English Language Quiz for IBPS 2020 Mains Exams- 25th December

Directions (1-5): Read the following passage divided into the number of paragraphs carefully and answer the questions that follow it.

Paragraph 1: India has been a tourist destination from earliest times, in those days for religious purposes. Chinese pilgrims Faxien in the fourth century and Xuanzang and Yijing in the seventh century came to India in search of the footsteps of Lord Buddha, and their accounts are invaluable source material for historians of that epoch. India could again be a great religious tourism destination, for all the world’s great religions have traditions here; Christianity, for example, thrived in India even before it was established in Europe.

Paragraph 2: India entertains about nine million tourists a year; twenty years ago it was only two million. But this increase fades into insignificance when compared to France’s 76 million, Spain’s 55, the USA’s 49, Italy’s 48 and China’s 46. China’s figure is remarkable because its tourism industry was practically nonexistent until the 1990s. Of our 9 million, this figure is inclusive of Indian-origin tourists from abroad who return to their homeland repeatedly. It would be interesting to disaggregate the Indian-origin tourists from others, but this figure is not available. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are the most visited states, and Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra and Jaipur the most visited towns.

Paragraph 3: The Indian authorities once realised the importance of tourism, and Dr Karan Singh was the first-ever Minister of Tourism from 1967 to 1973. He was the most distinguished and knowledgeable person to have held this post, which has been progressively reduced in status. The External Affairs Ministry has given ‘Visa on Arrival’ facilities for 43 countries, but the queue for this option at our immigration counters is longer and slower than for those arriving with visas, so this is another case of good intentions frustrated by bad implementation. The ‘Incredible India’ campaign was appreciated worldwide, but has ceased to exist. Air India promoted tourism in its early days; some older readers may recall a free booklet on board titled ‘Foolishly Yours’ by Bobby Kooka. There no such book now; we have lost both our sense of humour and proportion. The External Affairs Ministry helped in promoting tourism around our 50th independence anniversary and again this year for our 70th anniversary, and organized Festivals of India abroad, starting in the 1980s in the USA, and then on to France, Canada, Russia, Germany, Britain and other countries. One US author wrote: “The collective effort of so many cultural products left the American elite impressed, and our media woke up to the fact that there is art everywhere in India.”

Paragraph 4: The Tourism ministry has 14 overseas offices which organize road-shows and participate in Travel Trade Fairs, but these offices are heavy with bureaucracy. Sometimes they are merged with other government departments like the India Investment Centre, Tea Board, or Air India, which is a false saving. No state in India has its tourism office abroad, unlike the provinces of Canada and Australia.

Paragraph 5: China has one hundred million outgoing tourists each year. Only 150,000 of these come to India, and it is important to analyse why. China Eastern Airways has daily flights from China to Kolkata that are usually fully booked. But how many come as tourists? Indian travel agents need to market combined tours of South Asian and South-east Asian countries. More special tourist trains are required; it is not clear why the Palace on Wheels shut down. The Darjeeling Railway was never exploited properly, and a ‘toy train’ from Coimbatore to Conoor is also unutilized. Steam locomotives have their own fascination abroad, rather like vintage cars.

Q1. Which of the following statements undermine(s) the fact, “India has been a tourist destination from earliest times” as used in Paragraph 1?
(I)Faxien, Xuanzang and Yijing were some of the foreign scholars who visited India much before the tenth century.
(II)The ancient accounts suggest that Christianity prospered in India even before it was established in Europe.
(III)India has Nalanda, the Meenakshi Temple, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, the Asoka Pillars, the Indus Valley sites and a host of others that depict the fact that India has been a tourist destination from earliest times.

(a)Only (I)
(b)Only (II)
(c)Only (III)
(d)Both (II) and (III)
(e)All (I), (II) and (III)

Q2. How is China’s progress in tourism sector influential in comparison to other countries?
(I)There is a tremendous improvement in the tourism sector in China in the last few decades which is close to no other developing nations.
(II)China’s figure of 46 million tourists a year is astounding as it promises a progressive growth in years to come.
(III)China’s unique value against other countries in the tourism industry is commendable as it was practically nonexistent until the 1990s.

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

Q3. Which of the following statements describe(s) the lapse in the existing system of tourism industry in India?
(I)There is a lack of proper implementation and execution of policies at different levels that challenges the true intentions of the government.
(II)The robust campaigns like “The Incredible India” and Air India’s “Foolishly Yours” to promote tourism in the country are no longer in practice.
(III)There is a complete negligence on the part of the authorities as there is no effort towards enhancing its reach beyond its existent stretch.

