English Language Quiz for IBPS 2020 Mains Exams- 17th December

Directions (1-5): Select the phrase/connector (STARTERS) from the given three options which can be used to form a single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.

Q1. (1)MC Mary Kom has been described as the Muhammad Ali of women’s boxing.
(2)It is a trifle unfair because she has her own claim to fame – the indefatigable MC Mary Kom, the woman from Manipur who attained global glory.

(I)Though MC Mary Kom has been…
(II)Despite being the indefatigable…
(III)Considering it a trifle unfair…

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (III) is correct
(c)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct

Q2. (1) It would be a lengthy affair to list the successes of MC Mary Kom.
(2)What matters is how she adapted herself to varying demands, including “gaining weight” because a few competitions did not cater to her natural weight-category.

(I)To list the successes of MC Mary Kom…
(II)While it would be a lengthy affair…
(III)Adapting herself to varying demands…

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct

Q3. (1)The Congress was an umbrella organization with many ideologies coexisting together.
(2)However, it lacked a single focus.
(I)Being an umbrella organization…
(II)In view of the fact that the Congress…
(III)As the Congress was an umbrella…

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct

Q4. (1)Deen Dayal identifies honesty to be a principle.
(2)The task is to make it a policy for which the beginning has to be made by reforming an overdeveloped state that is free of corruption, with a high level of human development indices, and adhering to a “world minimum” that Sakharov spoke of.

(I)With the task to make a policy for…
(II)While Deen Dayal identifies honesty…
(III)Owing to the fact that reforming an…

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct

Q5. (1)Deen Dayal emphasised the relationship of political ideologies to the factors of time and place.
(2)He discounted the universal validity of Western ideologies.

(I)The factors of time and place…
(II)For all that emphasis on…
(III)Discounting the universal validity…

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (III) is correct
(c)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct

Directions (6-10): Five statements are given below, labelled a, b, c, d and e. Among these, four statements are in logical order and form a coherent paragraph. From the given options, choose the option that does not fit into the theme of the paragraph.

Q6. (a)To make matters worse, the imposition of an ill-designed Goods and Services Tax (GST), whose impact fell disproportionately on small manufacturing units and traders, has compounded the crisis.
(b)A year later, the effects of the monumental blunder, undertaken in the name of fighting the “black money” menace, still linger.
(c)Livelihoods in huge swathes of the economy that were uprooted in the wake of demonetisation have still not recovered.
(d)It was clear that the troika of Modi, the Finance Ministry and the RBI was responsible for the crisis.
(e)November 8, 2017, marks the first anniversary of demonetisation, an exercise that shocked, numbed and grievously wounded livelihoods on a scale unprecedented since Independence.

Q7. (a)China will become a “moderately prosperous society” by 2021, the year that will mark 100 years of the CPC’s formation.
(b)From then onwards, China will be on the home stretch to become an advanced socialist country, and the goal will be accomplished by 2050.
(c)In his marathon speech that lasted over three hours, Xi said his grand mid-century vision would be realised in three distinct phases.
(d)China will become a leading developed nation, having accomplished the unprecedented goal of becoming the world’s first advanced socialist country, he said.
(e)China’s new stage of development will be consolidated by 2035.

Q8. (a)Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla sharply criticised the U.S.’ move and accused the U.S. of not “sufficiently cooperating” with the Cuban government’s efforts to investigate the “health attacks”.
(b)Previously, he had only referred to the cases as “incidents”.
(c)The Obama administration had relaxed restrictions on travel to Cuba.
(d)In his recent statement on the subject, Tillerson said that there was an “attack” on his country’s diplomats based in Havana.
(e)The U.S. authorities have not provided access to those affected or to the doctors examining them.

Q9. (a)Illegal drugs—such as cocaine and heroin—continue to pose a challenge, but the real threat is from prescription opioids such as fentanyls of one kind or another.
(b)The declaration of an emergency means that state funds should go post-haste to help stem the crisis.
(c)In early November, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency against opioid abuse.
(d)It is not clear, however, if this will be enough.
(e) “The opioid is a tremendous emergency,” he said in his characteristic style.

Q10. (a)There are issues with encroachment on the western face of the ranges (in Kanyakumari district) where there are significant human population pressures.
(b)Coconut plantations, irrigated with borewells, are sprouting in semi-arid areas.
(c)Change has been a key aspect of the observations—the forest has recovered from being a degraded plantation to now hosting a plethora of rare and endangered Western Ghats species.
(d)The challenges in Naraikadu and the wider KMTR protected area in the future will come from a multitude of sources.
(e)The eastern edges of the hills are now facing development pressures as land is bought up for investment with little thought for the ecological impact.

