(Paper) SBI Clerk ( ASSISTNAT ) EXAM Paper - 2014 "Held On 23-08-2014"

::ENGLISH LANGUAGE::

Directions (1-10) : In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the Passage, against each, five words are suggested. one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

When Eyo III. was ruling over all men and animals, he had a very big palatial house to which he used to (1) his subjects at intervals to feast. After the feast had been held and plenty of tombo had been drunk, it was the custom of the people to (2 speeches. One day after the feast the head driver ant got up and said he and his people were stronger than any one, and that no one, not even the elephant, could stand before him, which was quite true. He was particularly (3) in his allusions to the worms (whom he disliked very much), and said they were poor wriggling things. The worms were very angry and complained, so the king said that the best way to (4) the question who was the stronger was for both sides to meet on the road and fight the matter out between themselves to a finish. He appointed the third day from the feast for the contest, and all the people turned out to (5) the battle. The driver ants left their nest in the early morning in thousands and millions, and, as is their custom, (6) in a line about one inch broad densely packed, so that it was like a dark-brown band moving over the country. In,front of the (7) column they had out their scouts, advance guard, and flankers, and the main body followed in their millions close behind. When they came to the battlefield the moving band spread out, and as the thousands (8) thousands of ants rolled up, the whole piece of ground was a moving mass of ants and bunches of struggling worms. The fight was over in a very few minutes, as the worms were bitten in pieces by the sharp pincerlike mouths of the driver ants. The few worms who survived squirmed (9) and buried themselves out of sight. King Eyo decided that the driver ants were easy winners, and ever since the worms have always been (10) and have lived underground; and if they happen to come to the surface after the rain they hide themselves under the ground whenever anything approaches, as they fear all people.

1.(1) inviting
(2) invite
(3) to be invited
(4) celebrate
(5) cause

2.(1) make
(2) making
(3) loud
(4) to be made
(5) speak

3.(1) offending
(2) defending
(3) defensive
(4) offensive
(5) opposed

4.(l) decide
(2) deceive
(3) decipher
(4) deliver
(5) decision

5.(1) watching
(2) witness
(3) exacerbate
(4) aggravate
(5) visit

6.(1) arrange
(2) examine
(3) march
(4) marched
(5) torched

7.(1) advancing
(2) descending
(3) deviating
(4) shrink
(5) shrinking

8.(1) on
(2) after
(3) of
(4) with
(5) upon

9.(1) on
(2) of
(3) away
(4) with
(5) after

10.(1) fear
(2) frighten
(3) afraid
(4) pleased
(5) pleasant

Directions (11-15) : Rearrange the following six sentences/ group of sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.

(A) Arthur’s wife was very beautiful who brought romance in his life while his equally beautiful half-sister added a dark side.

(B) This sword was called ‘Excalibur” and with this weapon he vanquished many foes. Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from The Lady Of The Lake.

(C) They also searched for a lost treasure, which they believed would cure all ills – this was the ‘Quest for the Holy Grail’. Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from The Lady Of The Lake.

(D) They carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought against strange beasts.

(E) Arthur’s base was at a place called Camelot. Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a Round Table.

(F) Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity.

11. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?

(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
(5) F

12. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement ?

(1)A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
(5) E

13. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement ?

(1)A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
(5) E

14. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement ?

