English Quizzes, for IBPS Clerk/NIACL AO Prelims 2021

Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/ phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a video game that came out for the Atari 2600 game system in 1982. It was based on a very popular film of the same name. It cost over 125 million dollars to make. Star programmer Howard Scott Warshaw created it with consultation from Steven Spielberg. And it is widely considered to be one of the worst video games ever created. The massive failure of E.T. and its effects on Atari is an often-mentioned reason for the video game industry crash of 1983.

It was July 27th, 1982. Howard Scott Warshaw was hot off the success of his most recent game, Raiders of the Lost Ark. He received a call from Atari C.E.O. Ray Kassar. Atari had bought the rights to make a video game version of Spielberg’s movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which had just been released in June. Kassar told Warshaw that Spielberg had specifically asked for Warshaw to make the game. Warshaw was honored, but there was one huge problem. Atari needed the game finished by September 1st in order to start selling it during the Christmas season.

It had taken Warshaw six months to create Raiders of the Lost Ark. The game he made prior to that took him seven months. He was expected to create E.T. in around five weeks. Warshaw just did not have enough time to program the game properly, but he accepted the challenge anyway and production began. Spielberg wanted Warshaw to create a simple maze game, similar to Pac-Man, but Warshaw had a bigger vision. He wanted players to explore different environments in a 3D world. Warshaw followed his vision.

Atari anticipated that the game would be a huge success. Usually companies like Atari have people test games before releasing them. If there is something that testers really dislike, programmers can fix it before the public gets a chance to play. Atari decided to skip testing due to time limitations. They wanted the game released during the holiday season. It was: E.T. was released in December of 1982.

The game sold very well at first. It was a hot holiday item. Unfortunately, Atari overestimated how many they would sell. They made 5 million copies and they only sold 1.5 million. Most people who played the game hated it. The graphics were bad. Game play was awkward. Players got stuck in holes that they couldn’t escape. A short time limit made the game difficult to explore and frustrating to play. Some people who stuck with the game grew to like it, but it wasn’t the mainstream success that Atari had hoped it would be.

Too many copies of the game sat on store shelves. One employee remembers the game being discounted five times, from $49.95 to less than a dollar. Many people returned the game. Atari was left with millions of unsold copies. In September of 1983, a newspaper in New Mexico reported that between 10 and 20 semitrailer truckloads of Atari products were crushed and buried at a landfill in Alamogordo. Perhaps a million or more copies of E.T. were buried in the desert. When word got out, the drop site had to be covered with cement to prevent scavenging.

Atari lost over $100 million on E.T. The game was so bad that it was said to have affected Atari’s reputation. The video game industry soon fell into a deep depression. In 1983 the industry made $3.2 billion. By 1985 profit fell to just over $100 million. This was almost a 97% drop. Many critics believe that Atari’s blunder on E.T. was one of the causes leading to this depression. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial will long be remembered as one of the worst video games ever made, if not one of the causes of the decline of the entire video game industry.

Q1. Which of the following is not a reason for the failure of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?
(a) The programmer was not given enough time to finish the game properly.
(b) Atari did not test the game before its release.
(c) Atari made too many copies of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
(d) The game was released on a new system that only a small number of people owned.
(e) None of these.

Q2. Which of the following were effects of the failure of E.T the Extra-Terrestrial?
(i) Perhaps a million or more copies of the game were buried in the desert.
(ii) Atari lost over $100 million.
(iii) The video game industry sunk into a deep depression.
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (ii)
(c) Only (iii)
(d) None of these
(e) All (a) (b) (c)

Q3. Which of the following was not listed as a reason why E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was considered one of the worst games ever?
(a) The soundtrack was annoying.
(b) The graphics were bad.
(c) A short time limit made the game frustrating.
(d) Players would get stuck in holes.
(e) None of these.

