical pretence of not legally arm twisting
India Inc, the Centre seeks to exert heavy moral pressure by stipulating
disclosures if not actual expenditure. To quote the corporate, affairs
minister, CSR spending won’t be “voluntary” or “mandatory” but “somewhere in
between” Why this grey area, unless the government wants leeway to play
guilt inducing big brother?
Social spending should be self-willed, not least because Indian firms have a
good record already. To boost private participation in social service
further, the government should offer incentives such as “CSR credits” or tax
benefits. At the same time, the legal system can rap lirms that violate,
say, green norms or cause other forms of public damage. As the finance
minister conceded onlyrecently, corporate social conscience can’t be
parachute-dropped by politicians or law courts.
Companies themselves know that CSR makes good sense, winning hearts and
building brands. But for CSR to not be merely decorative or purely
manipulative in the sense of deflecting attention from bad practices,
companies’ main focus must be on core operations. What counts first is
corporate performance driven by efficiency, ethics and good governance.
That’s how business keeps faithwith share holders, delivers quality products
and services to consumers, creates jobs and spurs economic growth. And
that’s also how it best benefits society.
51. Business can keep helping the society by
(1) winning hearts by investing more in social activities
(2) improving their performance efficiency which results in economic growth
(3) building brands and competing images
(4) spending larger share of their profit on CSR
(5) None of these
52. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the phrase “mandating
without mandating” ?
(1) motivating without making it compulsory
(2) mandating and then taking a U turn
(3) a complete self-willed exercise
(4) mandating by incentivizing
(5) None of these
53. Which of the social causes, for which expenditure under GSR may be made,
are indicated in the passage?
(1) Providing legal service to those who cannot aford it.
(2) Expenditure on building image of new products
(3) Educating the masses in areas where literacy rale is low
(4) Not indicated in the passage
(5) None of these
54. According to the author, CSR spend should be
(1) two percent of Company’s profits
(2) targeted upto two percent of Company’s profit,
(3) two percent of Company’s turnover
(4) somewhere in between” one to two percent of Company’s profits
(5) completely voluntary
55. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the phrase
“parachute-dropped”?
(1) land safely
(2) take under one’s fold
(3) to bringing from outside
(4) fed on continuous basis
(5) protected without commitment
56. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the phrase “keeps
faith with”?
(1) remains committed
(2) follows up
(3) treats as God
(4) seeks allegiance from government
(5) has strategic alliance
57. “CSR spending won’t be “voluntary” or “mandatory” but “some where in
between” Why this grey area, unless the government wants leeway to play guilt
inducing big brother?” Which of the following best explains the above?
(1) To make them feel bad
(2) To ensure that they do what is stipulated
(3) To’ harass them by high-handedness
(4) Providing support like a big brother to those who toe the line
(5) Exploiting grey area to one’s own advantage by companies
58. Which of the following would increase private participation in social
service?
(1) Imposing a mandatory expenditure on such activities
(2) Not imposing a mandatory expendtrue on such activities
(3) Offering tax concessions on expenditure on such activities
(4) Advising them not to bother about CSR
(5) Trying to artificially build corporate social conscience
59. Which of the following is being referred to as ‘grey area’?
(1) Earning profit and doing social work
(2) Either ‘CSR Credits’ or tax benefits
(3) Neither mandatory nor voluntary
(4) Financially supporting as well as arm twisting India Inc
(5) Role of State vs Central Government
60. As far as social work/service contribution is concerned, Indian Companies
have
(1) dismal record
(2) good record
(3) lackadaisical approach
(4) always abided by the mini-mum spending stipulation
(5) resisted for any mandatory imposition
Directions (61-70) : 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 number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (5)
i.e. “No Error” (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)
61. With no governmental control (1)/ and least regard for the environment, (2)/
the private waste processing industry (3)/ poses a threat to public safety in
India. (4)/ No Error (5)
62. A radical environmentalist (1)/ stormed into the Discovery Channel’s (2)/
headquarters with explosives (3)/ strapped for his body. (4)/ No Error (5)
63. Many of the today’s employees (1)/ are suffering from (2)/ an emotional
recession because (3)/ they have not found sufficient meaning in their work
lives, (4)/ No Error (5)
64. People whose performance peaks in the morning (1)/ are better position for
career success, (2)/ because they are more pro-active (3)/ than people who are
at their best in the evening.
