English Language Practice Questions for IBPS Clerk – Set 21
Directions
(1 – 5): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given beside.
The
oceans are so vast and deep that until fairly recently, it was widely assumed
that no matter how much trash and chemicals humans dumped into them, the
effects would be negligible. Proponents of dumping in the oceans even had a
catchphrase: "The solution to pollution is dilution."
Today,
we need look no further than the New Jersey-size dead zone that forms each
summer in the Mississippi River Delta, or the thousand-mile-wide swath of
decomposing plastic in the northern Pacific Ocean to see that this
"dilution" policy has helped place a once flourishing ocean ecosystem
on the brink of collapse.
There
is evidence that the oceans have suffered at the hands of mankind for
millennia, as far back as Roman times. But recent studies show that
degradation, particularly of shoreline areas, has accelerated dramatically in
the past three centuries as industrial discharge and runoff from farms and
coastal cities has increased.
Pollution
is the introduction of harmful contaminants that are outside the norm for a
given ecosystem. Common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include
pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage,
plastics, and other solids. Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean's
depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into
the global food chain. Scientists are even discovering that pharmaceuticals
ingested by humans but not fully processed by our bodies are eventually ending
up in the fish we eat.
Many
ocean pollutants are released into the environment far upstream from
coastlines. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied by farmers inland, for example,
end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater and are eventually deposited
in estuaries, bays, and deltas. These excess nutrients can spawn massive blooms
of algae that rob the water of oxygen, leaving areas where little or no marine
life can exist. Scientists have counted some 400 such dead zones around the
world.
Solid
wastes like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by
ships at sea are frequently consumed, with often fatal effects, by marine
mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food. Discarded fishing nets drift
for years, ensnaring fish and mammals. In certain regions, ocean currents
corral trillions of decomposing plastic items and other trash into gigantic,
swirling garbage patches.
Pollution
is not always physical. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry
undiminished for miles. The increased presence of loud or persistent sounds
from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs, and even from natural sources like
earthquakes can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction
patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales and
dolphins.
1. Which of
the following is the reason for degradation of shore lines of oceans as per the
passage?
I. Industrial waste
II. Migration from
coastal cities
III. Hunting of
Aquatic animals
a) Only I
b) Only I
and II
c) Only III
d) Only II
and III
e) Only I,
II and III
2. Which of
the following statement/s is/are not true in the context of passage?
I. Marine pollution is
the resultant of physical pollution only.
II. Plastic bags,
foams etc. are rarely consumed by aquatic animals.
III. The earthquakes
can disturb lifestyle and behavior pattern of aquatic mammals.
a) Only I
and III
b) Only III
c) Only II
and III
d) Only I
and II
e) None of
these
3. Which of
the following is/are a source of solid waste?
a) Pesticides
b) Plastics
c) Organic
fertilizers
d) Only (A)
and (B)
e) Only (B)
and (C)
4. As per
the passage, how do nitrogen-rich fertilizers contribute to marine pollution?
a) By
releasing chemicals in the water.
b) By
absorbing all the oxygen from water, making it near impossible for any marine
life to dwell.
c) By
raising nitrogen levels in the sea.
d) All of
the above.
e) None of
the above.
5. Which of
the following is/are true as per the passage?
I. Dilution is the key
to control pollution.
II. Pollution can make
changes in the hunting, migration and communication pattern of dolphins.
III. Solid wastes have
fatal effects on marine animals.
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Only III
d) All the
above
e) Either I
or III
Directions
(6 – 10): In this question four choices are given under each sentence and you
are required to select the most suitable choice or combination of choices as
stated in the given options A, B, C, D and E to fill in the blank to make the
sentence meaningful.
6. Unauthorised
leaks, hacking and other cyber crimes have rendered data bases ________.
(a)
susceptible (b) fragile (c) receptive (d) vulnerable
a) Only (a)
and (c)
b) Only (a)
and (d)
c) Only (a)
and (b)
d) Only (b)
and (d)
e) Only (c)
and (d)
7. Economic
factors are indeed responsible for an undercurrent of _________ against the
ruling BJP.
(a)
resentment (b) aversion (c) grudge (d) acrimony
a) Only
(a), (b) and (c)
b) Only (a)
and (b)
c) Only
(b), (c) and (d)
d) Only (c)
and (d)
e) Only (a)
and (d)
8. Economic
issues aside, one of the biggest common concerns between the two countries
today is the terrorism threat ________ from Pakistan.
(a)
discharging (b)
originating (c)
inhibiting (d) stymie
a) Only (a)
and (c)
b) Only (b)
and (c)
c) Only
(b), (c) and (d)
d) Only
(a), (c) and (d)
e) Only (a)
and (b)
9. Yet,
even the existing minor penalties are not being imposed, and road conditions
remain _________ due to poor engineering.
(a)
hazardous (b) peril (c) haphazard (d) unassailable
a) Only (a)
b) Only (a)
and (c)
c) Only (b)
and (c)
d) Only (a)
and (d)
e) Only (d)
10. Constitutional
institutions must ________ structures that take care of decision making,
appointments, accountability and transparency.
(a) line
up (b) firm up (c) give up (d) take up
a) Only (a)
and (c)
b) Only (b)
c) Only (b)
and (d)
d) Only (c)
e) Only (d)
Directions
(11 – 15): In each of the questions, there are five sentences or parts of
sentences that form a paragraph. Identify the sentence or part that is correct
in terms of grammar and usage and choose the answer accordingly.
11.
a) After a
bridge collapsed killed 22 people
b) in
Elphinstone Road Station in Mumbai last month,
c) the
government of Maharashtra resorted to
d) the
populist move of asking an army
e) to
repairing the bridge.