Q4. Why did Atari decide to skip testing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?
(a) Testing was too expensive.
(b) Spielberg would not allow testing.
(c) They were in a hurry to release the game for the holiday season.
(d) Testing video games was not common until after E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released.
(e) None of these

Q5. According to the text, which group of people would like playing E.T.?
(a) People who really enjoyed watching the movie
(b) People who liked playing fast, fun games
(c) People who stuck with the game despite its flaws
(d) People who enjoyed playing Raiders of the Lost Ark
(e) none of these

Q6. Which of the following statements is true?
(a) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was one of the worst selling games of all time.
(b) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial sold a lot fewer copies than Atari was hoping it would.
(c) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was one of the best selling video games of all time despite its flaws.
(d) Every copy of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ever sold was eventually returned.
(e) None of these.

Q7. Which is not a reason cited in the article why E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial should have been successful?
(a) It was based on an extremely popular movie.
(b) The gameplay was smooth and enjoyable.
(c) Atari spent over $125 million on its production.
(d) Howard Scott Warshaw programmed the game.
(e) None of these

Q8. Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
SCAVENGING
(a) Forage
(b) Rummage
(c) Ransack
(d) Blight
(e) Scour

Q9. Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
MASSIVE
(a) Derisory
(b) colossal
(c) prodigious
(d) immense
(e) monumental

Q10. Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
PRIOR
(a) later
(b) eventually
(c) anterior
(d) subsequent
(e) thereupon

Directions (11-15): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

In the town where, Abhiram painted pictures of goods and goddesses, everyone knew him only as a stranger who had always painted pictures for a living. No one knew him or his past. He would think, “I was once wealthy but it’s all gone now.. and in a way it is for the better. I meditate on various forms of God all day long now. My bread and butter comes from that. I also place his image in all the houses. No one can take away the respect and goodwill this earns me.” One day the royal minister passed away. The king employed a new minister from a foreign land. The whole town was abuzz with the news but that day Abhiram’s fingers stilled to a halt. Abhiram’s father had adopted an orphan boy whom he had raised and trusted more than his own son, Abhiram. But the boy had turned traitor and had stolen the old man’s fortune from him. The very same man had now come to the new kingdom as the new minister. The room where kingdom painted was also his puja room. He went in, folded his hands and queried, “Is this why I have spent so many years meditating on you through every colour, every line? Is this how you reward me – with such an insult?”

The chariot pageant was coming up. At the fairgrounds many people from different lands thronged to buy Abhiram’s pictures. In that throng, there was a little boy watched over by servants. He picked out one picture. Abhiram turned to the child’s attendant and asked, “Who is the boy?” He replied, “The only son of our royal minister.” Abhiram covered his painting with a cloth and said, “I will not sell my pictures”, which only made the child want the picture even more. He came home and sulked in the corner and refused to eat. The minister sent a bagful of coins for Abhiram, but the bag came back to the minister untouched. The minister said to himself, “What audacity!” The more he was pestered, the more dogged was Abhiram’s refusal and he thought, “This is my victory.”

Every morning the first thing Abhiram did was to paint a picture of his own beloved deity. This was the only form of worship known to him. One day he realised the painting wasn’t to his satisfaction. Something looked different. It wasn’t looking right. He fell tormented. As the days passed, the subtle difference became more apparent until one day Abhiram looked up, startled by the realization. he could see it clearly now – the face of his God was beginning to look more and more like the minister. He hurled his brush to the ground and said, “So the minister wins!” That same day he took the painting to the minister and said, “Here is the picture. Give it to your son.” The minister asked, “how much?” Abhiram said, “You robbed me of my devotion to God. I shall gain it back by gifting you this picture.” The minister had no idea what he was talking about.

Q11. Which of the following cannot be said that about Abhiram?
I. Abhiram used to meditate and pray every morning that God would make him prosperous.
II. Abhiram refused to sell the painting to the little boy because the boy did not speak to him politely
III. Abhiram had been a businessman in the past.
(a) All – (I), (II) and (III)
(b) Both (I) and (III)
(c) Only (II)
(d) Both (II) and (III)
(e) None of these

Q12. Why did Abhiram paint a picture of one particular deity every morning?
(a) His paintings of this particular deity were very popular and he sold many of them
(b) He kept trying to paint the picture well but he never succeeded
(c) In memory of his father who had great devotion for the deity
(d) It was his away of praying
(e) None of these

