Reading Comprehension for SBI PO/CLERK Mains: 22nd July 2018

Its high time you should stick to your chairs and go through all the study matter which is very much needed to pass the exam along with the golden opportunity to let you score more. English  is thus counted as one of the among which creates heebie jeebies for most of the aspirants. Thus we are providing you with questions which will head you towards your goal. The provided quiz follows the study plan whose questions are structured according to the Mains level and through the medium of such types of questions covering one of the important topics like Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Phrase Replacement etc., you can definitely crack any of the level as this is based on the type of questions that have come in the previous SBI PO mains exams and this quiz will also help aspirants preparing for BOB PO 2018.

Directions (1-8): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below them. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
PARAGRAPH 1: The story, “Death of Jagmohan, the Elephant”, by Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi, is about the death of an elephant. For a reader, the story may appear to be about a rather “big death”, but what the writer wanted to say was that there are also many “small deaths”. They include the deaths of Dalits and tribals who are trapped by hunger and humiliation. Anonymity surrounds them and our lack of compassion gives them finality.
PARAGRAPH 2: The death of a tree or a forest sacrificed at the altar of development is mourned but not spoken about. Similarly, the death of a language is literally shrouded in silence. Because of its nature, a language is not visible and fails to move anyone except its very last speaker who nurtures an unrequited hope of a response. When a language disappears it goes forever, taking with it knowledge gathered over centuries. With it goes a unique world view. This too is a form of violence. Large parts of culture get exterminated through slight shifts in policy instruments than through armed conflicts. Just as nature’s creations do not require a tsunami to destroy them, the destruction of culture can be caused by something as small as a bureaucrat’s benign decision. Even a well-intentioned language census can do much damage.
PARAGRAPH 3: Over the last many decades, successive governments have carried out a decadal census. The 1931 Census was a landmark as it held up a mirror to the country about the composition of caste and community. War disrupted the exercise in 1941, while it was a rather busy year for the new Indian republic at the time of the 1951 Census It was during the 1961 census that languages in the country were enumerated in full. India learnt that a a total of 1,652 mother tongues were being spoken. Using ill-founded logic, this figure was pegged at only 109, in the 1971 Census. The logic was that a language deserving respectability should not have less than 10,000 speakers. This had no scientific basis nor was it a fair decision but it has stuck and the practice continues to be followed.
PARAGRAPH 4: The language enumeration takes place in the first year of every decade. The findings are made public about seven years later as the processing of language data is far more time consuming than handling economic or scientific data. Early this month, the Census of India made public the language data based on the 2011 Census, which took into account 120 crore speakers of a very large number of languages. The Language division of the Census office deserves praise but the data presented leaves behind a trail of questions.
PARAGRAPH 5: During the census, citizens submitted 19,569 names of mother tongues — technically called “raw returns”. Based on previous linguistic and sociological information, the authorities decided that of these, 18,200 did not match “logically” with known information. A total of 1,369 names — technically called “labels” — were picked as “being names of languages”. The “raw returns” left out represent nearly 60 lakh citizens. And because of the classification regime, their linguistic citizenship has been dropped.
Q1. In the 1971 census, the number of languages spoken was pegged at 109 from 1,652. What was the logic illustrated behind this change if figure?
(a) A language will be denoted respectable if it has less than 10,000 speakers.
(b) It took into account 120 crore speakers of a very large number of languages.
(c) The “raw returns” represented 60 lakh citizens which were later reduced to “labels” and hence thus the figure reduced.
(d) A language will be denoted respectable if it has more than 10,000 speakers.
(e) Both (a) and (c)

Q2. Which of the following statements is/are correct in context with the passage?
(I) The deaths of Dalits and tribals are considered small deaths and go unnamed.
(II) Small changes in Policy instruments cause more destruction to culture than armed conflicts.
(III) Given the widespread use of English in education, law, administration, media and health care, a significant number of Indians use English as a utility language.
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (II)
(c) Both (I) and (II)
(d) Both (II) and (III)
(e) All of the Above

Q3. As per the passage, what are the “labels” as denoted in the passage?
(a) The census of 1951 containing a total of 1,652 mother tongues was called as “labels”
(b) 120 crore speakers of a very large number of languages were called as “labels”
(c) The 19,569 names of mother languages collectively were called as “labels”
(d) The raw returns left out of about 60 lakh citizens were called as “labels”
(e) Out of the total raw returns, the authorities picked out some as being the names of languages and these were called “labels”

Q4. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage above?
(a) With regard to the functioning of High Courts, all Indian official languages enjoy equal status and, therefore, demands for permission to use these languages in High Courts are bound to increase.
(b) It is time for India to relook its language policy under Part XVII which became obsolete more than 50 years ago.
(c) The language enumeration starts in the first year of every decade and the results are made public seven years later.
(d) In the 2001 Census, 41% of Indians listed ‘Hindi’ as their mother tongue
(e) Both (b) and (c)

Q5. Which of the following word has similar meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
EXTERMINATED
(I) Abolished
(II) Mended
(III) Eradicated
(IV) Fabricated
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (III)
(c) Both (III) and (IV)
(d) Both (I) and (III)
(e) (I), (II) and (III)

Q6. Which of the following word has similar meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
BENIGN
(I) Venomous
(II) Innocuous
(III) Perilous
(IV) Scathing
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (II)
(c) Both (III) and (IV)
(d) Both (I) and (III)
(e) (I), (II) and (III)