Directions (11-15): In each of the given questions an inference is given in bold which is then followed by three statements. You have to find the statement(s) from where it is inferred. Choose the option with the best possible outcome as your choice.

Q11. Nobody gave much thought about those innocent who were at the receiving end of demonetization at the advent.
(I) Indians are a very emotional lot and tend to quickly come to conclusions without delving deep into issues. The public outcry against demonetization — especially by those with few solutions at their hand to face the problem of cash crunch. The main criticism against the government is that demonetisation has inflicted more pain on the poor and innocent while opening a window for the rich to cleanse their unaccounted income, of course, after paying a handsome share to the exchequer.
(II) If demonetisation was a war, then those who lost their lives outside bank queues are true martyrs. These ordinary citizens sincerely believed the government’s intentions of bringing in transparency in the economy. Which is why they were willing to put their lives at risk to withdraw their hard-earned money in new currency. People waiting in endless queues outside banks to exchange old notes reportedly resulted in even deaths during the first few weeks after demonetisation. Honouring the sacrifice of these true martyrs would be a fitting tribute on the first anniversary of demonetisation.
(III) A year after Prime Minister NarendraModi announced the ban on Rs 1000 and Rs 500 old banknotes, his government described demonetisation as a historic and multi-dimensional success. Huge advertisements could be seen where Modi lauded 125 crore Indians for fighting a decisive battle against black money and corruption. Unfortunately despite tall claims by BJP, the debate still rages whether the move has benefitted the nation or done more harm than good.
(a) Both (I) & (III)
(b) Both (II) & (III)
(c) Only (I)
(d) Only (II)
(e) All of the above

Q12. Extremism has spread even among Hindus, some of whom believe not in satyamevajayate but in might is right.
(I) The Parivar proclaims an ideology of “Hindutva,” aimed at ensuring the predominance of Hinduism in Indian society, politics, and culture, which it promotes through tactics that include violence and terror. Its agenda includes subjugating or driving out people of other faiths, who total some 17 percent of the population. It castigates them as foreign faiths, imposed by foreign conquerors.
(II) All wanton violence and religious fundamentalism is wrong, be it of the right or the left, or of any religion, and needs to be identified, countered and condemned. In this context, the real question for Hindus is who, and for what reason, is today deliberately fanning this fanatical violence among them? According to established Hindu practice, disagreements should be resolved through debate, dialogue and discussion, yet one has only to remember that it was a fanatical Hindu who killed one of the greatest messiahs of peace – Mahatma Gandhi.
(III)There is no denying that fringe right wing groups have created an atmosphere of intolerance to outspoken writers and academics who question religious practices and myths, thereby putting pressure on freedom of speech and expression. The event of killing of veteran writer MalleshappaMadivalappaKalburgi demands the government not to go soft on Hindu fundamentalism and to “crack down” on these fringe elements in the same way it would deal with other “religion and ideology based extremist groups.”
(a) Both (I) & (II)
(b) Both (I) & (III)
(c) Both (II) &(III)
(d) Only (I)
(e) All of the above

Q13. It is important for the courts to examine disability as a ground for the grant of bail.
(I) The deplorable conditions in Indian prisons are well known. It is settled law now that prisoners may be deprived of personal liberty according to procedure established by law, but that does not include a derogation of their right to dignity. How do we begin to understand the sanctity of life, dignity and bodily integrity for a person with disabilities? If handcuffing is an extraordinary and excessive restraint on an ordinary prisoner, what constitutes excessive restraint beyond the writ of law for a person with disabilities? Placing him in solitary confinement with no support violates his right to life, bodily integrity and autonomy even when conviction only imposes restraints on personal liberty.
(II) The Indian Constitution gives pride of place to the fundamental rights of a citizen, including the right to life and liberty. One would assume that it implies two basic legal principles: one, that the accused is innocent until proven guilty; and two, that bail is the norm and jail the exception. The stories of thousands of undertrials- including those with disabilities-languishing in jails across the country, however, run against the grain of the constitutional promise that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”
(III) The Law Commission has done well to recommend a complete overhaul in the way courts grant bail. Bail must be the rule rather than the exception, given that every person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Reform in bail jurisprudence that includes fast disposal of bail applications, easier surety requirements and minimising pretrial detention is overdue. Courts must deny bail only under three conditions. One, the person charged with the crime is likely to flee. Two, the accused is likely to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. Three, the person is likely to repeat the same crime if granted bail.
(a) Only (III)
(b) Only (I)
(c) Only (II)
(d) Both (I) & (II)
(e) Both (II) & (III)

