English
Language Practice Questions for IBPS Clerk/RBI Asst. Mains – Set 2
Directions
(1 – 5): In each of the following sentence there are three blank spaces. Below
each sentence there are five options and each option consists of three words
which can be filled up in the blanks in the sentence to make the sentence
grammatically correct.
1. “Ultimately, my brother’s goal and my
goal is almost the same. When we come before a mountain, the ways ______ to
climb it can be different,” said Taizo. Taizo, who was known for his role in
building Yahoo! Japan and _____ a multi-billion dollar online gaming company
called Gungho in 2002, was in Bengaluru to announce the launch of Gastrotope, a
start-up accelerator for Agri-food tech companies. For the 44-year old Taizo,
the bet is always on the next big ________.
a) Made up, finding, hit
b) Foresaw, originating, launch
c) Predicted, building, opportunity
d) Visualized, making, break
e) Envisaged, founding, wave
2. Publicis Groupe, a leading
advertising agency, __________that it will not participate in any award shows,
drop promotional activities for one year, and instead, spend monies on
developing an AI -powered professional assistant, Marcel. The decision __________
many eyebrows in the industry but Mark Tutssel, chairman says, “awards are the
barometer of our health. So, we would never ever walk away from them. That is __________ to even think.
a) proclaimed, heaved, ludicrous
b) declared, hoisted, amazing
c) decreed, lifted, indignant
d) announced, raised, farcical
e) asserted, lowered, embarrassing
3. Agriculture’s contribution to India’s
economy extends _______ the rural economy and ______ many activities in the
manufacturing and service sectors. Export surplus from the country’s
agricultural trade is higher than the __________ figure achieved by the manufacturing
sector.
a) Below, include, analogous
b) Moreover, higher, proportionate
c) Beyond, encompasses, corresponding
d) Outside, takeover, akin
e) Above, exclude, similar
4. A $2.6 billion deal with general
electric, centered on building 1,000 diesel locomotives in Bihar, almost came
unstuck recently, thanks to the ____ bureaucracy in the Railway Ministry. Bihar chief minister had to send desperate
SOS ’ to the Railway Minister to get him to ___ in the matter and ensure that
that the project was not cancelled. the contract, signed in 2015, was seen as a
big ___ for both ‘Make in India’ scheme and for Bihar.
a) Muted, interfere, loss
b) Overzealous, intervene, score
c) Hierarchical, demand, hit
d) fanatic ,Meddle , Attainment
e) passionate, stop, Achievement
5. A resolution for the return of
Rohingya refugees is _____ for the
security of both Bangladesh and india, mainly because of the link to terrorism
of some Rohingya militants. Since Bangladesh cannot _____ the Rohingya refugees
back, the solution may be _____ global opinion for political reforms in rakhine
and for Myanmar to take its people back.
a) Necessary, push, mobilize
b) Needed, throw, demand
c) Unthinkable, pull, voice
d) Useless, kill, ask
e) Eradicated, send, muster
Directions
(6 – 12): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given
beside.
Energy sector is
dominated by traditional energy sources, comprising primarily of oil, gas and
coal. These constitute about 85 per cent of India’s total energy consumption,
followed by renewable energy, which takes care of about 13 per cent of the pie.
This trend is fast changing, as government is shifting its focus from
traditional sources to cleaner and renewable sources of energy.
In a bid to reduce
emissions, the Supreme Court had banned the sale and registration of non BS-IV
compliant vehicles with effect from 1 April 2017. The government has been
encouraging development of electric vehicles (EVS) for the Indian market. This
paradigm shift towards electric vehicles is going to be a game-changer for the
Indian economy in general and our energy sector in particular, as it will
curtail demand for oil and gas in the long run. India, being a net importer of
crude oil at present, is expected to benefit immensely from the ongoing shift
towards electric vehicles. Also, this shift is expected to strengthen India’s
fiscal position in the years to come.
While companies are
waiting for more clarity on the policy front, many corporates have already
started investing in the development of technologies and infrastructure for
electric vehicles. Several auto companies have aggressively scheduled product
launches of electric vehicles over the next five years. The government has
plans to make India a 100 percent electric vehicle nation by 2030 and,
transport authorities across states have shown their keen interest in rolling
out electric bus services.
India is the world’s
third largest producer of electricity, with a total installed capacity of 329
GW as of 31 August 2017. Thermal energy, comprising coal, gas and diesel power,
constitutes about two thirds of the total installed capacity, followed by
renewable energy and nuclear power, comprising about a 31 percent and 2 percent
share in the pie respectively.
During the last few
years, the power sector in India has been witnessing major changes, with the
government promoting cleaner energy, such as wind, solar and hydropower, among
others, in a bid to provide rapid electrification to the entire country. There
is a sharp increase in the capacity additions in the renewable energy space. On
the other hand, the fossil energy space has been witnessing a sharp slowdown in
capacity additions, as is seen in the statistics of April-August 2017.
Only 3,790 MW of fresh capacity was added during the period, as against a
targeted addition of 14,956 mw for 2017-18.
The outlook for new
capacities in the thermal power space looks bleak, as there are no
fresh long term power purchase agreements signed. Additionally, there is a sharp
fall in the tariffs for renewable energy, competing aggressively with thermal
power tariffs. To reduce its dependence on coal mining, India’s largest coal
mining company, Coal India, too has announced its intention to diversify into
mining of other minerals such as bauxite, nickel, iron ore, etc.