(a)Only (I)
(b)Only (III)
(c)Both (I) and (II)
(d)Both (II) and (III)
(e)All (I), (II) and (III)

Q4. Which of the following words best describes the mood of the author in paragraph 4?
(a)Critical
(b)Eulogistic
(c)Satirical
(d)Vituperative
(e)Didactic

Q5. Which of the following statements summarize(s) the paragraph 5 appropriately?
(I)The Indian tourism industry, unlike China, has failed in utilizing the abundant resources it possesses.
(II)Chinese tourists have outnumbered Indian tourists when it comes to inter-regional tourism relationship between the two countries.
(III)India should restart the service of toy trains and antique steam locomotives that have their fascination abroad, rather like vintage cars.

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

Directions (6-10): Read the following passage divided into the number of paragraphs carefully and answer the questions that follow it.

Paragraph 1: India’s ambitious plan to interlink rivers to achieve greater equity in the distribution of water in the country reached an important milestone on July 6, when water from the Godavari, its second-longest river, rushed to meet the fourth-longest, the Krishna. The two became the first of 30 rivers to be linked under the Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program. Touted as the world’s largest irrigation infrastructure project, the ILR program involves construction of around 15,000 km of new canals and 3,000 big and small dams and storage structures. Broadly, it has two parts: the Himalayan rivers component with 14 links and the peninsular component with 16 links, which will transport 33 and 141 trillion liters of water, respectively, per year. The Godavari-Krishna link is part of the latter.

Paragraph 2: The idea of interlinking rivers isn’t new. Even in ancient times, rulers and engineers the world over sought to divert rivers to parched lands. In 1858, when India was under colonial rule, British engineer Sir Arthur Cotton proposed interlinking India’s major rivers for inland navigation but his plan remained on the drawing board. Variations of this project have been put up in more recent decades. But successive governments did not pursue these plans due to financial and environmental concerns. It was only with the Bharatiya Janata Party coming to power in 2014 – it is a strong proponent of interlinking rivers – that the ILR program took off.

Paragraph 3: India has multiple water-related woes. Besides its enormous dependence on the erratic monsoons, its basin-wise availability of water varies greatly due to uneven rainfall and population density. According to a Ministry of Water Resources report, in 2010 the average per capita availability of water in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system was 20,136 cubic meters per year compared to 263 cubic meters in the Sabarmati basin. While a third of the country grapples with drought, an eighth struggles with floods. Interlinking rivers is seen as the way to deal with these problems. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, the ILR program will not only extend irrigation to an additional 35 million hectares of land and boost hydropower capacity by around 34,000 megawatts of electricity power but also will improve management of floods and droughts.

Paragraph 4: The ILR program involves transfer of water from “surplus” river basins to “deficit” ones. On the face of it, it appears to be just about diverting water. However, it isn’t that simple. Water will have to be channeled across different terrains, topographies, and elevations. It involves very complex engineering. And it comes with a hefty price tag. It is estimated to cost $168 billion. This being a project that will take decades to complete, serious cost overruns can be expected. Engineering a diversion of water carries enormous human, ecological, and environmental costs too. Millions of people are likely to be displaced by the ILR’s canals and dams.

Paragraph 5: Environmentalists are drawing attention to the irreversible damage that reduced downstream flows would have on a river’s ecology and biodiversity. A change in the ecology of the River Ken on account of the Ken-Betwa link project in central India is expected to doom the already critically endangered gharial. Also, this project would submerge around 10 percent of the Panna Tiger reserve, reversing the huge gains of India’s tiger conservation project.

Q6. According to paragraph 1, what is the Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program all about?
(a) The Godavari and the Krishna are the Himalayan rivers that became the part of the project Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) transporting trillion litres of water.
(b) Interlinking of Rivers program will bring investments as it will enable the government to transport many litres of the linked river’s water to other nations.
(c) To meet the basic demands of farmers, Government is stepping towards a project called Interlinking of Rivers. The project will link two or more rivers and thereby use its water for primary purposes.
(d) Interlinking of rivers refers to linking of rivers and using its water for the purpose like construction of canals, big and small dams and storage structures.
(e) All of the above statements are true.

Q7. The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project has its roots in ancient times, how is it correct to say that?
(I) It is evident from Ancient times that people are taking benefit by interlinking the rivers and using their water for their needs like transportation by rivers and canals etc.
(II) The idea of interlinking the rivers and using its water for many purposes like irrigation, inland navigation was derived in ancient times.
(III) Previous government has failed to follow this program as it would affect the environment and this project would disturb the budget of the economy.