Q14. Police investigators should not jump to conclusions, influenced by public outrage
(I) That the police had to extract a false confession is downright disgraceful, but it is not an isolated case in a country known for its primitive investigative methods. In cases of demand of a result from the masses, putting a statement which is refutable isn’t justified. Studies on police reforms have highlighted the need to make the investigation process more scientific and more rooted in forensic analysis, but custodial torture and extracted confessions continue to be reported. When two narratives emerge from different police agencies for a heinous murder, a sense of disquiet among the public is inevitable.
(II) Regimes come and regimes go, a new party and a new leadership adds its own new pages to the annals of India’s political history. But India’s khaki tales continue with the same old narrative – hackneyed, violent and tragic, both for the people of the country as well as for the rank and file cops. Not trained properly for the job that requires mental strength to withstand public pressure they are often rounded up in botched up investigations. The strong arm of the state is severely weak within and the politicians want it that way; bereft of choice, cops take solace in venting their ‘powerless power’ where they can.
(III) Police bumbling closure in Pradyuman murder case is no exception. It points to systemic failures. It is often difficult to distinguish police investigation, especially carried out in the face of public and political pressure, from the witch-hunt. Police with only rudimentary training in modern investigation, using beatings and threats as their main truth-seeking tools, have a long record of securing wrongful convictions, as well as letting the guilty walk free, sometimes wearing the halo of martyrdom. To explain this away as the failure of individuals is inadequate.
(a) Both (I) & (II)
(b) Both (I) & (III)
(c) Both (II) & (III)
(d) All of the above
(e) Only (III)

Q15. More and more bilateral series have taken away the excitement from the game.
(I) Players often display more cricketing brilliance on the field as they would be watched by more viewers than in a bilateral ODI series. The most interesting feature of these tournaments is that they seldom get boring. On the other hand, a seven-match bilateral ODI series can become monotonous if one team holds inordinate sway in the opening matches.
(II) With repeated bilateral clashes between the same opponents, the fans hardly get to speculate as much as they liked to do when more number of teams brought more number of players and hence more fierce competition from the players. The near same combinations of the two teams makes the scope of watching the game for some innovative batting or bowling battles, narrowed down to negligible. Moreover, Due to the bilateral nature of busy cricket schedules and the mushrooming of Twenty20 cricket leagues, the space for triangular cricket tournaments has been squeezed.
(III) The ODI tournaments were more keenly followed than bilateral ODI face-offs in general. This is for many reasons. In multilateral tournaments, one gets to see many teams participate and make a bid for the same trophy. The permutations and combinations of match results creates a unique interest, allowing fans to constantly examine ways in which a particular team can reach the knock-out stage or clinch the title.
(a) Both (I) & (II)
(b) Only II
(c) Both (II) & (III)
(d) Both (III) & (I)
(e) All of the above

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Solutions

S1. Ans. (a)
Sol. Only the first starter can be used to frame a logical and comprehensive sentence connecting both the sentences given as the question. The other two starters are incorrect owing to their varying meanings.
(I)Though MC Mary Kom has been described as the Muhammad Ali of women’s boxing, it is a trifle unfair because she has her own claim to fame – the indefatigable MC Mary Kom, the woman from Manipur who attained global glory.

S2. Ans. (c)
Sol. Both the starters (I) and (II) can be used to connect the given set of two sentences to form a meaningful statement. However, the third starter is incorrect as it would alter the meaning of the actual sentence.
(I)To list the successes of MC Mary Kom would be a lengthy affair, what matters is how she adapted herself to varying demands, including “gaining weight” because a few competitions did not cater to her natural weight-category.
(II)While it would be a lengthy affair to list the successes of MC Mary Kom, what matters is how she adapted herself to varying demands, including “gaining weight” because a few competitions did not cater to her natural weight-category.

S3. Ans. (e)
Sol. All the three starters are correct enough to form three logical sentences without altering the meaning of the actual sentence.
(I)Being an umbrella organization with many ideologies coexisting together, the Congress lacked a single focus.
(II)In view of the fact that the Congress was an umbrella organization with many ideologies coexisting together, it lacked a single focus.
(III) As the Congress was an umbrella organization with many ideologies coexisting together, it lacked a single focus.