Q7. Which of the following word/pair of words is/are opposite in meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
ENUMERATED
(I) Surreal
(II) Detailed
(III) Mitigated
(IV) Untangled
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (III)
(c) Only (II)
(d) Both (I) and (III)
(e) None of the Above

Q8. Which of the following word/pair of words is/are opposite in meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
MOURNED
(I) Ravished
(II) Rejoiced
(III) Lamented
(IV) Bemoaned
(a) Only (I)
(b) Only (III)
(c) Both (III) and (IV)
(d) Both (I) and (II)
(e) (I), (II) and (III)
 
Directions (9-15): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below them. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
PARAGRAPH 1: Reports of traces of the chemical formaldehyde in fish in several States highlight both the uncertainties of science, and the importance of clear risk-communication. In June, the Kerala government found formaldehyde-laced fish being transported into the State. Soon after, The Hindu carried out a joint investigation with the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University to look for formaldehyde in Chennai. The study revealed around 5-20 ppm of the chemical in freshwater and marine fish in two of the city’s markets. Next, Goa reported similar findings. But its Food and Drugs Administration later said the levels in Goan samples were on a par with “naturally occurring” formaldehyde in marine fish. This triggered suspicions among residents, who accused the government of playing down the health risk.
PARAGRAPH 2: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has banned formaldehyde in fresh fish, while the International Agency for Research on Cancer labelled the chemical a carcinogen in 2004. The evidence the IARC relied on mainly consists of studies on workers in industries such as printing, textiles and embalming. Such workers inhale formaldehyde fumes, and the studies show high rates of nasopharyngeal and other cancers among them. But there is little evidence that formaldehyde causes cancer when ingested orally. A 1990 study by U.S. researchers estimated that humans consume 11 mg of the chemical through dietary sources every day. So, why is formaldehyde in fish a problem? For one thing, fresh fish should not have preservatives, and the presence of formaldehyde points to unscrupulous vendors trying to pass off stale catch as recent. Two, the lack of evidence linking ingested formaldehyde with cancer doesn’t necessarily make the chemical safe.
PARAGRAPH 3: At high doses, it causes gastric irritation. Plus, the lack of data could merely mean that not enough people are consuming formaldehyde regularly enough for its carcinogenic effects to show — the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There is a third complication. When certain marine fish are improperly frozen during transit, formaldehyde forms in them naturally. But this formaldehyde binds to the tissue, unlike added formaldehyde, which remains free. And so, measuring free formaldehyde versus bound formaldehyde can be one way of distinguishing a contaminant from a naturally occurring chemical. In this context, the Goan government must clarify its claim. Did the Goan FDA measure free formaldehyde or bound formaldehyde? If it measured the sum of both, on what basis did it conclude that the chemical came from natural sources? Some formaldehyde consumption may be unavoidable for fish- lovers, and it may not be a health risk either. But the line between safe and unsafe consumption should be drawn by experts, in a transparent manner. The Goan claim doesn’t meet this criterion. This is why, instead of allaying the fears of consumers, it is stoking them.
Q9. Which of the following can be inferred as the theme of the passage?
(a) Shortcomings of Food and Drugs Administration.
(b) Did the Goan FDA measure free formaldehyde or bound formaldehyde?
(c) Nothing beats dynamite fishing for sheer efficiency.
(d) Concerns over formaldehyde contamination of fish need to be addressed scientifically.
(e) None of the Above

Q10. Which of the following statements is/are correct in context with the passage?
(a) Fish markets over the last few days wore a desolate look following the controversy.
(b) The researchers obtained five commonly used fishmeal products and subjected each one to a detailed genetic analysis.
(c)The discovery of fish food as a source of resistance genes migrating into oceanic bacteria is worrying, and the researchers say more work is needed to determine if these resistance traits can find their way into the human food chain.
(d) The Goa Government has not clarified the criteria on which they conducted the formaldehyde test.
(e) Both (b) and (d)

Q11. What does the author mean by the phrase “the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence” in context with the above passage?
(a) Goa Government has not provided the proper evidence of absence of Formaldehyde in fresh fish.
(b) There is a lack of evidence that inhaling formaldehyde fumes causes cancer.
(c) There is no evidence that consuming formaldehyde shows carcinogenic effects, but this does not prove that formaldehyde is absent in fishes.
(d) There is no evidence proving that enough people are  fishes and thus no evidence of contamination of fish.
(e) None of the Above

Q12. Which of the following word has similar meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
SUSPICIONS
(a) Credence
(b) Certitude
(c) Skepticism
(d) Oodles
(e) Reams

Q13. Which of the following word has similar meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
UNSCRUPULOUS
(a) Aboveboard
(b) Decent
(c) Menace
(d) Tenacious
(e) Deceitful

Q14. Which of the following word is opposite in meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
 ALLAYING
(a) Assuaging
(b) Relieving
(c) Exacerbating
(d) Mollify
(e) Palliate

Q15. Which of the following word is opposite in meaning to the word given in bold in the passage?
STOKING
(a) Extending
(b) Reigniting
(c) Stoker
(d) Retrenching
(e) Rekindle

Download Free Topic-wise and Mock Test PDF

You May also like to Read: