English Language Reading Comprehension Quiz for IBPS Clerk Prelims

IBPS Clerk Prelims is on its way and a lot of aspirants are heading towards new hopes with this upcoming opportunity. Thus, English Language can be an impetus for their success by
helping them save crucial time and score good points in lesser time and
effort. So, instead of boiling the ocean, try building up a strong
vocabulary, an effective knowledge of grammar, and efficient
comprehension skills so as to be on the ball to face this particular
section. Here is a quiz on English Language being provided by Adda247 to
let you practice the best of latest pattern English Questions for upcoming IBPS Clerk Exam.

Directions (1-15): Read the following passages carefully and answer the respective questions given below each of them. Certain words/phrases/sentences have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Passage 1

Long ago, there lived a lion in a dense forest. One morning his wife told him that his breath was bad and unpleasant. The lion became embarrassed and angry upon hearing it. He wanted to check this fact with others. So he called three others outside his cave.

First came the sheep. The Lion, opening his mouth wide, said, “Sheep, tell me if my mouth smells bad?” The sheep thought that the lion wanted an honest answer, so the sheep said, “Yes, Friend. There seems to be something wrong with your breath”. This plain speak did not go well with the lion. He pounced on the sheep, killing it.

Then the lion called the wolf and said, “What do you think? Do I have a bad breath?” The wolf saw what happened to the sheep. He wanted to be very cautious in answering a question. So, the wolf said, “Who says that your breath is unpleasant. It’s as sweet as the smell of roses”. When the lion heard the reply, he roared in anger and immediately attacked the wolf and killed it. “The flatterer!” growled the lion.

Finally, came the turn of the fox. The lion asked him the same question. The fox was well aware of the fate of the sheep and the wolf. So he coughed and cleared his throat again and again and then said, “Oh Dear Friend, for the last few days, I have been having a very bad cold. Due to this, I can’t smell anything, pleasant or unpleasant”.

The lion spared the fox’s life.

Q1. Why did the Wolf want to be cautious in answering the Lion?

Because he did not want to lie to the Lion.

Because Lion’s mouth had a very bad smell.

Because he did not want to be true to the Lion.

Because he had seen what the Lion did to the Sheep.

Because he was advised so by the wise Fox.

Solution:

Third para clearly says that the wolf had seen what happened to the sheep and he wanted to be very cautious in answering the Lion.

Q2. Which of the following best describes the moral of the story mentioned in the above passage?

Sometimes it is best to stay away from certain situations to avoid trouble.

One must lie to a Lion to avoid any trouble.

One must be truthful in every situation.

One must not tell others how bad their breath is.

None of these

Solution:

Very clearly the story indicates towards the message that sometimes it is best to stay away from certain situations to avoid trouble. As both, the Wolf and the Sheep were killed by the Lion despite speaking in favour of and against, respectively, the Lion. On the other hand, the Fox was spared when it chose to stay away from putting out its opinion.

Q3. According to the passage what did not make the Lion angry?

The Wolf telling the Lion that his breath was as sweet as the roses.

The Fox telling the Lion that he was suffering from cold and hence could not smell anything.

The Lion’s wife telling the Lion that he has a bad and unpleasant smell.

All of these made the Lion angry.

None of these made the Lion angry.

Solution:

The correct answer here is option (b). The Lion did not get angry at the Fox and even spared his life.

Q4. Which of the following is MOST SIMILAR to the word flatterer given in the passage?

Expert

Critic

Bootlicker

Commentator

None of these

Solution:

FLATTERER: a person who lavishes praise, often insincerely
BOOTLICKER: someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect

Q5. In the story mentioned above, in what order did the three animals answer the Lion?

Sheep->Fox->Wolf

Wolf->Fox->Sheep

Fox->Wolf->Sheep

Wolf->Sheep->Fox

Sheep->Wolf->Fox

Solution:

The correct order is Sheep->Wolf->Fox.

Passage 2

On a cold winter day, King Akbar and Birbal took a walk along the lake. A thought came to Birbal that a man would do anything for money. He expressed his feelings to Akbar. Akbar then put his finger into the lake and immediately removed it because he shivered with cold. Akbar said, “I don’t think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money.” Birbal replied, “I am sure I can find such a person.” Akbar then challenged Birbal into finding such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins.

Birbal searched far and wide until he found a poor man who was desperate enough to accept the challenge. The poor man entered the lake and Akbar had guards posted near him to make sure that he really did as promised. The next morning the guards took the poor man to Akbar. Akbar asked the poor man if he had indeed spent the night in the lake. The poor man replied that he had. Akbar then asked the poor man how he managed to spend the night in the lake. (A)

The poor man replied that there was a street lamp nearby and he kept his attention affixed on the lamp and away from the cold. Akbar then said that there would be no reward as the poor man had survived the night in the lake by the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help.