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

Q8. Which of the following sentences cannot be inferred from paragraph 3?
(a) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project will not only provide irrigation facilities but also boost hydropower capacity.
(b) Major portion of the country is dependent on monsoon.
(c) Interlinking of rivers can solve the problem of availability of water in the areas of uneven rainfall.
(d) In 2010 the average per capita availability of water in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system was 20,136 cubic meters per year.
(e) Interlinking of the project requires higher man power and financial stability so that it is able to function smoothly.

Q9. Why the ILR project took such a long time to implement?
(I) Huge budget is required to make the ILR project work.
(II) The Interlinking of rivers is not that feasible project as many people residing near the rivers have to leave the place for the construction of dams and canals.
(III) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project requires a much complicated engineering that needs a big task force to divert the water of rivers.

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

Q10. Which of the following statements can follow paragraph 4 to form a connection with paragraph 5?
(a) The ILR project requires a correct planning by engineers to implement it in a correct way.
(b) The damage which will be there after implementing the ILR project is irreversible as many people are to be displaced while river’s ecology will also get affected.
(c) For interlinking the rivers, the water will have to be channeled across different terrains, topographies, and elevations, which is found difficult to construct.
(d) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program will supply the required water to parched lands.
(e) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project is now gaining the traction, as compared to ancient times, by the present government to meet various demands.

Directions (11-15): The following question consists of a sentence which is divided into three parts which contain grammatical errors in one or more than one part of the sentence. If there is an error in any part of the sentence, find the correct alternatives to replace those parts from the three options given below each question to make the sentence grammatically correct. If there is an error in any part of the sentence and none of the alternatives is correct to replace that part, then choose (d) i.e. None of the (I), (II) and (III) as your answer. If the given sentence is grammatically correct or does not require any correction, choose (e) i.e. No correction required as your answer.

Q11. Despite the RBI launched the 200-rupee note a week ago, (I)/ it may take up to three months for ATMs to start dispensing the new denomination currency (II)/ for it involves a huge exercise of recalibration. (III)
(I) While the RBI launched the 200-rupee note a week ago
(II)it might take up to three months for ATMs to start dispensing the new denomination currency
(III)as it will involve a huge exercise of recalibration

(a)Only (I)
(b)Both (I) and (III)
(c)Both (I) and (II)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required

Q12. In the long term, GST offers a unique (I)/opportunity for customer organisations to eliminate inherent (II)/inefficiencies in the location, movement and inventory holding of goods. (III)
(I)In the long term, GST offer a unique
(II)opportunity to customer oganisation to eliminate inherent
(III)inefficiency of the location, movement and inventory holding of goods

(a)Only (I)
(b)Both (II) and (III)
(c)Both (I) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required

Q13. One of the biggest strength of democracy is that (I)/potential correctives to government actions in the form of (II)/ peaceful movements of people should exist. (III)
(I)One of the biggest strengths of democracy is that
(II)potential correctness in government actions in the form of
(III)peaceful movements of people should be existent

(a)Only (I)
(b)Only (II)
(c)Both (I) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required

Q14. Suicide is nothing but an ‘escapist’ approach (I)/to life problem which are nothing but part of (II)/a larger divine plan to facilitating our spiritual progress. (III)
(I) Suicide has nothing to do with an ‘escapist’ approach
(II) to life’s problems which are nothing but part of
(III) a larger divine plan to facilitate our spiritual progress

(a)Only (II)
(b)Both (II) and (III)
(c)All (I), (II) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required

Q15. ISRO should have the capacity to launch PSLV missions (I)/once in three months and could have (II)/ completed the IRNSS constellation in early 2015. (III)
(I) ISRO has the capacity to launch PSLV missions
(II) once in three months and shall have
(III) completed the IRNSS constellation early 2015

(a)Only (I)
(b)Both (I) and (III)
(c)Both (II) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required

Practice More Questions of English for Competitive Exams:

Solutions

S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. Read the passage, it can be easily verified that statements (I) and (II) strengthen the given fact that India has been a tourist destination from earliest times. These can be inferred from the first paragraph while statement (III) is not evident enough to agree to the fact. Hence only statement (III) among the given options undermines the fact.