(4)/ No Error (5)
65. Asian users are (1)/ most engaged with (2)/ the social web than (3) / users
in the west. (4) /No Error (5)
66. The economic structure of rural as (1)/’is such that children, especially
girls; (2)/ are required to help in’ the household work (3)/ and perform also
their chores. (4)/ No Error (5)
67. Despite of maternal mortality rates (1)/showing decline in India, (2)/
thousands of women are dying every year (3) / due to lack of access to basic
healthcare facilities. (4)/ No Error (5)
68. Most of the problems that (1)/ beset working women (2)/ are in reality
rooted in (3)/ the social perspective of their position. (4)/ No Error (5)
69. Even after so much years of independence, (1)/ women in India continue to
suffer (2)/ socially as well as economically (3)/ at different levels and in
different forms. (4)/ No Error (5)
70. While a select few have (1)/standards of living comparably (2)/ to the
richest in the world, (3)/ the majority of the population fails to get even two
meals a day. (4)/ No Error (5)
Directions (71-80) : 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. It is noteworthy that the prime minister’s
working group setup to suggest long term solutions to (71) the
growing demand for affordable food has acknowledged the use of biotechnology
as integral to a second Green Revolution. Although Indian agriculture serves
as a good example of incorporating hybrid varieties of high yielding crops,
the attitude towards genetically modified or transgenic food has been
skeptical, Bt cotton is the only (72) crop currently approved for
(73) in India. Bt urinal is under moratorium for commercial release. In
a country where 65 per cent of agricultural land is still (74) on
‘the monsoon, there needs to be far greater investment in biotechnology
driven solutions to increase yields. True, there are valid health and
environment (75) regarding the adoption of GM crops. It is for this
reason that adequate (76) need to be in place to ensure consumer
safety. But an (77) rejection of genetically modified food would be
(78) to the country’s food security.Given the huge deficit between demand
and production, there is an urgent need Lo adopt a (79) approach to
agriculture. Brazil serves as a good example. Over the last 40 years the
South American nation has scripted an agricultural revolution in the dry
plains of the country by providing basic inputs on a large scale and
vigorously adopting GM crops. There is no reason why India can’t (80) this.
Storage and delivery is the other side of the problem that can be
significantly mitigated by policy decisions that allow for greater FDI in
retail. Scientific innovations combined with a farsighted farm to fork
agriculture strategy are the answer to India’s growing food needs.
71. (1) meet (2) suggest (3) complete (4) seek (5) recommend
72. (1) food (2) transgenic (3) high-yielding (4) genetic (5) organic
73. (1) research (2) hybrid (3) release (4) launch (5) cultivation
74. (1) tilled (2) dependent (3) depends (4) independent (5) available
75. (1) concerns (2) protests (3) factors (4) yields (5) areas
76. (1) warnings (2) features (3) safeguards (4) research (5) alerts
77. (1) accurate (2) hasty (3) absurd (4) outright (5) honest
78. (1) risk (2) beneficial (3) attestation (4) acrimonious (5) detrimental
79. (1) thoughtful (2) middle (3) holistic (4) hybrid (5) balance
80. (1) replicate (2) test (3) overcome (4) condemn (5) simulate
Directions (81-85) : Which of the phrases (1), (2), (3) and (4) given below
each sentence should replace the word/phrase 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 (5) as the answer.
81. Although business schools might be able to take a consensus on what they
should teach, the proper question is whether what they teach qualifies students
to manage.
(1) arrive for a consensus
(2) make a consensus
(3) derive at a consensus
(4) reach a consensus
(5) No correction required
82. We will be going to Rome as soon as we can, but we are staying in London
for some time being.
(1) for being some time
(2) as some time being
(3) for the time being
(4) as the time being
(5) No correction required
83. All the hotels in the town have been placed outside bounds for the
troops.
(1) out bounded
(2) within restraint
(3) out of bounds
(4) over the bounds
(5) No correction required
84. The teacher asked the student for her political views, but she says that
she preferred to hold aloof.
(1) said to prefer
(2) saying she preferred
(3) says she is much preferred
(4) said that she preferred
(5) No correction required.
85. Business schools are by attack as a result of the economic crisis.
(1) under attack
(2) for attack
(3) to be attacked
(4) over attacks
(5) No correction required
Directions (86-90): In each of the following sentences, an idiomatic
expression or a proverb is highlighted. Select the alternative which best
describes its use in the sentence.
86. Many Indian companies have invested in developing newer products and
services, but their goal is usually to create inexpensive offerings on
shoestring budgets.
(1) exorbitant budgets
(2) a small sum of money
(3) large scale budgets
(4) long budgets
(5) overrated budgets
87. The party did not begin till eight, but we were early birds, and got to
the hall at seven thirty.
(1) early risers
(2) having no estimation of time
(3) determined to leave on time
(4) pressed for time
(5) the first to arrive
88. The Smiths are trying to find a hotel for the night, and we are in the
same box.
(1) tagging along
(2) claiming for the same services
(3) in the same condition
(4) in a worse condition
(5) have a spare room
89. Michael has not kept his word so many times that I cannot trust him
anymore.
(1) revealed only limited information.
(2) not spoken the truth
(3) failed to keep his promise
(4) spoken out of turn
(5) lashed out in jnger
90. The actor’s family was completely knocked over by the news.
(1) failed to recollect anything
(2) completely overwhelmed
(3) in a state of disapproval
(4) in a state of denial
(5) Unmoved