Tariffs for wind and
solar energy, which used to be prohibitively high a few years
back, are now seen competing strongly with thermal power. Solar power tariffs
were R2.65-3.36 per unit last month for 500 MW capacities, as compared to the
all-time low tariffs of R2.44 per unit in may 2017. Wind power tariffs have
fallen to a record low of Rs 2.64 per unit in the auction conducted by SECI for
1 GW capacities. The government aims to bring power tariffs to R3 per unit,
irrespective of the source in the medium term.
The popularity of
electric vehicles is all set to rise, with power tariffs becoming more
affordable – driven by an increase in renewable power capacities. The
development of improved technologies and supporting infrastructure facilities
will further push demand for electric vehicles in the country.
A clear shift from
subsidized fuel towards low-priced clean energy is expected now, which ought to
be beneficial for the country. The share of oil, gas and coal in India’s energy
sector is expected to fall, while the share of cleaner and renewable energy is
expected to rise in the years to come.
6. With respect to India’s energy mix, which of
the following are true?
I.
India’s installed capacity as of August 31, 2017 was 239 GW.
II.
Nuclear power is forms a very feasible future prospect as an energy source.
III. Of all the renewable sources available, wind power has the maximum
potential
a) Only I
b) Only III
c) Only I and II
d) Only II and III
e) None of the above
7. What steps have been taken by corporate houses
to be ‘Electric vehicles’ ready?
I.
Started selling their stock of non-EVS at discounted rates to get rid of it.
II. Scheduling of product launches of various electric vehicles over the next
five years.
III. Investing in the development of technologies for EVS.
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Only I and II
d) Only II and III
e) None of the above
8. Which of the following is/are true with
reference to the passage?
I.
Energy sector is dominated by traditional non renewable energy sources.
II.
Shift towards Electric vehicles will lead to more consumption of oil and gas in
the long run.
III. Reduction in the use of oil and gas will lessen India’s imports and
improve fiscal numbers.
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Only I and III
d) Only II and III
e) All of the above
9. Which of the following, if true, could give a
fillip to EVS in India?
I.
Power tariffs decrease owing to increase in power generation capacity.
II.
The government provides subsidies on clean energy and taxes conventional fuels.
III. Spreading awareness about the advantages EVS have over non-EVS.
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Only III
d) Only I and II
e) All of the above
10. What recent changes have been observed in
India’s power sector?
I.
In terms of capacity addition, increase in addition at a decreasing rate has
been seen in renewable energy space.
II.
Government has been actively promoting cleaner energy, such as wind, solar and
hydropower.
III. Tariffs for wind and solar energy are still prohibitively high and would
take some time before being able to compete with thermal power effectively.
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Only I and II
d) Only II and III
e) None of the above
11. 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. PROHIBITIVELY
a) Incompletely
b) In extreme
c) Blandly
d) Uncomfortably
e) Passionately
12. 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. BLEAK
a) Cheerful
b) Appealing
c) Warm
d) Austere
e) Vivacious
Answers with Explanations:
1. E) Blank 1: Options B and C do not fit
in here and can be eliminated.
Blank 2: Finding a
company is incorrect and hence option A can be eliminated. Out of making and founding, founding is
a better fit. Hence, Option E may be correct.
This is confirmed by
putting the last word in the last blank. All three blanks are a perfect match.
2. D) Blank
1: The sentence gives the impression that the company issued some sort of
statement. Proclaimed and decreed are used in
context of governments/royalty and does not fit in here. Options A and C can be
eliminated.
Blank 2: As the
announcement led to surprise, it cannot lower eyebrows. Option
E is eliminated. Also hoisted means to push something
up and does not fit here. Hence, option B is incorrect.
3. C) Option
A: The second blank with include is grammatically incorrect
and can be eliminated.
Option B: Blank one is
incorrect.
Option D: Blank two is
absurd.
Option E: This sentence
is grammatically and contextually incorrect.
Option C: This is a
perfect fit.
4. B) The
deal got stuck because of bureaucratic issues in the Railway Ministry. Fanatic is
used in the context of religion and can be eliminated. Passionate shows
a positive relationship and can’t be right as the sentence talks about the
issue in a negative way. Muted is meaningless.
Thus, Option A, D and E
can be eliminated.
Blank 3 can be filled
both by Options B and C.
Blank B: Here, option C
does not make sense here.
Option B fits in
perfectly well with all the blanks.
5. A) From
the blanks we see the first one requires a word that shows it is important for
Rohingya refugees to return. This eliminates Options C, D and E.
Blanks 2 and 3: The words
in option B do not fit in and thus, this option can be eliminated.
6. E) 7. D) 8. C)
9. E) 10. B)
11. B) Prohibitively means
utterly/extremely/ intensely.
Incompletely and blandly are
opposite of prohibitively.
Uncomfortably and passionately are
irrelevant.
The only word that suits
the requirement is in extreme.
12. D) Bleak means
barren/depressing/deoslate/cold.
Cheerful, appealing and warm are
antonyms.
Vivacious means spirited/lively and is
irrelevant here.
Austere means cold/stringent and is suitable
here.