The next day, Birbal did not go to court. (B) The king, wondering where he was, sent a messenger to his home. The messenger came back saying that Birbal would come once his Khichri (Rice) was cooked. The king waited hours but Birbal did not come. Finally, the king decided to go to Birbal’s house and see what he was up to.

He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning twigs and a bowl filled with Khichri(Rice) hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his attendants couldn’t help but laugh.

Akbar then said to Birbal “How can the Khichri(Rice) be cooked if it so far away from the fire?”

Birbal answered, “The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than a furlong away.”
The King understood his mistake and gave the poor man his reward.

Q6. In the above passage, a line B is given in BOLD. Which of the following is another, grammatically and contextually correct, way of writing it?

The coming day, Birbal will not go to court.

Tomorrow, Birbal had not gone to court.

The next day, Birbal has gone to the court.

The next day, Birbal not went to the court.

None of these is correct.

Solution:

All the given options are grammatically incorrect.

Q7. Which of the following is MOST SIMILAR to word attendants used in the above passage?

Ministers

Servants

Musicians

Guests

Commanders

Solution:

ATTENDANTS: a person employed to provide a service to the public in a particular place.

SERVANTS: a person who performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal attendant.

Q8. Why did King Akbar have guards posted near the poor man when he entered the lake to spend the night?

To see if the poor man doesn’t sleep in the middle of the lake.

To take care of the poor man in case he needs help in the cold lake.

To see if the poor man completes the challenge honestly.

To test the poor man’s ability to spend the night in the cold lake, by annoying and irritating him.

None of these.

Solution:

Second para clearly mentions that King Akbar had guards posted near the poor man to make sure that he really did as promised. Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Q9. Why did Birbal hang the Rice bowl five feet above the fire?

Because he was impressed by the poor man’s ability to derive energy from the street lamp.

To irritate the King.

To try out if the fire can cook his Khichri from such a long distance.

To make the King realise his mistake.

All of these.

Solution:

It is very clear from the passage that Birbal hung the Rice bowl five feet above the fire to make King Akbar understand his mistake.

Q10. According to the passage, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

Akbar believed that Birbal would find someone who would spend a night in the lake.

Akbar believed that no one could spend a night in the cold lake.

The King laughed when he saw Birbal cooking Khichri in a bowl hung five feet above the fire.

Ultimately the poor man was given his reward by King Akbar.

None of these.

Solution:

Option (a) is the correct answer here as nowhere in the passage such a thing is mentioned. All other statements are correct as per the given story.

Q11. Which of the following is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning to desperate used in the passage?

Craving

Hopeless

Cheerful

Wanting

Yearning

Solution:

DESPERATE: feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.

CHEERFUL: noticeably happy and optimistic

Q12. Which of the following could be the most appropriate title of the story mentioned in the passage above?

Cold Water Lake

Arrogant King Akbar

Birbal the real King

Birbal’s Khichri

The bowl of Rice

Solution:

The most appropriate title for the given story would be “Birbal’s Khichri”.

Q13. How did the poor man manage to spend the whole night in the cold water lake?

He was anyway dying of hunger, so he made no choice but to spend the night there.

The poor man used the street lamp to distract himself from the cold lake water.

He tricked the King’s guards and did not really spend the night in the lake.

The poor man offered Birbal bribe to defend him on his behalf

None of the above

Solution:

First lines of the third para clearly mentions that the poor man kept his attention affixed on the lamp and away from the cold. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

Q14. How much reward was announced by King Akbar for spending a whole night in the cold lake?

100 Gold Coins

1000 Gold Coins

10000 Gold Coins

A lot of Gold Coins

A lot of wealth

Solution:

Last line of the first para says that Akbar challenged Birbal into finding a person who would agree to spend a night in the cold lake for money, and said that he would reward that person with a thousand gold coins. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q15. In the above passage, a line A is given in BOLD. Which of the following is another, grammatically and contextually correct, way of writing it?

Akbar now asked the poor man how he manage to spend the night under the lake?

Akbar then has asked the poor man how he managed to spend the night in the lake?

Akbar then asked the poor man how did he manage to spend the night in the lake?

Akbar then asked the poor man how did he managed to spend the night in the lake?

None of these.

Solution:

Of all the given statements, only statement (c) is grammatically correct and has the same meaning as the original statement. Hence option (c) is the correct answer choice here.