S4. Ans. (b)
Sol. Only the second starter can be used to frame a logical and comprehensive sentence connecting both the sentences given as the question. The other two starters are incorrect owing to their varying meanings.
(II)While Deen Dayal identifies honesty to be a principle, the task is to make it a policy for which the beginning has to be made by reforming an overdeveloped state that is free of corruption, with a high level of human development indices, and adhering to a “world minimum” that Sakharov spoke of.

S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. Only the third starter can be used to frame a logical and comprehensive sentence connecting both the sentences given as the question. The other two starters are incorrect owing to their varying meanings.
(III)Discounting the universal validity of Western ideologies, Deen Dayal emphasised the relationship of political ideologies to the factors of time and place.

S6. Ans. (d)
Sol. Sentences ebca form a coherent paragraph as it talks about the impact of demonetization and then GST on the economy that created crises in livelihoods, small manufacturing units and traders which are still to be recovered. Sentence (d) fails to connect with the other sentences as it tells about the people who are responsible for this and mentions the word ‘clear’  as no other sentences are pointing towards this conclusion. Hence option (d) is the correct choice.

S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. Sentences caeb a coherent paragraph whereas sentence (d) is not a part of the paragraph as it is about accomplishing the goal and making China as a leading developed nation. You will notice that the three phases which are being talked about in the sentence (c) are following a chronological order and are talking about different timelines. So while (d) can be a part of the paragraph but when it comes to coherence ‘caeb’  is the correct order.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Sentences aedb form a coherent paragraph talking about criticism made by Cuba against U.S. move of not supporting them. Sentence (c) is about relaxing restriction during Obama’s administration which is not making a connection with the other sentences . Hence option (c) is the right choice.

S9. Ans.(a)
Sol. Going through the sentences we find that sentences cebd form a coherent paragraph and are discussing about the emergency declared by Donald Trump against opioid abuse whereas sentence (a) is about threat from the drugs making it unrelated to the other sentences. Hence option (a) is the correct choice.

S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. Sentences daeb form a coherent paragraph and discusses about the sources from which the challenges in protected area will arise that are encroachment on western part, development pressures on eastern edges of the hills and sprouting of coconut plantations whereas sentence (c) talks about the recovery of forests making it unrelated to other sentences. Hence option (c) is the correct choice.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. The inference drawn is about the people who faced severities during the period starting with implementation of Demonetisation till situations eased out. Statement (I) talks about the emotional outcry of people and their criticism about government’s step but nowhere presents any fact or example of unattended people’s suffering . Statement (III) talks about only the introduction of the campaign and the related debates about its righteousness. Statement (II) presents soundly the fact that ordinary innocent people who believed in government intentions suffered the hardships and not much was done or thought about easing their suffering at the start of the process.

S12. Ans. (b)
Sol. The inference is drawn is that Hindu outfits can no longer deny the existence of extremism among their ranks. Statement (II) though mentions the killing of Mahatama Gandhi by a fanatical Hindu, it fails to state that it has been backed the community. Statement (I) & (III) support the inference based on facts that fringe Hindus radicals have created an atmosphere of intolerance for writers, academics speaking against them and predominance of Hinduism in Indian society, politics, and culture, which it promotes through tactics that include violence and terror respectively.

S13. Ans. (b)
Sol. The inference drawn is based upon the fact that if the court finds out a circumstance where in there is need for special physical assistance for the prisoner daily life activities i.e. with a physical disability, he should be allowed bail on this ground. Statement (II) and (III) beat around the bush with references to the Indian Constitution stating right to life and liberty but it doesn’t specifies it particularly for the disabled accused. Statement (I) alone provides for consideration of a person’s physical condition as a ground for bail provision.

S14. (b)
Sol. The inference drawn centers around the fact that police not able to withstand public pressure jump to conclusions that may be later refuted. Supporting this inferences are Statement (I) & (III) which clearly mentions police investigations carried in wake of public pressure have resulted into debatable conclusions showing inadequacy. Statement (II) makes a mention of the public pressure but then deviates to badly carried out investigations. It doesn’t show that a public statement was issued on the basis of any conclusion.

S15. Ans. (e)
Sol. The inference drawn on the basis of increasing bilateral faceoffs in ODI cricket to be making game watching boring is supported by all the Statements (I) (II) & (III) as all statements mention the facts : Number of bilateral series have increased with decrease in more than 2 team series tournaments hence resulting in increase of monotonous nature in these clashes.

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