(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
(5) E

15. Which of the following should be the LAST sentence after rearrangement ?

(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
(5) E

Directions (16-25) : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Once upon a time there was a King of Benaras who was very rich. He had many servants and a beautiful palace with wonderful gardens; he had chariots and a stable full of horses. But his most prized possession was a magnificent elephant called Mahaghiri. She was as tall as two men, and her skin was of the colour of thunder clouds. She had large flapping ears and small, bright eyes and she was very clever. Mahaghiri lived in her own special elephant house and had her own keeper, Rajinder. The King would often visit Mahaghiri to take her some special tit-bit to eat and check that Rajinder was looking after her properly. But Rajinder needed no reminding, for he also loved the elephant dearly, and trusted her completely. Every morning, he would take her down to the river for her bath. Then he would bring her freshly cut grass, leaves and the finest fruits he could find in the market for her breakfast. During the day, he would talk to her and, in the evening, he would play his flute to send her to sleep. One morning, Rajinder arrived as usual with fruit for Mahaghiri’s breakfast. Suddenly, before he knew what was happening, she picked him up with her trunk and threw him out of the stall, breaking his arm. She began to stamp on the ground and trumpet so loudly that it took several strong men all morning to bind her with ropes and chains, When the king heard about what had happened, he was very upset and sent for the doctor to help Rajinder. Then he called for his chief minister. “You must go and see Mahaghiri at once,” he said. “She used to be so kind and gentle, but this morning she threw her keeper out of her stall. I can’t understand it. She must be ill or in pain. Spare no expense in finding a cure.” So the chief minister went to see Mahaghiri. who was still bound firmly with ropes. First he looked at her eyes – they were as clear and bright as usual. Then he felt behind her ears – her temperature was normal. Next he listened to her heart that was fine too – and checked all over for cuts or sores. He could find nothing wrong with her.“Strange,” he thought. “I can find no explanation for her bad behaviour.”But then his eye was caught by something gleaming in the straw. It was a sharp, curved knife, like the ones used by robbers. Could there be a connection? That night, when everyone else had gone to bed, the chief minister returned to the elephant house. There, in the stall next to Mahaghiri’s, sat a band of robbers.“Tonight we’ll burgle the palace,” said the chief. “First, we’ll make a hole in the wall, then we’ll steal the treasure. “But what about the guards?” someone asked.“Don’t tell me you’re still afraid to kill! When will you learn to be a real robber?” From the shadows, the minister could see the elephant, her ears pinned back, listening to every hateful and violent word.”Just as I suspected,” thought the minister. Then he slipped out, bolted the door on the outside so the robbers could not
escape, and went immediately to the king.”Your majesty,” he said, “I think I have found the cause of your elephant’s bad behaviour.” As soon as the king heard what the minister had to say, he sent for his guards and had the robbers arrested. “But what about the elephant? How can she be cured?’ he asked. “Well, your majesty, if Mahaghiri became dangerous through being.in the company of those wicked robbers, perhaps she could be cured by being in the company of good people.” “What a brilliant idea!” exclaimed the king. “Let us invite the friendliest, happiest and kindest people in the city to meet in the stall next to the elephant.”
“Mahaghiri, the king’s most prized elephant, has been in bad company and has become violent and dangerous,” the minister told his friends. “Will you help her to become her old self again?””Of course,” they replied. “What do you want us to do?” “Just meet in the elephant house every day for the next week. Let her hear how kindly and thoughtfully you speak to each other, and how helpful you are.” So the minister’s friends met in the elephant house as planned. They talked together and enjoyed each other’s company. Sometimes they brought cakes and sweets to share; sometimes their children came and played happily in the straw.
All the while, Mahaghiri watched and listened. Gradually, she became calmer.“I think it’s working,” said the minister. “Soon we’ll be able to remove the ropes.” Everyone felt a bit nervous when the day came for Mahaghiri to be untied. The king ordered everyone to wait outside as, very carefully, brave Rajinder began to undo the ropes around her ears and trunk. Next he removed the ropes holding her head. Finally, he loosened the thick chains holding her great feet. Everyone held their breath. What if she was still wild?Mahaghiri looked round shuffling her feet to stretch them. Then she slowly curled her trunk around her keeper’s waist and lifted him high into the air before placing him gently on her back. A great cheer went up. The king was delighted. “Let’s have a picnic to celebrate,” he announced. “Mahaghiri can come too.” What a great afternoon they all had! Mahaghiri bathed in the lake and gave the children rides. It seemed as though she had now become kinder, gentler and even more trustworthy than ever. But Rajinder never forgot what had happened and was always careful to set Mahaghiri a good example by being kind and friendly himself.

16. As per the context of passage, what was the most prized possession of the king of Benaras ?

(1) Elephant
(2) Horse
(3) Queen
(4) Gardens
(5) None of these

17. Who was the keeper of elephant to look after her properly ?

(1) Surinder
(2) Satyendra
(3) Rajinder
(4) Sohrab
(5) None of these

18. Who was appointed by the king to find the cause behind the bad behaviour of elephant ?

(1) Chief secretary
(2) Veterinary doctor
(3) Chief minister
(4) Other elephant keeper
(5) None of these

19. What was the cause behind the elephant going violent and dangerous that harmed her own keeper badly ?

(1) a band of robbers
(2) a group of musicians
(3) ill treatment of keeper
(4) a herd of horses
(5) None of these

20. What was arranged by the king to celebrate after the elephant returned to calmness ?

(1) picnic
(2) fair
(3) horse – race
(4) elephant race
(5) None of these

Printed Study Material for SBI PO Exam

Buy Printed Study Material for SBI Clerk Exam

Directions (21-23) : Choose the word/ group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/ group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

21. Flapping

(1) beating
(2) rigging
(3) rigid
(4) attractive
(5) large

22. Gleaming

(1) darkening
(2) encouraging
(3) frightening
(4) glittering
(5) gliding

23. Spare no expense

(1) do everything possible
(2) do nothing
(3) show extravagance
(4) do extra work
(5) to be miser.

