English Language Quiz For SBI Clerk Prelims 2021- 20th June

Directions (1-10): In the passage given below there are blanks which are numbered from 1 to 10. They are to be filled with the options given below the passage against each of the respective numbers. Find out the appropriate word in each case which can most suitably complete the sentence without altering its meaning. If none of the words given in options fits in, mark ‘None of these’ as your answer choice.

Q1. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

For the ECI, the key technical issue with EVMs and VVPATs is not really in regard to tampering but to machine (7)………………. . While the parliamentary by-elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and the Assembly election in Karnataka last year had registered (8)…………….. machine replacement rates (20% and 4%, respectively), these were brought down to less than 2% in later elections held in the winter months. The ECI made technical fixes to the VVPAT to make them more (9)……………. during use across the country, and it should be well-prepared to handle any glitches during the seven-phase Lok Sabha election. The availability of replacement machines and the ability to (10)……………… them quickly in case of a failure of VVPATs are essential to avoid disruptions. In the past couple of years, the doubts raised about EVMs by parties and the new constraints encountered in the electoral process due to hastened VVPAT implementation have bogged down the ECI and narrowed the discourse regarding electoral reforms.

(a) suspicion
(b) sceptical
(c) regulate
(d) irregular
(e) harshly

Q2. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) extending
(b) highlight
(c) incur
(d) limiting
(e) bolstered

Q3. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) presentation
(b) manipulative
(c) declare
(d) arraign
(e) relate

Q4. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) tampering
(b) damaged
(c) interfere
(d) release
(e) Both (a) and (b)

Q5. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) captivating
(b) custody
(c) incompatible
(d) reassurance
(e) cheering

Q6. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) clarity
(b) defect
(c) weaken
(d) untenable
(e) tarnish

Q7. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) chaos
(b) abase
(c) glitches
(d) repaired
(e) hinder

Q8. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) remarkably
(b) uncommonly
(c) odious
(d) significant
(e) majorly

Q9. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) resilient
(b) vulnerable
(c) adapt
(d) fragile
(e) sensitive

Q10. By ordering an increase of the existing Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification rate from one to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) per Assembly constituency or segment, the Supreme Court has sought to reassure those (1)……………… about the integrity of counting by means of EVMs. By (2)……………….. the verification to five machines instead of the 125-odd machines per constituency that the Opposition’s demand for a 50% VVPAT count would have amounted to, the apex court has enabled the Election Commission of India to (3)………………. the results on the counting day itself. The higher figure, which will increase the overall number of EVMs to be counted to close to 20,000 machines, should reasonably address the very remote possibility of ‘insider fraud’. It will also verify a higher sample of EVMs in the smaller States and bring the sample within reasonable confidence levels to discount chances of EVM-(4)………………… . In any case, the VVPAT slip verification is more of a (5)……………………. to voters that the EVM is indeed foolproof, over and above the technical and administrative safeguards that are already in place to prevent any tampering. This should effectively blunt criticism that has, unnecessarily, brought the electoral process into doubt. The fact that some of the Opposition parties moved away from their (6)………………… demand for a return to paper ballots in their petition to a plea for a higher VVPAT count has also helped yield this reasoned proposition from the Supreme Court.

(a) establishing
(b) extension
(c) deploy
(d) employment
(e) Both (b) and (c)

Directions (11-15): In the following questions two columns are given containing three sentences/phrases each. In first column, sentences/phrases are A, B and C and in the second column the sentences/phrases are D, E and F. A sentence/phrase from the first column may or may not connect with another sentence/phrase from the second column to make a grammatically and contextually correct sentence. Each question has five options, four of which display the sequence(s) in which the sentences/phrases can be joined to form a grammatically and contextually correct sentence. If none of the options given forms a correct sentence after combination or none of them connects, mark (e), i.e. “None of the above” as your answer.

Q11.

(a) (B-D)
(b) Both (A-F) and (B-D)
(c) (A-F)
(d) (A-F), (C-D) and (B-E)
(e) None of the Above

Q12.

(a) (B-D)
(b) (C-E) and (B-D)
(c) Both (C-E) and (A-F)
(d) (A-E)
(e) None of the Above

Q13.

(a) (A-F)
(b) (C-E) and (A-F)
(c) (B-E)
(d) (B-E) and (A-F)
(e) None of the Above

Q14.

(a) (A-E)
(b) Both (C-F) and (A-D)
(c) (B-E)
(d) (B-D), (A-F) and (C-E)
(e) None of the Above

Q15.

(a) (A-E)
(b) (C-F) and (A-E)
(c) (C-D)
(d) Both (B-E) and (C-D)
(e) None of the Above

Solutions

S1. Ans.(b)
Sol. Sceptical: not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.

S2. Ans.(d)
Sol. ‘Limiting’ will be used here as the number of machines has been reduced from 125 to 5 per constituency.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. ‘Declare’ is grammatically and contextually correct.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. Tamper: interfere with (something) in order to cause damage or make unauthorized alterations.

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Reassurance: the action of removing someone’s doubts or fears.

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. Untenable: (especially of a position or view) not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. Glitches: a sudden, usually temporary malfunction or fault of equipment.

S8. Ans.(d)
Sol. Significant: sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

S9. Ans.(a)
Sol. Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

S10. Ans.(c)
Sol. Deploy: bring into effective action.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. (A-F), (C-D) and (B-E) form grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Both (C-E) and (A-F) form grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.

S13. Ans.(b)
Sol. (C-E) and (A-F) form grammatically correct and meaningful sentences. In B-D, ‘representation’ should have been used in placve of ‘represent’.

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. (B-D), (A-F) and (C-E) form grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.

S15. Ans.(b)
Sol. (C-F) and (A-E) form grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.