Bank of India Clerk : English Language 2008

For the Following Fifteen Questions

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

The King of Kanchi set off to conquer Karnat. He was victorious in batttle. The elephants were laden with sandalwood, ivory, gold and precious stones taken from the conquered kingdom of Karnat. They would be a part of the victory parade for his subjects. On his way back home he stopped at a temple, finished his prayers to the goddess and turned to leave. Around his neck was a garland of scarlet hibiscus and as was the custom for all, his forehead was anointed with red sandal paste. His Minister and the court jester were his only companions. At one spot, in a mango grove by the wayside, they spied some children play. The King said, “Let me go and see what they are playing.”

The children had lined up two rows of clay dolls and were playing warriors and battles.The King asked, “Who is fighting whom ?” They said, “Karnat is at battle with Kanchi.”The King asked, “Who is winning and who is the loser ?” The children puffed their chests up and said, “Karnat will win and Kanchi will lose.” The Minister froze in disbelief, the King was furious and the jester burst into laughter.

The King was soon joined by his troops and the children were still immersed in their game. The King commanded, “Cane them hard.” The children’s parents came running from the nearby village and said, “They are naive, it was just a game, please grant them pardon.” The King called his commander and ordered, “Teach these children and the village a lesson so that they never forget the King of Kanchi.” He went back to his camp.

That evening the Commander stood before the King. He bowed low in shame and said, “Your Majesty, with the exception of hyenas and vultures, all lie silent in the village.”The Minister said, “His Majesty’s honour has been saved.” The priest said, “The goddess has blessed our King.” The jester said, “Your Highness, please grant me leave to go now.” The King asked, “But why ?” The jester said, “I cannot kill, I cannot maim, I can only laugh at God’s gift of life.” Trembling in the face of the king’s anger he bravelycontinued, “If I stay in your Majesty’s court, I shall become like you and I shall forget how to laugh.”

Question 1 :
Why were the elephants carrying loads of gold and other valuables ?
So that the people of the kingdom of Karnat acknowledged him as their new ruler
It was what the king had plundered from Karnat to display to the people of his kingdom as a sign of victory
This was the king’s offering to the deity out of gratitude for making him victorious
This was what the king had looted from Karnat to distribute among his soldiers as a reward
None of these

Question 2 :
Why did the king anoint his head with red sandal paste ?
As a mark of celebration to show he had been victorious
It was the usual practice for all devotees at the temple
To show other devotees that he was king
The priest requested him to do so
To show his soldiers that he had visited the temple

Question 3 :
Which of the following cannot be said about the jester ?

1.He was not a loyal subject of the king.

2.He was afraid of the king’s temper.

3.He did not support the king’s war against Karnat.
Both 1 and 3
Only 1
Both 1 and 2
All 1, 2 and 3
None of these

Question 4 :
What excuse was given for the childrens’ behaviour ?
They were disobedient to their parent’s wishes
They were unaware of the true facts of the battle
They were upset that their army had lost
They were in the habit of lying
None of these

Question 5 :
Why did the jester laugh at the children’s reply to the king ?

1. They correctly predicted the outcome of the battle.
2. Their reply was cheeky because they knew he was the king.
3. He wanted to show that their reply was a joke to save them from being punished by the king.
Only 1
Both 1 and 2
Only 3
Both 2 and 3
None of these

Question 6 :
Which of the following is true in the context of the passage ?
The king stopped at the temple to see what else could be plundered
The people of the village to which the children belonged developed great respect for the king
The Commander was ashamed at having obeyed the king’s orders to cane the children
The jester was unhappy that the king had defeated the army of Karnat
The children had shown disrespect to the goddess by playing so close to the temple

Question 7 :
Why did the jester resign from his post ?
He felt that the king was too influenced by the Minister
To show that he disapproved of the king’s action of punishing the children
He did not want to accompany the king on his war campaign
He was no longer able to make the king laugh
make the king laugh (E)

Question 8 :
Which of the following describes the Minister ?

1. He was jealous of the jester.
2. He was the king’s most valuable advisor.
3. He did not have a good sense of humour.
Only 1
Only 3
Both 1 and 3
Both 1 and 2
None of these

Question 9 :
Which of the following was/were the outcome(s) of the soldiers beating the children ?

1. The animals began to howl and wanted to attack the soldiers.
2. The children’s parents went to the king to beg for mercy.
3. The priest offered prayers to the goddess of the temple.
Only 1
All 1, 2 and 3
Both 1 and 2
Only 2
None of these

Question 10 :
Why was the king angry with the children ?
Because the game they were playing was dangerous
They had lied to him
They did not recognize him as king
They had unknowingly insulted him
They were rude to him

Question 11 :
Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

froze
cold
numb
shivered
stood still
chill

Question 12 :
Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

leave
holiday
transfer
exit
permission
farewell

Question 13 :
Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

spied
noticed
keep watch
followed
spot
caught

Question 14 :
Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

immersed in
safe from
distracted from
boring
drowning in
entertained by

Question 15 :
Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

pardon
punishment
excuse
convict
intolerance
imprison

For the Following Five Questions

Which of the phrases (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below should replace the phrase given in bold in the following sentence to make the sentence grammatically meaningful and correct. If the sentence is correct as it is and ‘No correction is required’, mark (E) as the answer.