Directions (24-25) : Choose the word/ group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/ group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

24. Loosened

(1) lost
(2) slackened
(3) weakened
(4) tightened
(5) frightened

25. Curled

(1) curved
(2) tight
(3) circular
(4) straight
(5) spiked

Directions (26-30) : Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic 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). (Ignore errors of punctuation if any)

26. India’s Gross Domestic Product (1)/ expand at 4.7% (2)/ in the year ended March 31, 2014, (3)/ the second year of below 5% growth. (4)/ No Error (5)

27. With the process of liberalisation across the world (1)/ having gone through its share of peaks and troughs (2), earlier knee jerk reactions of it being either a panacea (3)/ or an unmitigated disaster is giving way to a more detailed and nuanced analysis of entire process. (4)/ No Error (5)

28. For a positive sign by the commercial vehicle industry (1)/ truck freight rates (2)/ on trunk routes went (3) / up for the second month in a row.(4)/ No Error (5)

29. Bank raised the interest rates on (1)/ fixed deposit of three maturities (2)/ by up to (3)/ 3.25 percentage profits. (4)/ No Error(5).

30. Mobile company makes its next move (1)1 in hand free smartphone technology for car drivers (2)1 when it unveil a new integrated voice control system (3)/ at the motor show this week. (4)/ No Error (4)

Directions (31-35) : In the following questions, each sentence has two blanks; each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for the blanks which best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

31. Some of the best bhakti……….. has been written by poets imagining themselves to be mothers to their favourite……………

(1) poetries, deities
(2) poetry, deity
(3) poems, demon
(4) stories, deity
(5) epics, god

32. The …………….. of south Asian countries is ……………………for the forward march of Asia as whole.

(1) developed , dispensable
(2) developing, necessary
(3) development, indispensable
(4) development, Indispensability
(5) growth, necessity

33. Years of………….. and huge financial resources have been…………………. by India in stopping polio in India.

(1) efforts, invested
(2) efforts, infested
(3) endeavours, digested
(4) work, investing
(5) slackness, invested

34. Despite a flurry ……….of condemnations ,the only…………. from western nations so far has been to suspend arrangements for G8 meeting.

(1) weak, action
(2) weakened, reaction
(3) strong, reaction
(4) forceful, reactions
(5) strong, charge

35. The Indian political class is not known for …………..in serious writing, even…………………

(1) engaged, singing
(2) involved, playing
(3) escaping, reading
(4) engaging, reading
(5) estranged, read

Directions (36-40) : In the following questions, a sentence/ part of the sentence is printed in bold. Below are given alternatives to the bold sentence/part of the sentence at (1), (2) (3) and (4) which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no correction is required, your answer is (5).

36. The Indian political class is known for engaged themselves in socio-economic development of society.

(1) Known for engaging
(2) Call for engaged
(3) Knowing for engaging
(4) Called for engaging
(5) No correction required

37. The launch of metro railway service in the city , has enhancing public transport options in teeming .

(1) have enhanced
(2) has enhanced
(3) has been enhanced
(4) had enhanced
(5) No correction required

38. As houses grow and parking areas shrink, more than a little people have expressed their scorn for trees in the capital, one of the world’s greenest.

(1) more little people
(2) much little people
(3) more than a few people
(4) much than a few people
(5) No correction required

39. Rare Indian art spanning a period from the eighth century to the twentieth century will be up for sale at an auction in later this month.

(1) art span a period from
(2) art spanning a period
(3) a period of art spanning from
(4) a period spanning an of
(5) No correction required

40. Other species of eel are also faced various level of threats due to habitat damage and overfishing.

(1) facing various threat
(2) facing various levels of threats
(3) faced with various levels of threatening
(4) face various levels of threats
(5) No correction required

Printed Study Material for SBI PO Exam

Buy Printed Study Material for SBI Clerk Exam

<<Go Back To Main Page