S2. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer the second paragraph of the passage, “But this increase fades into insignificance when compared to France’s 76 million, Spain’s 55, the USA’s 49, Italy’s 48 and China’s 46. China’s figure is remarkable because its tourism industry was practically nonexistent until the 1990s.” This clearly indicates that statements (II) and (III) rightly express the China’s growing dominance in this industry as compared to figures of other nations. However, statement (I) is partly true but it is not evident and appropriate enough to support the answer in the context of the passage. Hence (d) is the correct option.

S3. Ans. (e)
Sol. All the three statements are correct in terms of describing the lapses that our existing system of tourism industry possesses. These can be easily verified after going through the third and the fourth paragraphs of the passage. The author has clearly mentioned that there are many areas that require the immediate concern to expect a progressive tourism industry in the country. Hence (e) is the correct option.

S4. Ans. (a)
Sol. The mood of the author in paragraph 4 is Critical as the author tries to highlight the loopholes in our system. The author points out the areas where the government needs to take the immediate action. Hence the word “critical” describes the mood of the author in the best way.

S5. Ans. (d)
Sol. Read the last paragraph of the passage carefully, the author tries to explain the need of bringing its antique services back into action. The author has also given the example of China and it’s tourism marketing which India too needs to follow. Among the three statements, both (I) and (III) summarize the paragraph appropriately while statement (II) is out of the context. Hence (d) is the correct option.

S6. Ans. (d)
Sol. If we read Paragraph 1 carefully, we infer that only sentence (d) goes in harmony with the paragraph. Sentence (a) is wrong as the Godavari and Krishna, though being part of ILR project, is not Himalayan rivers rather they are peninsular rivers. Sentence (b) is wrong as it talks about investments by transporting the water to other nations, which is not related to paragraph. Sentence (c) is wrong as it talks about meeting the primary purpose of the farmer, which is not specific. Hence only sentence (d) is correct as it talks about what ILR project consists of.

S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. Referring to paragraph 2, we can conclude that only sentences (II) and (III) are correct. “The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project has its roots in ancient times”, It is correct to say this as it is mentioned in the paragraph that many rulers and engineers from ancient times had sought to divert the water to dried lands. Sentence (III) is correct as it tells that previous government did not pursue these plans due to financial and environmental issues. Sentence (I) is not correct as the idea of using the water of interlinked rivers was not implemented. Hence option (d) is the correct choice.

S8. Ans. (e)
Sol. All the above sentences can be inferred from paragraph 3 except sentence (e). Sentence (e) is not mentioned in the paragraph hence it cannot be inferred from paragraph 3.

S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. All of the above factors are true as they are responsible for the delay in the implementation of ILR project. Hence option (e) is the correct choice.

S10. Ans. (b)
Sol. While going through both the paragraphs, we find that here the demerits of the Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program are discussed. The harm that living entities will get by constructing this project is discussed in this paragraph. Hence sentence (b) is the correct option that can follow paragraph 4 to form a connection with paragraph 5.

S11. Ans. (b)
Sol. In the first part of the sentence, “Despite” should be replaced by “While” as it should be used as the conjunction in the sentence which means in spite of the fact that; although. Moreover, the use of “Despite” in the sentence changes the meaning of it. The second part of the sentence is grammatically and contextually wrong. The third part of the sentence refers to the reason, hence the phrase “for it involves” should be replaced by “as it will involve” as the action is yet to be performed. Hence (b) is the correct option.

S12. Ans. (e)
Sol. The given sentence is grammatically correct. Hence it doesn’t require any correction.

S13. Ans. (a)
Sol. In the first part of the sentence, “strength” should be replaced by its plural “strengths” as the noun following the phrase “one of the” is always a plural noun. Other two parts of the sentence are grammatically correct. Hence (a) is the correct option.

S14. Ans. (b)
Sol. The first part of the sentence doesn’t require any correction as the sentence is trying to bring out a generalized view. In the second part, the use of “are” suggests that the noun it defines must be plural. In this case, the phrase “life problem” should be replaced by “life’s problems” to make the sentence grammatically correct. In the third part of the sentence, the infinitive “to” should be followed by the first form of the verb i.e. “facilitate” which means make (an action or process) easy or easier. Hence both the second and the third parts of the sentence require corrections to make the sentence grammatically correct.

S15. Ans. (a)
Sol. There is a small error in only first part of the sentence, the phrase “ISRO should have the capacity” should be replaced by “ISRO has the capacity” as it can be well inferred from the second part of the sentence that it talks about the considerable fact which is true and existent. The verb “should have” changes the meaning of the sentence, thus “has” is the correct grammar usage. Other two parts of the sentence are absolutely correct defining and expressing the meaning of the sentence both grammatically and contextually. Hence (a) is the correct option.

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