12.
a) The
remedy is to corporatise the Railways',
b) and
create organisational forms that
c) enable
large-scale investments those
d) are
required for improve safety,
e) upgrade
signaling and the qualities of rolling stock.
13.
a) Sustaining
and building of
b) this
reversal momentum may be
c) more
challenging in the coming months,
d) given
other economic datum that are
e) a cause
of economic concern and some external headwinds.
14.
a) Uttar
Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath cleared
b) his
first major test of flying colors
c) as the
Bharatiya Janata Party sweeps
d) the
civic body polls by the State
e) winning
14 out of 16 mayor post in a four-way contest.
15.
a) The
Egyptian military is also been
b) under
strain in account of regional
c) developments
for the fall of
d) Muammar
Qadhafi’s regime in Libya
e) in 2011
and the resulting chaos in North Africa.
Answers with Explanations:
1. B) 2. D)
3. D) 4. B) 5. D)
6. B) Susceptible- likely to be harmed.
Fragile-
Breakable.
Receptive-
open to new ideas.
Vulnerable-
likely to be harmed.
Choice
(b) is usually used for tangible objects that are easily breakable, but
databases are intangible. So its use is contextually incorrect here.
Choice
(c) is illogical.
Choices
(a) and (d) have similar meanings and both contextually satisfy the blank.
7. A) Resentment-
dislike or hate.
Aversion-
dislike.
Grudge-
hard feelings or hatred
Acrimony-
nasty speech.
Choice
(d) is irrelevant to the context.
Choices
(a), (b) and (c) have same meanings and are appropriate choices.
8. E) Discharging
– releasing
Originating-
getting started
Inhibiting-
preventing
Stymie-
hindrance
Choices
(c) and (d) are irrelevant, as prevention of terrorism will not create troubles
for India and America.
Choices
(a) and (b) are the most suited choices to fill the blank.
9. A) Hazardous-
dangerous, which contextually as well as grammatically suits the blank, as road
conditions can be hazardous if they are poorly designed.
Peril
– risk/ danger, which is grammatically incorrect.
Haphazard-
means without any plan, which is irrelevant in terms of road conditions.
Unassailable-
certain, which is again illogical when referring to the state of roads.
10. B) Line up is
a phrasal verb which means to make a row.
Firm
up is a phrasal verb that means to make clear or evident.
Give
up means to quit.
Take
up means to start or entertain.
Out
of all the given choices, only choice (b) fits in well grammatically as well as
contextually.
11. C) Option A -
After a bridge collapsed killed 22 people
‘Collapse’
should be used in its first form, as the verb ‘kill’ is already
being used in its second form.
Option
B- in Elphinstone Road Station in Mumbai last month,
People
were killed ‘at’ the station rather ‘in’ the station. Thus,
use of the wrong preposition makes it erroneous.
Option
C is absolutely correct.
Option
D- the populist move of asking an army
This
part has an error related to wrong article usage. Article ‘the’ should
be used before collective nouns like Army, Board etc.
Option
E- to repairing the bridge.
The Gerund
form of verb has been used after an infinitive, which has
created an error.
12. B) Option A-
The remedy is to corporatise the Railways',
Use
of the apostrophe is superfluous here.
Option
B is error free.
Option
C- enable large-scale investments those
The
error is with respect to wrong usage of the pronoun. Thus, ‘those’
is irrelevant here and needs to be replaced by ‘that.’
Option
D- are required for improve safety,
Preposition
‘to’ must be used instead of ‘for’, as for is
usually preceded by a gerund.
Option
E- upgrade signaling and the qualities of rolling stock.
Here
quality is used in the sense of grading the stock. Thus, its singular form must
be used.
13. C) Option A-
Sustaining and building of
Building on is a phrase which means to bank upon.
So , this part has an error regarding incorrect use of the phrasal verb.
Option
B- this reversal momentum may be
Reversal
momentum is meaningless. Instead, it should either be “reverse” momentum or
“reversal of” momentum.
Option
C is perfectly fine and error free.
Option
D- given other economic datum that are
‘datum’
is the singular form of “data”. Data should be used here as it is followed by a
plural helping verb “are”.
Option
E- a cause of economic concern and some external headwinds.
Two
effects are mentioned for a cause. One is concern and the
other is external headwinds. Thus instead of ‘of’ ,”for” is
more suitable.
14. A) Option A
is absolutely correct.
Option
B- his first major test of flying colors
The
correct phrase to be used here is “with flying colors.”
Option
C- as the Bharatiya Janata Party sweeps
The
error here is that of wrong tense usage. The sentence is in simple past
tense and thus, the second form of verb i.e ‘swept’ is to
be used here.
Option
D- the civic body polls by the State
The
polls always happen “in” a state. The error is incorrect preposition being
used.
Option
E- winning 14 out of 16 mayor post in a four-way contest.
The
numbers 14 or 16 mentioned over here denotes that posts are more than one. Thus
plural form of post i.e. posts is to be used
here.
15. D) Option A-
The Egyptian military is also been
‘Been’
denotes the tense to be in perfect continuous. Thus use of ‘is’
is incorrect here.
Option
B- under strain in account of regional
The
correct phrase is “on account of” which means on behalf of.
Option
C- developments for the fall of
‘Since’
is used for definite time while “for” is for indefinite
time. Here 2011 is clearly mentioned in the coming options and thus “since”
should be used here.
Option
D is error free.
Option
E- in 2011 and the resulting chaos in North Africa.
‘Resulting’
needs to be replaced with 'resulted' as it is a consequence of a
past event.