Q13. Why was Abhiram disappointed with his most recent painting?
(a) Despite his best efforts, he could not get the painting to resemble the minister
(b) Attention to details which made his paintings so popular was missing
(c) Instead of resembling the replica of a deity, the painting looked like a portrait of the minister
(d) Since he was unable to paint the lighting effects properly, the deity did not look life-like in the portrait
(e) There was nothing wrong with the painting; Abhiram was a perfectionist

Q14. Why did the minister send a bagful of gold to Abhiram’s house?
(a) As penance for taking Abhiram’s rightful share of their father’s property
(b) He admired artists and wanted to pay his respects to Abhiram
(c) As a bribe to ensure that Abhiram would keep their past a secret
(d) He wanted to purchase a painting that his son was determined to have
(e) As payment for the portraits that he wanted Abhiram to paint

Q15. Which of the following is most similar in meaning with AUDACITY highlighted in the given passage?
(a) Fearlessness
(b) Timidity
(c) Politeness
(d) Reserve
(e) None of these

Solutions

S1. Ans. (d)
Sol.
a – “Warshaw just did not have enough time to program the game properly.”
b – “Atari decided to skip testing due to time limitations.”
c – “Unfortunately, Atari overestimated how many they would sell. They made 5 million copies and they only sold 1.5 million.”

S2. Ans. (e)
Sol.
option (e) is the right answer choice, All (i), (ii), and (iii) statements are correct as per the given passage. Referring to the last paragraph, “Atari lost over $100 million on E.T. The video game industry soon fell into a deep depression.” (ii) and (iii) are correct. Referring to the second last paragraph of the passage, “Perhaps a million or
more copies of E.T. were buried in the desert.” (i) is correct. Hence, all (a), (b) and (c) are correct, i.e, option (e)

S3. Ans. (a)
Sol.
Refer to the 5th paragraph of the passage,”The graphics were bad. Game play was awkward. Players got stuck in holes that they couldn’t escape. A short time limit made the game difficult to explore and frustrating to play.”

S4. Ans. (c)
Sol.
Refer to the 4th paragraph of the passage, “Atari decided to skip testing due to time limitations. They wanted the game released during the holiday season.”

S5. Ans. (c)
Sol.
Refer to the 5th paragraph of the passage, “Some people who stuck with the game grew to like it,”

S6. Ans. (b)
Sol.
Refer to the 5th paragraph of the passage, “Unfortunately, Atari overestimated how many they would sell. They made 5 million copies and they only sold 1.5 million it wasn’t the mainstream success that Atari had hoped it would be. “

S7. Ans. (b)
Sol.
Refer to the first paragraph of the passage, “It was based on a very popular film of the same name. It cost over 125 million dollars to make. Star programmer Howard Scott Warshaw created it with consultation from Steven Spielberg.”

S8. Ans. (d)
Sol.
Scavenging means to search for and collect (anything usable) from discarded waste hence blight is the word most opposite in meaning.

S9. Ans. (a)
Sol.
Massive means large and heavy or solid hence derisory is the word most opposite in meaning.

S10. Ans. (c)
Sol.
Prior means existing or coming before in time, order, or importance hence anterior is the word most similar in meaning.

S11. Ans. (a)
Sol.
Abhiram didn’t meditate to have prosperity; he refused to sell the painting to the boy because the boy was the son of the new royal minister who had stolen Abhiram’s father’s fortune; and it is not mentioned that Abhiram had been a business man once .So all the options cannot be said about Abhiram.

S12. Ans. (d)
Sol.
Read the 1st two sentences of the paragraph 3,“This was the only form of worship known to him”.

S13. Ans (c)
Sol.
He fell tormented, refer to the 3rd paragraph of the passage, “the face of his God was beginning to look more and more like the minister”.

S14. Ans. (d)
Sol.
When Abhiram refused to sell his painting that only made the child want the picture even more and hence he sent a bagful of coins.

S15. Ans. (a)
Sol. Audacity means ‘a willingness to take bold risks’ or ‘rude or disrespectful behavior’. Hence, option (a) ‘fearlessness’ is the most similar in meaning with the given word.