Question 16 :
Your bonus will dependent the quality of your work.
is dependable
depends on
being dependent
going to depend
No correction required

Question 17 :
He did not ask for a raise since he had fear to lose his job.
was fearful of
was feared to
was afraid to
had been afraid to
No correction required

Question 18 :
The organizers agreed to shift the conference at some place convenience to all participants.
any of the place convenient
at places convenient
from a place of convenience
to a place convenient
No correction required

Question 19 :
As compared to last year there has been a sharp rise in interest rates.
sharper rise of
as sharp a rise
sharp rises in
sharply rising
No correction required

Question 20 :
In the 1970s banks required to submit their detailed plans of expansion to RBI.
were required to submit
required for submission
are required to submit
requirement of submitting
No correction required

For the Following Five Questions

Rearrange the following Six 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. I had paid a lot of attention during training and could easily answer the questions till I came to the last one. What is the name of the lady who cleans your floor ?

2. ‘Yes’, he replied. “In your career you will meet many people all of whom are significant even if all you do is greet them.”

3. I thought the question was a joke. I had seen her but how would I know her name ?

4. During my internship we were given a quiz to see how much we had learnt.

5. I have never forgotten this lesson. 6. I submitted my paper leaving the last question blank and asked the manager if it would count for assessment.

Question 21 :
Which of the following will be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement ?
1
2
3
4
5

Question 22 :
Which of the following will be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after rearrangement ?
2
3
4
6
5

Question 23 :
Which of the following will be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement ?
1
2
3
4
5

Question 24 :
Which of the following will be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?
1
2
3
4
5

Question 25 :
Which of the following will be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement ?
1
2
3
4
5

For the Following Five Questions

In each sentence below four words have been printed in bold which are lettered (A), (B), (C) and (D). One of these words may be wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word. The letter of that word is the answer. If all the words are correctly spelt and are appropriate the answer is (E), i.e. ‘All correct’.

Question 26 :
From the following options find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word.
My gole
is to acquire
a position
of authority and respect within the organization.
All correct

Question 27 :
From the following options find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word.
The refusal
of the Ministry to clear pending
dues is a course
for concern
All correct

Question 28 :
From the following options find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word.
He was convinced
that discipline
and hard work would result
in dividents in the long run.
All correct

Question 29 :
From the following options find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word.
This is a company which believes
in transparency
and appointment is done strictly
on merit
All correct

Question 30 :
From the following options find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word.
There will be a decline
in the probability
of oil companies because of the hike
in oil prices
All correct

For the following ten questions

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.)

Question 31 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
The revised government’s
/guidelines have reduced
/ the number of mergers
/ taking place among banks.
No error

Question 32 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
I do not know
/ who of the
/new trainees should
/ be confirmed.
No error

Question 33 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
To promote India as
/ a tourist destination
/ the government has organized
/ many cultural programmes.
No error

Question 34 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it
Banks in India
/ cannot open ATMs
/ except obtaining
/ approval from RBI.
No error

Question 35 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it
Today the success of
/ companies depends on the
quality of their products and
/efficient managing staff.
No error

Question 36 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it
Ashok has managed to
/ achieve his sales targets
/ for the quarter very easily
/ than we expected.
No error

Question 37 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
He did not grant
/ their request for a loan
/ although it would
/ displease his boss.
No error

Question 38 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
At present oil companies
/ are making a loss of
/rupees five on all
/ litre of petrol that they sell.
No error

Question 39 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
The manager’s belief that
/ Ramesh is
/ incompetent is not
/ necessary true.
No error

Question 40 :
From the following sentence find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.
Since I was doing
/ my MBA I initially
/chose to specialize
/ in marketing management.
No error

For the following 10 questions

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.

Question 41 :
He was a charismatic leader, an entrepreneur and a highly effective manager all rolled into one. As a leader, he …
visualised
implemented
achieved
persevered
aimed

Question 42 :
………… the company’s growth plan in a dedicated manner and he never ……… .
moved
shifts
missed
changes
lost

Question 43 :
.....… focus. The cement industry in those days was doing badly .....…
Contrary
Opposite
Yet
Obedient
Different

Question 44 :
………… to everyone’s expectations he sanctioned an additional plant in ………
any
mean
short
no
less

Question 45 :
………… time. He was ………… .
known
calculating
certain
dreamt
surely

Question 46 :
……… that since the cement industry was cyclic in nature, by the time the plant was ……………
operational
install
use
produced
new

Question 47 :
………… the market would have improved. It did happen and the decision brought rich …………
supply
diversity
rewards
pay
knowledge

Question 48 :
………… all his senior people to be ‘practising entrepreneurs’. I have seen a similar example at the Asian Institute of Management, which allows its professors to …………
thought
tried
wished
encourage
wanted

Question 49 :
………… their own business. This made their lectures more practical and less theoretical. It is the ……………
expand
function
chose
run
risk

Question 50 :
……… of the Institute’s success.
responsibility
secret
guarantee
prize
value